Winter's long dark nights may linger, but if you start the New Year with razzle-dazzle lighting, you can banish the gloom at home and make rooms sparkle.

There's a host of new lighting effects and lights on the horizon to choose from, and experts at Habitat, Christopher Wray, Andrew Martin and Heal's have made it easy for you to transform your home.

Here, they reveal the top trends and their best buys, so you can simply plug yourself in and switch on to 2020's brilliant lighting solutions...


1. Play with colour

"Introducing colour into the home through lighting is something which is becoming ever more popular," says Clare Griffin, lighting buyer, Habitat.


2. Rule with rattan

"Rattan's lightweight, durable, pliable and sustainable qualities make it one of our favourite materials to use in the design studio. People love the unusual 3D forms and design pieces with an obvious hand-crafted, natural aesthetic," says Griffin.


3. Rock a retro vibe

"Homeowners are seeking more personalised, interesting pieces in their spaces, and there's a real revival of evocative retro. The distinct bold vibrancy of the Seventies and the chintzy detail of the Eighties are both set to return to interior design," predicts Chris Jordan, managing director, Christopher Wray.


4. Invest in new industrial

"While copper fixtures and exposed bulbs have enjoyed prolonged popularity over the last decade, other aesthetically-cooler burnished metals such as nickel and silver, as well as concrete, are set to star this year," forecasts Jordan.

"Pendants zoning kitchen or dining areas, hanging in pairs or triplets, will predominate. There's less exposure of the bulb with these lights, and more classic forms will be important in the subtle presentation of this upcoming industrial style."


5. Turn on to neon

"Neon lighting is now in high demand and is fast becoming a must-have in style-conscious homes," says Martin Waller, founder of Andrew Martin, one of the hottest destinations for innovative design.

Feminist contemporary artist, Tracey Emin, who expressed her thoughts using industrial neon gas lights - including 'The Kiss Was Beautiful' and 'I Promise To Love You' - is credited with first popularising it in the early-Nineties.

Andrew Martin's artwork collection overlays iconic photography and graffiti prints with modern light-up signage. "Nowadays, no room feels complete without art. The trend for neon lighting highlights the rise of maximalism as a luxury lighting trend," says Waller.


6. Let lamps shine

"Think of lamps as art pieces or sculptures, like a design-led finishing touch, and consider how your lighting choices will impact a room even when not switched on," advises Waller.

"Bold designs featuring sculptural shapes, interesting texture or coloured glass make a style statement when on or off.”


7. Embrace eco solutions

"Customers are increasingly looking for more energy-efficient lighting solutions and feel a growing responsibility to be sustainable across all aspects of life," says Claire Anstey, lighting buyer, Heal's.

"LEDs not only reduce carbon emissions by consuming less energy and have a significantly longer life-span, but are also allowing designers to be much more creative."


8. Look for lustre

"Following on from an emergence of coloured glass last year, expect to see a shift towards the more interesting finishes offered by electroplated lighting," predicts Anstey.

"Adding a contemporary twist to light fixtures, electroplating creates a high-shine, mirrored effect for a truly eye-catching, iridescent and distinctive look.”