Lighting Tomorrow: What Will Shape the Industry Over the Next Decade
The lighting industry has always had one foot in the future. Technologies that once felt speculative are now embedded quietly in everyday life, while other ideas have shifted, softened or taken unexpected turns. At Michael Grubb Studio, future-facing conversations are part of our culture, a way to interrogate responsibility, creativity and impact.
This exercise has history. In 2015, inspired by Back to the Future Day and Marty McFly’s arrival in the then future, we asked ourselves what 2025 might look like. Now, standing firmly in the present, our award-winning team came together again to look ahead to the next decade. What follows is not a single vision, but a collection of perspectives that reflect how the role of lighting is expanding, technically, culturally and emotionally.
Lighting Industry Predictions for the Next Decade
1. Sustainability and modularity will become the industry’s core
We anticipate modular luminaires, replaceable components and longer lasting schemes, driven by environmental responsibility and client expectations.
2. Human centric lighting will be a core requirement
There will be an intensified focus on wellbeing, empathy and collective experience, with wellness sitting at the heart of every brief.
3. Unity and emotional connection will drive the design
Lighting will become a tool for shared multicultural experiences that bring people together at a time when society often feels divided.
4. AI will be both opportunity and disruption
We predicts an influx of do it yourself design, followed by renewed appreciation for trained designers who can fix what automated systems get wrong and champion truly human responses to light.
5. Immersive environments will accelerate to a grand scale
Expect lighting and audio visual technology to merge into city wide experiential canvases, offering both energising spectacles and calming retreats.
6. Boom in astrotourism driven by the rediscovery of darkness
We see the growth of dark sky travel and local stargazing, a powerful counterpoint to overstimulating urban environments and an important driver of education about light pollution.
Looking Ahead
Across all these predictions runs a single, consistent thread. Lighting remains fundamentally about people. Technology has shaped the journey, but people have shaped the meaning. Everything still starts with the idea. Light continues to guide movement, shape emotion and influence collective experience, and everything still ends with human experience.
As we move towards the next decade, the tools will continue to evolve and the conversations will deepen. What remains unchanged is the intention to create environments that support people, enrich culture and acknowledge the responsibility that comes with shaping how places are experienced.
The future feels closer and more tangible than it did in 2015, yet more complex in its demands. If there is one certainty looking ahead, it is that the quiet power of connection through light will continue to define the industry’s direction.
This is an extract from the original article “Lighting in 2035” published in the latest issue of The Spotlight, the digital editorial from Michael Grubb Studio. The Spotlight is dedicated to the art and science of light, lighting, and illumination. From curated project digests to glimpses into our design process and open discussions, our editorial insight shares perspectives not just on our award-winning work but also on broader lighting industry challenges and advancements.
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