Spring has a way of sharpening the senses. The days stretch out, the sun lingers a little longer in the sky, and suddenly we start noticing light again — how it moves across a room, how it warms a façade, how it shapes a city after dusk. It feels fitting, then, that this is precisely the moment when the lighting world gathers in Light + Building in Frankfurt.
The biennial fair is still underway — Thursday as I write this, with the final day tomorrow — which means the official figures are yet to land. But my report from the last show gives us a sense of scale. In 2024, around 2,000 exhibitors filled the halls, welcoming more than 150,000 visitors.
Because this is not the kind of design fair dominated by sculptural pendants and photogenic installations. Light + Building sits firmly on the technical side of the spectrum — a place where the conversation is often about what happens behind the wall rather than what hangs from the ceiling. Engineers, developers and lighting specialists share the floor with designers, and the atmosphere reflects that: practical and curious.
In previous editions, discussions have drifted into surprising territory — the idea of lighting infrastructure doubling as Wi-Fi carriers, for example, or explorations into how lighting affects wellness.
This year, I found myself missing a little of those big new conversations. They were there — just perhaps a little quieter than in previous editions. Instead, the fair felt broader than buzzy, a reminder of the vast ecosystem that lighting touches.
And it really is vast. At Light + Building you find streetlights guiding late-night cyclists, architectural systems illuminating façades, office lighting designed to reduce eye strain, retail displays engineered to flatter fabrics and finishes, and even the humble but essential world of warning and safety signage. And you find the audience here. I met the managing dirctor of the lighting society in Sweden and he gasped “Everyone is here”. And perhaps you would more likely meet a lighting designer, architect, city planner or builder – than a trend hunter like me.
There was another reason to visit Frankfurt this year. The city is celebrating its role as a global design hub, carrying the title of World Design Capital — an apt backdrop for a fair that sits somewhere between design, infrastructure and future thinking.
A new angle on sustainability? I had never seen this at a fair, but it is not new. Darksky is a certification given to lighting products that meet strict standards for reducing light pollution and protecting the night sky. I find this super interesting. Light pollution…
But let’s have a look at some of the lighting trends I saw in Frankfurt.
Industrial glass
I noticed a lot of lamps with crackled glass. It felt a bit more square, straight and industrial. Away from craft and in with thicker glass.
Brushed metal (especially white metals)
I thought I would see more casted metals, but not a lot. Some…
Flourescent lights
Super dominant as a trend. Every brand has their own version of this lighting rod. Alone or in a system or cluster.
Even bent.
Advanced systems where you connect lights.
And of course just free hanging from the ceiling.
From the side
Over the last few years we have been talking a lot about “sculptural lights” meaning that lamps could look crazy, be oversized and just be a bit bananas. I call this trend “from the side” and it is kind of like you need to see the lamp properly from the side. It is soft, rounded and works really best being seen from the side. Not from above or underneath.
Small light clusters
Something I expected to see more of were these kind of clusters with small lights. I saw some but not a lot.