Meet Trimble: Mid-Century Modern Lighting for Today's Style

With its iconic yet contemporary style, mid-century modern lighting fixtures are one of today’s top trends, fitting our desire for simple, functional, clean looks in our homes. It came into the limelight in the mid-20th century, roughly between the 1930s and 1960s, with its peak during the 1950s. Mid-century modern is characterized by its sleek, functional, and minimalist aesthetic of clean lines and organic forms, plus a focus on practicality and the use of new materials and technologies that continue to enthrall design enthusiasts today.

Despite having its origins in the middle of the 20th century, the mid-century interior design style is still quite popular. Symbolic of clean lines, retro-modern style and uncluttered spaces, here’s why this design aesthetic encouraged lighting that is the perfect fit for modern and contemporary rooms.

Sculptural and Artistic

Mid-century modern lighting often blurs the line between functional lighting and sculptural art. Many fixtures are designed to be visually striking even when not in use, serving as art pieces in their own right. They often come in large sizes, making them suitable as statement pieces in spacious interiors. They command attention and contribute to the overall design aesthetic.  

Minimalist Lighting

Mid-century modern prioritizes simplicity and minimalism. Fixtures have straightforward designs with clean lines and unembellished surfaces. Mid-century modern lighting often features clean, sleek lines and geometric shapes. The designs are characterized by a sense of simplicity and minimalism, emphasizing form and function. Another tent of this genre is fixtures that appear as if they are suspended or floating in space, adding to the lightness and ethereal quality of the designs. Organic shapes and natural materials such as wood, glass, and metals like brass and aluminum are incorporated, giving the lighting a warm and inviting feel or a layered and textured appearance.

Functional Lighting Solutions

Functionality was a primary consideration in mid-century modern and industrial lighting. Many designs provided effective and efficient lighting solutions, often with adjustable features and innovative mechanisms. Today, the push towards higher efficiency and functionality continues with the addition of LED to modern lighting, adding increased energy efficiency plus ambiance-building options such as dimmable and color temperature selectable light sources.

Meet the Trimble Collection

Our extensive new Trimble Collection reflects mid-century modern influences while adding a dash of industrial design. It reflects the innovative and forward-thinking spirit of that era while incorporating functional and aesthetic elements, making the collection ideal for interiors in luxe industrial, mid-century modern and contemporary rooms.

Clean lines, an intriguing flat disc shade and a knurled metal lamp socket provide rich visual interest in a minimal silhouette in the Trimble flush mount and mini-pendant. In contrast, a third Trimble flush mount features a curved shape sheltering a graceful, etched glass dome shade. The Trimble two-light linear chandelier showcases disc shades suspended in an airy design, and the expansive four-light Trimble chandelier evokes a sense of futuristic exploration. All these pieces have a striking two-toned finish adding to their retro look.

Other Trimble Collection fixtures feature angular metal shades suspended from an expansive frame in a three-light chandelier, plus a utilitarian-style wall bracket. Both are finished simply in a choice of matte black or brushed bronze, offering an edgy but luxe industrial vibe to the collection’s overall mid-century modern design.

Explore the Trimble Collection here.