Ceramic lighting by Northern Lights – giving modern a glow

Ceramic lighting has long held a place in luxury interiors, celebrated for its tactility, warmth, and enduring beauty.  Award-winning British lighting studio Northern Lights reinterprets mid-century and 1970s-inspired designs for contemporary settings, combining texture, materiality, and meticulous craftsmanship.

Each piece exudes personality and sculptural presence, enhancing hotel bedrooms, lounges, and communal areas. Recent installations at the Caledonian Edinburgh and Hilton London Park Lane showcase how these ceramic designs remain relevant, seamlessly complementing both heritage schemes and modern interiors with organic elegance.

The Caledonian Edinburgh | Image credit: Pellier Photography / Northern Lights

Design Versatility

In the guest rooms at the Caledonian Edinburgh, over 100 Halsa lamps were selected to harmonise with a soothing, tactile material palette. The lamps’ bodies, textured to reflect the patterns left by sea tides on sand, are finished in reactive and natural glazes that catch the light beautifully, creating a sense of calm and organic beauty.

Similarly, in the guest suite lounges at London Hilton on Park Lane, Mareto lamps paired with custom fabric shades introduce sculptural character. Their undulating, 1970s-inspired forms, finished in a rich onyx glaze, add depth and personality to the suites.

Mareto lamps with custom shades at London Hilton on Park Lane | Image credit: Nick Smith Photography / Northern Lights

At The Peninsula London, Northern Lights’ ceramic expertise was applied to create a suite of bespoke lamps that balance refined elegance with playful charm. The ‘Best of British‘ craftsmanship theme ran throughout, with exclusive collaborations with acclaimed artists and artisans developing unique pieces. Lamps for the grand suites feature earthy tones and understated finishes, while brightly coloured blue and coral-red designs bring a vibrant, playful twist – demonstrating how traditional ceramic techniques can be interpreted in fresh, modern ways.

Celebrating Texture & Form

Each ceramic lamp in Northern Lights’ Signature Collection demonstrates artisanal craftsmanship. The Chaco lamp, for example, is modelled from clay using a pinching technique that creates soft ridges, reminiscent of seed pods. Its matt black Raku-style or stipple reactive glaze accentuates the organic form, casting subtle shadows and enhancing texture.

Meanwhile, the Denali lamp combines fine carved lines with reactive glazes such as Bornite and Vulcanic, resulting in a design that feels both sculptural and archaeological, bridging heritage and contemporary sensibilities.

The Rondo lamp further explores the interplay of form and finish: its ovoid body features patterned reliefs that allow glazes to pool naturally, intensifying colour and surface variation. Paired with a hand-finished brass base and Soho Drum shade, it exemplifies the harmony of texture, material, and function.

Timeless Relevance

What sets Northern Lights’ ceramic lighting apart is the attention to detail in achieving texture and form. From reactive glazes that catch and diffuse light in subtle ways to hand-finished details that bring each lamp to life, the collection demonstrates how traditional craftsmanship can meet modern design needs. Far from being relics of the past, these pieces have earned their place in today’s interiors, complementing both heritage schemes and contemporary settings with tactility, warmth, and sculptural presence.

Beyond Illumination

These lamps offer more than light; they are objects of craftsmanship, storytelling, and material exploration. Whether anchoring a heritage bedroom, adding sculptural character to a suite lounge, or providing subtle texture in a modern hotel interior, the collection proves the timeless appeal of ceramic design. Discover the full range at www.northern-lights.co.uk.

Northern Lights is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.

Main image credit: Nick Smith Photography / Northern Lights