Blog

One of the biggest lighting trends of at least the last five years, and one that we expect to continue well into the 2020s, is the use of bare bulbs - especially Edison-style vintage filament bulbs - in a variety of fixtures and applications. These bulbs come in various shapes and sizes and different filament designs, too.

When Edison patented and began producing his light bulbs, there were no lamp shades or fancy electric lighting fixtures. There were barely any lighting fixtures at all and the ones that followed the invention of the light bulb tended to mimic gas and candle fixtures of the day and were often made of metal bases with clear glass shades. At the time the bare bulb look was the only option.

These days that classic look has returned - and for good reason. The improvement in LED technology means that the elegant look of these old fashioned bulbs can be achieved without all the wasted energy of traditional incandescents. We manufacturers are getting better and better and making these LED versions of these old-style bulbs indistinguishable from their incandescent predecessors all while keeping energy consumption at a fraction of what a traditional bulb would be.

Another popular bulb featured in fixtures meant to show off the light source itself is the decorative and beautiful globe bulb. Most typically found in bathroom vanities, the globe can also be found in modern sputnik-style chandeliers, groupings of bulbs hung in clusters as trendy pendants, and even in DIY fixtures made from pipes, wood blocks, and other found objects.

We at SunLake love seeing what our customers - and others around the Web - are doing with the bulbs we make. One of the best things about bare LED bulbs is that, unlike traditional incandescent bulbs, LEDs don’t overheat, staying cool to the touch. This means that they can be placed in areas where otherwise incandescent bulbs would pose a burn risk. Touching an LED bulb - even one that’s been on for the majority of the day - may feel slightly warm, but nowhere near as hot as a comparable incandescent.

Currently SunLake carries three Edison-style vintage filament LED bulbs: the ST19, A19, and B11. We’ll be adding the G25 soon and even more to our lineup in the coming months. Click here for SunLake’s full LED product catalog.