Written by Rick Kovac, COO of Golden Lighting
The takeaway: The old industry saying was that what you see in Milan reaches American homes a few years later. Comparing the last two shows, my read is that the gap is now closer to nine months, and that changes how you should shop for lighting.
Key takeaways:
- Euroluce, the lighting show inside Milan's Salone del Mobile, runs every two years. The last one was April 2025; the next is 2027.
- Several of the ideas reported from Euroluce in April 2025 were on the floor at Lightovation in Dallas by January 2026, about nine months later.
- The overlap was strongest in materials and mood: natural and handmade textures, softer glowing light and cordless portable lamps.
- For homeowners, a trend you see in a European magazine this year may be at your local showroom by next year, not in three.
This is a Golden Take: my opinion, based on what I've seen at the shows and what the trade press reported.
The conventional wisdom in the lighting business has long been simple. Europe, and Milan in particular, sets the direction. American lighting follows a few years behind, once the ideas have been translated, priced and produced at scale.
After comparing the last two big shows, I don't think that holds anymore.
What Milan showed in April 2025
Euroluce is the lighting half of Salone del Mobile, and it runs every other year. In April 2025, Houzz's roundup of the show picked out eight trends, including light treated as poetry and atmosphere, wellness, modular systems, sustainable materials, artisan collaborations, indoor-outdoor pieces and portable lamps.
We were there too. Golden showed our Faroe felt pendants at the show. You can read about the experience in our Euroluce 2025 recap.
What Dallas showed nine months later
Lightovation, the US lighting market at the Dallas Market Center, runs every January and June. Interior designer Carla Aston's report from January 2026 listed fabric shades, ribbed and fluted glass, wood, organic ceramic shapes, alabaster, color and battery-powered lamps among the standouts.
Show dates from Salone del Mobile and Dallas Market Center. Golden Lighting chart.
| Idea | Milan, April 2025 (Houzz) | Dallas, January 2026 (Carla Aston) |
|---|---|---|
| Natural and handmade materials | Sustainable materials, artisan collaborations | Wood, organic ceramic shapes, alabaster, woven shades |
| Softer, glowing light | Light as poetry and atmosphere; wellness | Fabric shades, ribbed and fluted glass |
| Light you can move | Portable lamps | Battery-powered lamps |
That's not a perfect match, and Dallas has its own personality: more traditional, with a modern edge. But the overlap is real, and it arrived in about nine months.
My take: the gap between Milan and Main Street used to be measured in years. It's now measured in seasons.
Why I think the gap closed
- Everyone sees Milan on the same day. Show coverage, designer posts and trade reports go out live. A homeowner in Ohio can see a new pendant the week it's unveiled.
- Materials travel faster than shapes. A new form takes time to engineer and tool. A new material or finish, like linen, ribbed glass or a warmer metal, can move into an existing design within a season.
- Makers on both sides attend both shows. Many American companies, Golden included, are in Milan. Ideas don't have to wait to be imported.
What's next
Euroluce returns in 2027. Salone del Mobile 2026, which ran without Euroluce, already pointed somewhere new. Surface magazine's roundup highlighted '70s and '90s influences and named orange as the color of the fair. If the timing holds, expect to see some of that in American lighting around the January 2027 Dallas market.
What it means if you're shopping now
- If you love a look you saw in a European magazine, ask your showroom about it now. It may already be here.
- Buy the material, not the fad. The ideas that cross fastest, such as softer glowing light and natural textures, are the ones that also make a home better to live in. They age well.
- Don't chase every color. Colors cycle quickly. A warm metal or a fabric shade is a safer long-term bet than this year's color of the fair.
Shop this guide
- Faroe 20in Integrated LED Pendant in Earth Yellow/Grey Felt: the felt pendant we showed in Milan.
- Aethera 22in Integrated LED Pendant in White Sandstone Cement: a handmade-feeling cement form.
- Brilia 3-light Vanity in Polished Nickel with Fluted Glass: the ribbed-glass look from Dallas.
- Cambria 6-Light Chandelier with Pleated White Shades: fabric shades, back on trend.
See the Faroe and Aethera collections, or find a Golden Lighting retailer.
— seen a lot of light fixtures in 80+ countries. Still learning what actually works in a home.
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