From a single pendant to an array on a sputnik-style chandelier, globe lights are as popular as ever. This is true for homes that want a touch of midcentury modern flair as well as those that are purely contemporary. Designers have created a wide array of lighting that uses the globe shape in all sorts of styles and colors. The best thing about this variety is that it means almost every home can find a style of globe lighting that fits the decor. Not sure what we mean? Take a look at these 20 different styles of globe lighting that are on-trend yet still have a retro feel.

Metal-Capped

There’s nothing like a regimental row of pendants to convey modern and innovative style, especially in a spot that does not typically feature pendants. These CB2 globe pendants have been installed over a sofa in place of what would have been track lighting a couple of decades ago. The brass caps and fittings add a touch of modern to the classic midcentury globe shape.

Whimsical Table Lamps

In the hands of talented artists, globe lighting becomes a sculptural decor addition. These Oooo floor and table lamps by Eny Lee Parker feature globes attached to cactus-shaped ceramic bases that provide even more artistry than light. They have an earthy feel yet still have a retro sensibility because of the globe shapes.

Balloon-Like and Colorful

Pearlescent balloons of color feature in these Amstudio pendants, some of which are true globes while others are a little more elongated. In either case, the soft colors, enhanced by the pearly finish, magically seem to glow from the bulb within. These have a more artistic and contemporary feel that the traditional round, white globe light.

Suspended Styles

Rather than just hang the globes, many lighting artists are devising designs that seem to capture the globe and hold it suspended in a more artful way. These globe pendants from BLux are from the C Balls collection. Each fixture features one or two opal glass globes that are affixed onto an elongated metal tube frame that can be finished in matte brass or matte black.

The heftier black bases on these globe pendants by Ben Barber Studio give the fixtures a completely different vibe. The metal is shaped like a fez, sitting atop the spheres, giving them an almost head and hat look. The hand-blown opaque glass in white and green make the Bora pendants earthy enough to include in a room with a neutral palette.

Doubled-up Design

Clear glass globes encase a more organic globe form in these pendants from Drechsel Studio. Designed by Sebastian Scherer, the inner form of the Iris pendant is a luminescent colored glasswork that makes the entire piece look a bit like a soap bubble. Inside, the mounting of the pendant is actually the OLED module that is the light source. The iridescence gives the globe pendant a color-shifting presence, depending on the angle it is viewed and the direction of the light.

Deceptively Simple

This chandelier is entirely formed from clear glass globes that have an added textural element: The glass surface is dappled with small indentations that give them an icy look. Together, the collection of Reflection globes from Embassy Lighting forms a fixture that is essentially quite simple but very dramatic. It’s amazing how the simple globe shape in a clear glass can take on such a spectacular form.

Special Sconce Style

Using the globe shape at the end of this three-armed design, the Hachi Collection has created an artful wall sconce for any room. Named the Light Crown, the fixture is made from solid walnut finished with and capped off with solid brass pipe. It’s an unexpected and distinctive shape for a wall sconce, perfect for an eclectic of modern space.

Buds on a Branch

This spectacular installation by Hollis + Morris features the Willow floor lamp, which is also available as a vertical or horizontal pendant. The design of the globes along the wood is meant to evoke the emergence of buds on a branch. The globe lights being installed along the wood also puts the focus on the wood grain in the base of each one. The Willow series is a very artful use of this classic lighting form.

Boudoir-Ready

Out of the classic midcentury living room and into the boudoir — that’s what happens when a classic globe light is paired with long pink fringe and some glitzy metal. Designed by Houtique, the Wink pendant is a masterful combination of the classic globe with a modern form and color, resulting in a dramatic piece that really does have a retro vibe.

Adjustable Style

The Hubbardton Forge Otto Sphere Low Voltage Mini Pendants are a new play on the classic glass globe fixture. The old school hardware is brassy but their arrangement on the wire is totally modern. These mini pendants can be adjusted so that they sit level or at an angle. The Otto is also available as a single suspended globe pendant too.

Dual Globe Sconce

Globe lights have often been used as wall sconces but modern designers have given us more curvaceous renderings like the Betty Sconce from Lightmaker Studio. The two open-top orbs look like a form nipped at the waist, hence the female name. The handblown sconce is available in clear as well as opaque glass and the brass fittings give it a contemporary yet classic appearance.

Classic Rounds

A pair of classic globes are united in a fixture that is oh-so-simple but very distinctive. From Marchetti Illuminazione, the wall sconce looks as if the two balls are balanced on the brass fixture, floating upward. This style of sconce adds far more than just lighting to a dark hall or corner: It adds an innovative design with playfulness that is very stylish at the same time.

Reinvented Vintage

Under the moniker of “Vintage Forms Reinvented,” Mitzi Lighting presents designs like this table lamp that features classic globes in gradations of size along a central post. Set atop a marble base, the brass post and round lights hark back to a bygone era in your mind, while adding some fresh style to the room.

Simple Drama

While many of the new designs are changing up the colors of the globes along with their placement and sometimes even the shapes, the classic single globe still endures in popularity. Parachilna’s Aballs Table lamp features a single large globe atop a shiny glazed ceramic base with a dimming knob. It’s a modern rendition of the classic that is appropriate in any room and in nearly any decor style.

A Taller Option

Another single globe style of table lamp is this Pluma by Steven Bukowski. A tall style and a slightly shorter option come in bright colors and have a dimmer. This is the ideal globe light fixture to set on a credenza or tuck in a corner on a table. The opaque glass gives the light a warm, cozy glow.

Orbital Style

Like a planet encircled by its moons, the Wire pendant by Pedret of Barcelona features a single globe surrounded by orbits of brass. The rounds highlight the orb at the center and give the classic globe light a more interesting and substantial profile. This artful fixture would work in any room, bringing its high style design to the space and making the modest globe a focal point.

Unique Wall Flair

In a totally different look for a wall sconce, the Orbit is a sculpture that does double duty as wall decor. The assertive metal circle includes a large globe flanked by two smaller ones. It is a touch-activated light that the user interacts with to turn on and off adding still another unique feature to the fixture. The design is from Ryan Edward Lighting and Furniture Studio.

Old School Style

Designed by Gino Sarfati, this two-tier wall sconce reminds us of the chandeliers in an old-style castle — but with glass orbs. This fixture is far more dramatic than the typical wall sconce because there are so many individual globes. Each sphere surrounds the light base and petite bulb, which resemble short candles. The old-style look is boosted by the wire that arcs from the globe to the wall base, much like arms of a chandelier.

A Modern Chandelier

The structure of this chandelier is very modern yet the globe lights give it a retro flavor. Dark metal also lends an edgy feel to the fixture, making it ideal for modern, minimalist and even industrial styles. Opaque glass makes the globes more striking and draws attention to the contrast between the metal and the lights. The chandelier is from Studio PGRB, which makes this in a newer version and larger size as well.