International LED lighting supplier Cree has posted strong global revenues for the 2011/12 fiscal year, but admits there's still some way to go before LED lighting becomes the norm in homes.

Cree, which operates out of North Carolina but supplies LEDs the world over, posted total sales of $1.16 billion (£741 million) over the last year, an 18 per cent increase on the same figures released a year ago. Despite the dent made to 2010/11 figures by acquisitions, the rise does mark the growing appeal of LED bulbs.

Well, in certain applications. While a number of high-profile projects have made full use of the bulbs - not least the London Olympics, which has seen everything from the lighting on Tower Bridge to the lamps in athlete's bedrooms run on LEDs - senior analysts at the firm admit the residential market is more resistant.

"We're just not quite there, and I think there is still some innovation that is needed before that becomes 'mainstream'," said Cree chief Chuck Swoboda.

"One of the reasons why the [residential] market hasn't moved to that next level is that consumers want a bulb that works pretty much like the one they have today. They want the light to come out in all directions, they want it to dim, and do the other things they would expect it to."

However, many lamps are capable of a lot more than the traditional bulbs used in residential settings, running for longer, generating less heat and using less energy.

And as interior designer Rebecca Weir notes, the ubiquity of LED lighting has sparked a trend of its own: coloured lighting designs.

"With the introduction of LEDs (light-emitting diodes), colour has become more and more popular. It is easy to control through technology, from wireless remote controls to complicated DMX programmes," the expert said.