I have been restoring vintage lights since I was a teenager in the mid-1970s. An Interstate highway was being rammed through the city where I lived, and I ran (steps ahead of the bulldozers, and with my shag haircut flying) from one incredible building to another, and from one incredible house to another, and salvaged everything I could.
My poor, bewildered parents. Their garage was soon chock-a-block with what I thought were treasures beyond compare. But which they thought was just useless flotsam. I did though once overhear my mom say: “Well, at least he’s not out doing drugs.”
However, when all their boring lights were systematically replaced with the most stunning lights they had ever seen – and all for free, rewired, and restored – they soon had second thoughts about the flotsam. (I paid for new parts by mowing lawns!)
Fast forward many decades.
One day I realized I had a pile of old lights rusting away in my basement. I hauled a few out, restored them (bringing back many old memories), and listed them on eBay.
At the time I had no idea, not a clue, that I had just radically changed my life.
Within months my life was unrecognizable, and I was working full time restoring vintage lighting and selling the fixtures across America.
My new e-commerce website is now online. Whoee! Please feel free to shop and purchase here:
My blog post are below.
On The Hunt For The Lost Gas Sconces. PART 1
When the Cross House was built in 1894, it was state-of-the-art. It had new-fangled radiators, a telephone closet, a built-in ice chest, speaking tubes, and ELECTRIC LIGHTING! Yes, ELECTRIC LIGHTING! This would have seemed a wonder to visitors. In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb, and in 1882 Edison created, in…
Continue ReadingPlease, will you join me in the Parlor?
A problem with getting a pretty color on the walls of the parlor, which I have been DYING to do, is that the walls are not really ready. They LOOK ready, but a raking light reveals a disturbing reality. Raking light is a bitch. In normal light the walls look pristine, and just…
Continue ReadingCaledonia Road Church, Glasgow, Scotland.
Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Scotland, in a sprawling, gritty city known as Glasgow, there lived an eccentric and brilliant architect named Alexander Thomson. Today, most people, even those with an interest in architecture, think: Who? When one thinks of Glasgow, Charles Rennie Mackintosh comes to mind, a world-famous architect who…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue Reading2015. The Year-End Update. WARNING: It’s a LONG update.
Since buying the Cross House it has been the best of times, and the worst of times. Well, not THE worst. But year #2 was kinda grim. 2014: THE BEST OF TIMES Work on the Cross House began on March 1st, 2014. I always knew that 2014 would be the honeymoon period. For two…
Continue ReadingFavorite Houses: 614 Union, Emporia, Kansas. UPDATE
In a previous post I wrote about one of the finest houses in Emporia: 614 Union. Last year when I first toured the house, a large mantle was the first thing one saw upon entering the house. When I toured the house again recently, after the house was listed for sale, I was bereft to…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingThe Mystery of the Missing Picture Rails
By a wonderful coincidence, the image also highlighted an issue I was writing a post about. See the walls? See the papered frieze at the top of the walls? See the picture rail just below the frieze? This was a strip of molding common to houses for many decades, and was used to…
Continue ReadingI’m Dreaming of a…Green Christmas!
I have done numerous posts about the steady erosion of the Home Depot kitchen in the carriage house, and the process of revealing the many layers of history regarding kitchens long lost. There were fragments and whispers of the original 1921 kitchen. There were bits and pieces of the circa-1950 kitchen. And there was the…EEEEEEK!!!!!!!…Home…
Continue ReadingFavorite Houses: 614 Union, Emporia, Kansas
This post is about one of the finest homes in Emporia. It was designed by a prolific, brilliant, and delightfully impish architect. It was built with high-quality materials. The quality of the craftsmanship is dazzling. The house is gorgeous. Yet, for many decades, the house has not been treated very well. This causes me immense…
Continue ReadingOh baby, feeling MOD? Feeling GROOVY? Feeling COOL?
Do the 1980s have any aesthetic value? I am uncertain. However, the 1970s had some pretty cool stuff happening, visually. While I restore vintage lighting, my cut-off era is the mid-70s. This is because by the late 70s lighting design got really dull. I do not recall ever offering a fixture from the 1980s, even…
Continue ReadingCARRIAGE HOUSE: Part 10
WARNING #1 This is not a post about delicious stained-glass, luscious woodwork, fabulous mantles, stunning architectural detailing, amazing vintage wallpaper, or anything of even the slightest aesthetic pleasure. Nope, this post is about particle board, pressure-treated lumber, concrete block, and spray-foam. So, for those with delicate visual sensibilities? It is strongly recommend that you skip…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingA Brief but Important Reality Check
Reading the news of late one would think that America is in imminent danger from Muslims and Syrian refugees. DANGER! BE AFRAID! Ahhh…no. You see, politicians love to scare us. And while the world IS a dangerous place, I am wholly unconcerned about Muslims and refugees attacking America. Why? Because, since 9/11: There were 45 deaths…
Continue ReadingMERRY CHRISTMAS 2015!!!!!!!!!
Justin and Scott graciously helped with the tall tree-o-lights! Thanks guys! We strung the lights this morning, and then I took us out to lunch at Radius. When it got dark, I was DYING to see the tree all brilliant with its zillion bits of bejeweled colors, but I was at my…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingA Beauty Reborn
For years, years, I had a light fixture in storage. It had been repainted in many many many zippy colors. Just dreadful. I suspect hippies were the culprits. I knew that buried under all the color was a lovely 1920s pan-style fixture. I just had to strip it to reveal the hidden beauty. But every…
Continue ReadingA Rare Beauty by Porcelier
Once upon a time there was a lighting company called Porcelier. For many decades the company created extraordinary lighting fixtures made of porcelain and glass, and these fixtures were sold across the land. This magical company closed in 1954, and their fixtures are today greatly desired. I have a fondness for Porcelier, and delight in…
Continue Reading