Lighting

In the first half of the twentieth-century there were three great lighting companies: E. F. Caldwell Lion Electric Lightolier   CALDWELL Caldwell was by far the best. The company made truly exquisite lighting and they were the #1 choice for architects across the country. Indeed, when McKim, Mead & White redesigned the White House in…

Because I sell vintage lighting for a living, obviously I buy a lot of vintage lighting. One criteria is that the lighting have something distinctive about it. Such as with this lovely pair of Spanish-Revival sconces from the late 1920s.       The fixtures are brass, but this has a highly distinctive silvery original…

I enjoy learning about my vintage light fixtures. What company made them? During what period? Is the company extant? If not, when did it close? Where was the company located? A very popular lighting company for decades was the John C. Virden Company. Virden was Canadian-based, at 19 Curity Avenue, Toronto. They also had a…

Matching sets are so cool. I collect matching sets, and finding enough fixtures to do a whole house can take years. The largest set I ever collected ended up with 27 companion fixtures! Today I listed a set with just three fixtures, a chandelier and two matching sconces. Such a set would have often been…

It thrills me when one of my buyers sends images of my babies in their new home. David and Angel purchased four matching Colonial-Revival sconces from me, and recently sent images. They wrote: “Purchased these from you in the spring. They are perfect. Everyone thinks they are original to the house. Mission accomplished. Thank you!”  …

        Would you like to see the After? Please scroll away down.                                           I never get over the thrill of taking something which does not look like much, and by simply restoring…

    With all my experience restoring vintage lighting, I am occasionally surprised, even stunned, by the AFTER. This chandelier looked SO bad that I hesitated purchasing it. What decided things for me? The cast brass rosettes curling up from each arm. Sweet. And these looked to be of high-quality, indicating that the whole fixture…

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Because I restore vintage lighting for a living, I naturally come across a lot of vintage lighting. And I pass on a lot of vintage lighting. I buy when something captures my special attention, such as fixtures which I have not seen previously (whoee!), or fixtures which look sad and abandoned, but which could be…

Sometimes I buy a vintage light just because I feel sorry for it. Like this fixture. It is from the 1920s. It had been rewired not long ago. Badly. Very badly. If anybody had tried to use the fixture it would have instantly shorted out. Scary. There were also new white plastic candle covers. A…

While I am always buying vintage lighting to restore, some fixtures capture my special attention, like anything with a Moderne styling. Moderne is an aesthetic which developed after the Art Deco period. This aesthetic was relatively short-lived, and reached the height of its popularity in the late 1930s. Emerald City, in the movie Wizard of Oz,…

Sometime, when I see a vintage light fixture listed for sale online, I am struck by how badly the fixture has been, well, presented.       My online store.

It makes me sad when something beautiful is lost. It makes me even sadder when something beautiful is lost…because of a casual effort. It makes me even sadder, still, when something beautiful is lost which managed to survive, until being treated casually, for almost eighty years. Hence, this terrible story of loss. You see, I found…

Normally, I never buy a vintage light unless it retains all its original components. I am a bit of a nut about having things be original. OK, I am a full-blown nut in this regard. A few weeks ago I came across an old fixture:           My online store.

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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…

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…

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      My online store.

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…

    My online store.

    My online store.

        My online store.

Two brothers, Henrik and Ole Moe, helped to found the Milwaukee-based Moe-Bridges lighting company in 1919. Later friction among various shareholders resulted in the brothers leaving the company in the late 1920s, and founding Moe Brothers Manufacturing, or Moe Light. The Moe-Bridges Company continued, however. In 1943, the company was renamed The Lighthouse, and then…

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During the 1930s a new type of lighting fixture appeared on the scene using slip-shades. Slip shades are glass shades which “slip” into place. These were the very acme of modernity, and such fixtures became wildly popular. They still are. And are normally quite expensive. I rarely offer slip-shade fixtures. Partly, because they are so…

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Gill Glass & Fixture Company was located on Amber Street in Philadelphia, and occupied most of the block between East Tioga and East Venango Streets. The factory backed up against rail lines, as was common, and there would have been a rail spur leading directly to Gill loading docks. The Gill buildings are extant, although…

    My online vintage lighting store.

      My online vintage lighting store.

  I love fixtures like this. The fixture is late 1930s, and was created during an era when nautical-themed lighting became popular. I love the wood ship’s wheel, fabulous anchor finial, and gorgeous glass shades. It all just brings a smile to my lips.   My online vintage lighting store.  

  This past Saturday, I went to my very first voting caucus. And arrived thirteen minutes late. It was then that I learned: If a voter arrives late for a caucus, they cannot vote. Geez. Poo. Having driven 1.4 hours to the caucus destination, I was quite vexed with this discovery. But there was nothing…

        The fixtures are not large, and not particularly expensive, but nonetheless seem well worthy of being presented well! They will be lovely in the right home.   My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

Last year I purchased a bunch of lighting for the Cross House. Lighting which seemed correct for the house. But since then I have learned that all this lighting was NOT right for the house, which had gas/electric combination light fixtures. My purchases had included gas fixtures of the period, and electric fixtures of the period, but no gas/electric…

        My online vintage lighting store.

Once upon a time there existed a company called Porcelier. The unusual name derived from the fact that the company made things largely out of porcelain. And glass. Today, one can buy Porcelier toasters (made, incredibly, out of porcelain) and Porcelier coffee makers and Porcelier tea sets and Porcelier waffle makers and…Porcelier lighting fixtures. I…

        My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

            My online vintage lighting store.    

          My online vintage lighting store.

There are cars. And there are cars. You can buy a new Ford Taurus for about $25,000. Or, you could buy a new Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe for $400,000. Both vehicles have four wheels, are fully equipped, safe, and will get you very comfortably from A to B. But there’s still a world of difference between the…

      My online vintage lighting store.

A Frankenlight is, like the famous monster, made of disparate parts. I never create or sell Frankenlights. But they are common. Few buyers will even realize that they have purchased a Frankenlight. And few sellers indicate as such.                                  …

      My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

Moderne is an aesthetic which developed after the Art Deco period. This aesthetic was relatively short lived, and reached the height of its popularity in the late 1930s. Emerald City, in the movie Wizard of Oz, is Moderne gone Hollywood. Many lighting fixtures labeled Art Deco are more accurately Moderne, such as a matched set…

Lacie Hamlin was the realtor who sold me the Cross House. She is smart, delightful, and gorgeous, and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know her. Last week, Lacie sent me a text image: a grouping of old lights which were for sale. Was I interested, she asked? If so, how much should she pay?…

Recently, I did a post about a small pile of lights which Lacie, the realtor who sold me the Cross House, left on the back porch of the house. Was I interested, she had emailed. Oh, baby, yes.           My online vintage lighting store.

Recently, I did a post about a small pile of lights which Lacie, the realtor who sold me the Cross House, left on the back porch of the house. She emailed: Was I interested? Oh, baby, yes.         My online vintage lighting store.    

      My online vintage lighting store.

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      My online vintage lighting store.      

  The fixture arrived. Undamaged thankfully. It was apparent that it once had crystals hanging around the stem above the shade. But what style crystals? There are like a zillion to choose from. And I wanted, damn it, the historically correct crystals! The finial on the bottom was also missing. Argh! And what did IT…

      My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

                                            My online vintage lighting store.

                  My online vintage lighting store.          

            My online vintage lighting store.        

              My online vintage lighting store.

  For many decades, Porcelier made some of the finest lighting fixtures and house wares. There’s a book on their work. Porcelier became famous for the quality of their product, and its aesthetic. Most of what the company produced featured gorgeous floral designs. However, just before they closed in 1954, the company boldly broadened their line….

        My online vintage lighting store.

            My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

    I purchase the chandelier. A week later it arrived. And I was HORRIFIED by the packing. HORRIFIED. I gingerly and with great trepidation pulled out the five glass shades…and none were broken. A miracle. Nothing else could explain it. Oh, but what about the delicate glass stem? Also unbroken! I then looked at…

              My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

      My online vintage lighting store.        

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        My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

        Normally, I do not buy damaged fixtures, but this one was just too stunning to pass up. Also, depending on how one positioned the pendant, the damaged side of the shade may not even be visible. For example, in the Cross House, if I hung this in the round Receiving Room…

          My online vintage lighting store.        

          My online vintage lighting store.

    I had the chandelier on my Watch list over and over and over as it received no bids through numerous re-lists. Well, the opening bid was high. Normally, I am not so ambivalent. Usually I am like I MUST HAVE THAT! (OMG! You see what is coming up next week! I am salivating!)…

              The seller, luckily, was gracious, and gave me a full refund ASAP. My hope is that in time, in time, in time, I will find a matching 16-1/2-inch wide shade, and the glory which once was will rise again. My heart is vaguely hopeful.       My…

For many decades, Porcelier made some of the finest lighting fixtures and house wares. There’s a book on their work: Collector’s Guide to Porcelier China Around 1950, Porcelier updated their line of lighting. Some new fixtures were introduced but, mostly, existing fixtures received subtle updates. These latter fixtures were identical to what was produced a decade previously,…

          My online vintage lighting store.

            My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

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        My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.          

Last week I was quite excited to find SIX Duplexalite pendants. Six! I have never before found more than two. But what, you may ask, is a Duplexalite? The Miller Company created a fixture they dubbed Duplexalite. I sell a number of these wonderful fixtures each year (see link below). There is a wide variety…

        My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

              My online vintage lighting store.        

        My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

      My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.

One of the great pleasures of working with vintage lighting is the quality. Fixtures from before WWII are just stunningly made in a way which is inconceivable in our modern made-in-China world. Like this set by Mid-West Chandelier Company of Kansas City, circa-1930. They are made mostly of cast brass. This retains its original polychrome finish which…

  I purchased the sconce above. But single sconces are a hard sell, and it was put in storage. Year passed. Like eight years. Then, like a miracle, I came across another sconce! It was a perfect match, and even its polychrome finish matched! So, after a great much ado, the PAIR is now listed…

For many decades, Porcelier made some of the finest lighting fixtures and house wares (they closed in the 1950s). There’s a book on their work: Collector’s Guide to Porcelier China By Susan E. Grindberg   Porcelier lighting fixtures are beautifully made and always a pleasure to restore and rewire. Porcelier fixture are also…    …

      My online vintage lighting store.        

        My online vintage lighting store.

            My online vintage lighting store.          

WAY back a friend gave an old ceiling fixture to me. “Good luck if you can make it look good!” I held the 1930s Deco fixture in my hand, and understood what he meant. Somebody had overpainted its outer metal ring with BRIGHT pink and BRIGHT green. It just killed the fixture. The fixture went…

I was in a antique store and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a large crystal chandelier sitting casually on a  sofa. This is SO not a way to treat a crystal chandelier! Horrified, I walked quickly to the mistreated beauty and VERY carefully picked it up. It just had to be damaged,…

There is an antique store in Wichita that I enjoy stopping by every time I am in the city. Hanging high above were a really unusual pair of 1920s chandelier pendants. Quite $$$$ but just stunning. I yearned for them. I desired them. But I could not justify the cost because of my need to…

  The chandelier has so many outstanding qualities: The shade! Oh my! It is square! It is 14-inches from side-to-side, and 18-inches diagonally. It is also beautifully, stunningly molded out of thick frosted white glass, and with molded patterns. Wow! The finial is spectacular. It’s a glass sphere with a swirling design, like a miniature…

Whenever I do a day road trip I try to come home with at least one old light. Thus, when I restore the light and sell it through my e-commerce store, I can offset the cost of the day trip. Like this past Friday. I went to Kansas City to pick up some custom-milled lumber…

          My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

                My online vintage lighting store.

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        My online vintage lighting store.

        My online vintage lighting store.

          My online vintage lighting store.        

          My online vintage lighting store.

  The set looked sooooooooo pitiful. The fixtures were dirty and SO obviously unloved that…I had no choice…but to buy them. No choice! This was kinda crazy, because were the three fixtures even complete? Did they retain all their crystals? Were the crystals undamaged? But…the fixtures were dirty and SO obviously unloved that…I had no…

            My online vintage lighting store.        

A few months back I purchased an extraordinary 1920s crystal chandelier. But I had no idea of how it all went together. The whole was in pieces in a box. Even all the crystals were mostly separated. Ugh. After a great deal of ado, and eight hours of my time yesterday (eight hours!) I am…

When I went to pick Bo up at the airport in Kansas City I had time to stop and buy a dozen loaves of bread at my favorite bakery (I then freeze them until use). I could also stop by several antique stores in my eternal search for vintage lighting! In one store there was a…

The Virden Company produced a huge number of lighting fixtures during the 1930s and beyond. One of their most popular lines was their Winthrop Series, introduced about 1930. As a result, I am always coming across Winthrop fixtures, including the one shown here, as well as chandelier versions, 3-bulbs, 2-bulbs, and sconces. For me, the…

  Pan-style fixtures were wildly popular during the 1920s and 1930s. Such fixtures are defined by a pan-shaped body with protruding arms. The above chandelier was in an antique store. Its finish? A dull brown. Initially, I passed it by. A second look made me suspect that the dull brown was perhaps a century of…

      The chandelier is 1920s and ideal for a home in the Colonial-Revival style. And I feel pretty damn pleased.     My online vintage lighting store.      

          My online vintage lighting store.      

          My online vintage lighting store.      

        My online vintage lighting store.      

            The fixture is scaled for a foyer or hall. It could be used as a porch light as well. It is from the 1920s, and would have been produced through to the 1930s. The fixture would look well in an Arts & Crafts-style home, bungalow, or Spanish-Revival.    …

            My online vintage lighting store.          

    Later however I realized that the house originally had gas/electric combination fixtures, so the blue beauty (all electric and about two decades later than the 1894 Cross House) was put in storage. And there it has sat, lonely and forgotten, until I hauled it out and restored it. It is now very happy!…

                                                        My online vintage lighting store.        

A little over two years ago I came across a huge pair of chandeliers made by the well-known Rejuvenation Company. The chandeliers were styled after Victorian-era gas fixtures. And they were HUGE! A whopping 39-inches wide. The architectural salvage company selling them were people after my own heart. The chandeliers had been treated quite badly…

For years now I had a pendant fixture sitting in the dark recesses of my vast storage vaults. This week, I hauled it out.     Moderne is an aesthetic that developed after the Art Deco period. This aesthetic was relatively short-lived, and reached the height of its popularity in the late 1930s. Emerald City,…

      My online vintage lighting store.        

            My online vintage lighting store.      

              My online vintage lighting store.      

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          My online vintage lighting store.      

              My online vintage lighting store.      

        My online vintage lighting store.      

I had a large matching set of 1930s fixtures by Lightolier listed for sale. The set included chandeliers and pendants and sconces; thirteen fixtures total. A buyer wanted the whole set save two fixtures. So, eleven fixtures were shipped to Pennsylvania, and I relisted the two remaining fixtures. Wanna see them?        …

Like eight years ago I purchased a way cool 1930s light fixture by the fabulous Lightolier Company. It was in poor shape, so I took it apart to rewire, repaint, and refurbish. And there it sat. Year after year after year. On occasion I would pull out the box-o-parts from the storage shelf, look at…

Yesterday, I did a post about a Lightolier fixture I had in storage forever. Feeling quite guilty all of a sudden, I hauled it out and restored it. The results were a glory. Inspired, this morning I went back into the dark recesses of my storage vaults and hauled out another Lightolier which had been…

                My online vintage lighting store.        

Last week two large boxes arrived. I had not been expecting them. Then I noticed the return address. Megan had sent me something!!!!!!!! I was breathless with anticipation! Megan is also restoring a great big old house, and she also blogs about the adventure. But what had she sent me????????       Porcelier became famous…

I had a light in storage. I had a light in storage for a long time. I had a light in storage for a long time because I, a very long time ago, took it apart, stripped it of the caked-on paint covering all the metal components, and then…just let it sit in a box…

The Moe-Bridges Company was established in 1915, in Milwaukee, WI. In 1943, the company was renamed The Lighthouse, and then Visa Lighting in 1963. Today, Visa Lighting is thriving, and still in Milwaukee!                 My online vintage lighting store.      

            My online vintage lighting store.        

          The scale is impressive. The top width is 20-inches. The shade is almost 14-inches wide. The height is 10-inches. The shade sits in a metal ring, which is attached by two clips to the upper housing. The clips have short chains which prevent them from accidentally opening. Cool. The upper…

          My online vintage lighting store.      

I have had this fixture forever. Years ago I took it apart to restore it. And there it sat and sat and sat. At last, I could ignore it no longer. So, I am immensely pleased, and immensely relieved, to present…                 My online vintage lighting store.      

There was a lighting company during the 1920s and 1930s called Riddle. Of Toledo, Ohio. They sold a LOT of lighting. But I know almost nothing about them even though I have sold a lot of Riddle fixtures over the years. I thought I had seen all the fixtures Riddle produced over the decades so…

Today, I listed an extraordinary brass Duplexalite! But what, you may ask, is a Duplexalite? The Duplexalite Company had a standard model (from top to bottom): Ceiling canopy. Chain. Socket housing. Three thin arms which hold a metal shade and a glass shade. Large metal shade. Bottom glass shade. This shade hangs below the metal…

          My online vintage lighting store.      

            My online vintage lighting store.      

              My online vintage lighting store.      

          My online vintage lighting store.      

            My online vintage lighting store.      

Last week I received an email with some images. The email was from my friend Carl, who lives in Wichita. He came across a light in an antique store. He didn’t like but thought I would. My reply? BUY IT!!!!!!!!           My online vintage lighting store.      

From the 1920s through to the 1970s, one of the most successful lighting manufacturers was the the John C. Virden Company. Virden was Canadian-based, at 19 Curity Ave in Toronto, but had a large factory in Ohio. From Abandoned: Virden was the third largest among the nation’s 1,400 fixture manufacturers by 1968, with production tripling…

              My online vintage lighting store.        

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  My online vintage lighting store.               The pendants are ideal for a home built in the late 1890s or through to, say, 1910. I only but gently polished the brass so as to protect the luscious patina.     My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.   A few years ago I was scrolling through hundreds of vintage lights for sale on eBay. One listing caught my eye, and I clicked on it. WHAT was I looking at? The fixture was totally dismantled. The seller had no idea if all the parts were there. I stared at…

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.        

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  My online vintage lighting store.   For several years I had a 1940s crystal chandelier in a box. The chandelier was dirty. Impressive dirty. Spectacularly dirty. It was so dirty that one had no idea it was made of glass. Well, after all these years, I hauled the poor dear out from the storage vaults and…

  My online vintage lighting store.                                                   My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.       Porcelier manufactured this set from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. The set is ideal for a bathroom. The fixtures are made of porcelain, and feature extraordinary floral decals —a Porcelier hallmark. It was fun coming across a matched set!     My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.       Resurrecting things-that-are-ruined is endlessly satisfying to me. And, so, I beam with delight looking at the above images. For, something wrong…has been righted.     My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.                                                   My online vintage lighting store.      

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  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.   Ages ago, I purchased a single sconce. Normally, I never do this as single sconces are a hard sell. I can sell pair, or a set of three, four, and any variation. But not singles. But this single sconce was designed by the esteemed Oscar Bach, so it seemed foolish…

  My online vintage lighting store.   For many years I had a light in a box in my vast storage vaults. The circa-1940 Moderne fixture needed a lot of work. The original finish was shot which meant that the whole fixture would have to be taken apart, the components stripped, cleaned and primed, and repainted. Ugh….

  My online vintage lighting store.     Yesterday though I picked up the fixture, stared at it, and stared some more, but could find no evidence that a part WAS missing. Geez, this curious fixture was getting ever more curious by the minute! So, if no parts were missing, then how did it attach to the…

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.       The fixture was created by Moe Light in the late 1930s and was sold through to the 1950s. The shades came in five colors. I particularly like the distinctive ceiling mounts. Only recently did I purchase the mounts, which I did because I had the four shades in…

  My online vintage lighting store.                 My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.                                                 For all these years I had assumed that the fixture was gold and the silver base was a later bad spray job. But it developed that most…

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.         The fixture was rewired with gold plastic wire about twenty years ago. Before shipping, I will replace the plastic wire with cloth-covered wire which the fixture would have had originally. This is a normal practice for me as buyers often want the length changed. If I have…

  My online vintage lighting store.   Large lighting manufactures would periodically sell off older stock. So, in 1952, Company X would sell off all its old stock from the 1930s or early 1940s. Smaller lighting companies would then buy this stock. Sometimes they would only put on a new label. Sometimes they would combine parts from…

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.       My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.   Years and years ago, I purchased a 1930s chandelier online. It arrived with one smashed glass shade. Sigh. Almost daily, I looked through new shade listings on eBay to find a matching shade. And several years later I found one. When it arrived…it was not quite the right color. Several…

  My online vintage lighting store.           When I came across the set I was gobsmacked! And the set was undamaged! The three fixtures would look fabulous in a line down a long hall, hanging over a rectangular coffee table, or over a small dining table. Inside each glass shade is a perforated…

  My online vintage lighting store.       …I have an affection for Gross Chandeliers, as the company is still in St. Louis. I mean, wow. Almost all the vintage lighting I sell is from companies which long ago vanished. The fixture was missing its glass shades, which normally would be a NO GO for me,…

  My online vintage lighting store.                 My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.                 My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.     Years ago, I purchased an Art Deco chandelier in an antique store. It was dismantled and I was unsure if all the parts were in situ. It was also amazingly dirty. Scary dirty. And I thought: do I have the energy to clean this? In addition, the original polychrome…

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.          

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.     The odd thing was that the bulbs faced UP. I was almost certain that, originally, the bulbs would have faced DOWN. And that the dramatic finials would have faced UP. After the fixture arrived, the ceiling canopy proved to have a sticker from Rejuvenation (the famous lighting company), and…

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.   Ages ago, I purchased a chandelier. It needed SO much work that I put it in storage. And there it sat. Year after year after year. Today, I managed to get it all pretty again. Here is the Before:     Wanna see the After? Scroll way down. NOTE: Prepare…

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.     I hesitated. They were SO grim! Then I thought: The poor dears! I must SAVE them! This kind of thought gets me into a lot of trouble. Why, I even purchased a huge old house to SAVE it. Sigh. Well, wanna see the After? Scroll way down….    …

  My online vintage lighting store.               My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.                 My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.     If you have a home built in the 1940s, or early 1950s, this would be an ideal fixture for your foyer, hall, or small bedroom. The fixture is post-Deco and post-Moderne, but pre-Sputnik, and pre “Atomic Age”. The fixture, thus, is from a period Which-Has-No-Name. When people buy a…

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store. For many years, in storage, I had an almost complete 1940s chandelier by Lightolier. Almost being the operative word. For, all the parts were there…save the glass shade. I knew what the shade looked like, luckily, so years and years passed by as I searched and searched for the errant shade….

  My online vintage lighting store.     My two favorite lighting companies are Lightolier and Lion Electric. The former is well known and highly regarded for its quality and extraordinary designs – and high prices! But Lion Electric actually surpassed Lightolier in each respect. Their designs were nothing less than mind-boggling and their fixtures commanded a…

My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.                     My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.                                               My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.   I was looking at an early all-electric ceiling pendant on eBay, debating if I should bid on it. It was very nice but I worried that I did not have the right shades for it. Reading the listing I was suddenly horrified. The seller was willing to part the fixture…

  My online vintage lighting store.                                                 My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.                                       The finish was original, in good condition, but very dirty. It took some effort to clean the finish without harming it. The wiring is all new of course, and cloth-covered like the…

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.        

  My online vintage lighting store.             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.                                             My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.   Ages ago I purchased six matching kitchen-style ceiling lights. And they have been tucked in a corner ever since, dirty and unrestored. The issue was the steel shades. They were caked with flat white paint applied with a bad brush! I knew they would be a ton of work to…

  My online vintage lighting store.   For many years now I have worked with another lighting guy in Oregon, JR. We are not competitors as JR specializes in, for example, restoring huge old chandeliers from 1920s movie palaces, and in making huge new fixtures for restaurants and casinos.     To my surprise, JR is also…

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.  

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.     Yesterday, I moved a large box in my vast storage vaults. Something was under it. Oh. Oh! Oh my! Wanna see? Scroll way down. But, be warned! It’s…atomic.                                         My…

  My online vintage lighting store.           My online vintage lighting store.          

My online vintage lighting store.     My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.      

  My online vintage lighting store.         My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.       My online vintage lighting store.    

  My online vintage lighting store.         I love fixtures from the 1940s, and at some point I really need to buy a 1940s just so I can fill it with such beauties. The 1940s have a distinct aesthetic. It is post-Deco, not really Mid-Century Modern, and pre-Atomic Age. It is in the middle;…

  My online vintage lighting store.                                                         My online vintage lighting store.