Gamble House gamble, Greene & Greene go round

Yesterday we took a tour of the Greene & Greene Gamble house in Pasadena. Agreed, one of the most impressive structures I have seen. Unbelievable attention to detail thoughout, from the almost unnoticable silver inlays to the way the carvings on the freize in the living room are all carved so the grain of the wood produces the design (here, in the darkest corner of the house, the carving is of the moon with a couple bats flying around). At over 4000 sq. ft., the house took a mere 10 months to build.
I now understand the inspiration, beauty, and wonder this home instills in one's soul, how this structure is one that the common man can relate to, feel connected to.
But what I am still trying to get my head around is why there are so many Greene & Greene knock offs, Gamble House imitators? I keep wondering "Why don't these people or businesses create their own legacy instead of copying someone else, even if it is the Greene brothers?" What inspired Greene & Greene and where is that same inspiration today? And yes, I recognize they certainly are a source of inspiration.

Why do we not have this caliber of craftsman today? Or do we, but as in the Greene's case it takes the test of time for the genius to show?

So, at least for Linda & I, the Gamble House passes a true test of art: it moved us from inspiration into thought, thought into questions, and questions into discussion. The best result any of us can hope for.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

Original Finish vs. Patina on Vintage lighting fixtures

We were recently asked to clarify one of our descriptions which read in part: "original finish and patina." The customer asked if "finish" and "patina" were not the same thing. Great question, because the answer is, they can be. And it can be a little confusing.
Certain metals used in the structure of the vintage light fixture, such as bronze, brass, copper, or aluminum, are exposed to chemicals which darken the surface of the metal. The result of this process is called the patina. Different chemicals create different colors on the metal. Sometimes in the finishing of the fixture, the patina is removed on parts of the fixture to create contrast and highlights, as in the image above. Patina could also be used to describe the look on the surface of an antique lighting fixture created by time, exposure to smoke (cigarette, coal, wood), natural darking of the protective finish of wax or shellac, oil build up, residue from cleaning products, etc. A vintage fixture which had been patinated (patina) and its original color from the patina process is still intact is called its patina. If this same fixture still retains its original protective coating of say, shellac, this could be called as its original finish.

The above vintage fixture is solid bronze, which was darkened by the patina process, then the patina was selectively removed to create the wonderful contrast of light and dark. The protective finish, most likely shellac, has mellowed to impart a warm undertone to the entire fixture. This antique lighting fixture retains its original finish and patina.

If the vintage fixture was originally painted (no patina) this would be called its original finish, instead of calling this finish its patina.
Now if this painted fixture still has all the accumulated dust, oils, and discolorations from time, this could be called its patina, although it is usually just called its original finish (unlike furniture where this undisturbed condition is called its patina).

Vintage light fixtures with a higher value are affected more by the condition of their original finish and patina than vintage light fixtures of lesser value. Quite often the condition of mid-range vintage fixtures is so deteriorated that the only way these vintage fixtures can be realistically used again is if they are completely refinished. In these cases this increases the value of vintage fixture.

We always prefer to retain original finish and patina when possible.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

Vintage Lighting Crossover Design

These c.1935 vintage wall sconce lighting fixtures, made by Lightolier, New York. show a strong leaning towards mid-century design yet they retain some of the art deco influence they evolved from.  As styles evolved and new design classes were born (or older ones revisited), you often see this type of cross-over in design. A few come to mind: from Victorian to Art Nouveau, from Art Nouveau to Arts & Crafts, from Arts & Crafts to Art Deco, from Art Deco to Mid-Century.  Most often, styles did not just pop onto the design scene and from that date onward only that style was in vogue. No, there was a transition period where design elements from one style were incorporated into design elements of the new blossoming style. And as it is today, there was resistance to the new style, there were champions of the new style, and finally there was general acceptance of the new style as manufacturers sought to fill the new demand as quickly and inexpensively as possible. That meant incorporating some of the old tried and true design elements into the new style.
This is one reason vintage lighting fixtures classified as "Art Deco" go so seamlessly into Bungalows and "Craftsman" style homes.
Be aware of the different styles in antique lighting, just don't be too hungup on trying to classify them into a box as sometimes that results in just that: a box, with not too much light or life.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

Antique vintage chrome 2 bulb bath kithcen light fixture (1)

Antique vintage chrome 2 bulb bath kithcen light fixture (1)
Originally uploaded by VintageLights.com

Dating to the 1930s, this is a prime example of the craftsmanship and design expertise of that era. Not many antique lighting fixtures retain there luster, as this vintage light fixture does, after so many years. Especially for a bathroom or kitchen light fixture. Note the close up image of the back where all the small details on the display board are reflected on the fixture. It is difficult to tell where the light fixture ends and the display board begins it is so reflective. A light coat of wax will keep the chrome shining for another century.
The "clam broth" (color of the glass) shade has only small chip on its back side, never seen as it is under the retaining bracket. Chip is shown in a close up.
This vintage lighting fixture holds 2 light bulbs, handling up to 75 watts each.
This antique bath light fixture is 12 5/8 inches wide and projects 5 7/8 inches

http://www.vintagelights.com/product/vintage-bathroom-wall-sconce-lighting-fixture-original-chrome-mirror-finish-2-bulb.html


Listen to Your Eyes.

Larger in light

A request we receive with some regularity is for vintage light fixtures in a larger size, for an oversized home entryway, or apartment building lobby, or for the restoration of an old wonderful brick building being brought back to life.

These larger antique lighting fixtures, typically used in commercial buildings, are pretty scarce out there in the salvage & reuse industry.  Vintage commercial light fixtures in general are found less frequently than their smaller residential cousins.  There are several reasons for this.  First, there were simply not as many commercial light fixtures made as residential light fixtures, or another way to say this is that there were not as many commercial buildings as homes built back then.  Then, over the years, as the commercial building interiors were remodeled, there was less (read almost none) interest in salvaging anything.  Time, budget, deadlines, profit, codes, etc. all worked against taking the time to salvage these beauties.  Plus, the sheer size of these old light fixtures make it more difficult to handle, transport, and store them.  In our buying travels we occasionally have to pass on some wonderful old vintage fixtures simply due to their size.  But when we can, we love to bring them back to the shop and bring them back to life.  Like the time I drove 13 horsehair and plaster slag glass fixtures back from Baltimore to Seattle.  They were out of an old movie theater and the largest, at 24" in diameter, was my front seat companion for the next 5 days.

Indeed these large vintage fixtures are scarce, but when you can find one, it makes the entire area come alive. 

The one pictured above, at 28" across, would beautifully light up any dining room in any home.

Listen to Your Eyes.

http://www.vintagelights.com/

Questions are keys to open doors.

We are a big fan of questions. With over 1,000 fixtures in our warehouse waiting patiently to be restored, we can often match a particular style or look a client has in mind even though it is not seen on our website (VintageLights.com).

This week a new customer called to say she was quite unaware of the huge selection offered by original vintage lighting. This was her first time purchasing authentic antique lighting (instead of replicas). She explained what she was looking for to light 2 bathrooms, kitchen and entry, and hoped to find vintage original fixtures to fulfil her vision. We sent her some images and she did find 2 pairs of sconces with complimentary ceiling fixtures for both bathrooms. Some of the vintage fixtures she picked out were not seen on the website (we are still working on posting the kitchen and entryway fixtures). The above image of 3 vintage light fixtures were some of the images sent to her to choose from. None of the above are seen on our website

So if you have an idea of what you would like in the way of original vintage lighting fixtures and you do not see what you are after on the website, please ask. We love to tell.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

Why vintage lighting anyway???

Sometimes, someone not familiar with vintage lighting stumbles onto our website, becomes enthralled with what they see, and begins asking us some questions. Without coming right out and asking it, they are curious: Why vintage lighting anyway?

Here we go:
Vintage lighting provides a level of design and beauty almost never seen in contemporary mass produced fixtures, even though in their day these vintage lighting fixtures were mass produced. However during this time (1900 - 1920) designers were often schooled in Europe studying design theory for several years. Style, beauty, proportion, and functionality were all just as important as profitability back then because ALL manufacturers of that time were competing on all these levels, not just what can be produced most cheaply as seen today.

Vintage lighting offers more variety and more uniqueness than most of today's fixtures, as evidenced by over 10,000 images of antique lights seen in the old catalogs on our website.

Vintage lighting has a nostalgia which cannot be easily duplicated. And as a collectible, the value of vintage lighting continues to increase as the supply slowly decreases and the demand continues to climb.

The above fixture, made of solid Bronze, will be avaible soon on our website, www.VintageLights.com

Arts & Crafts Marrage with Antique Lighting

One of our guiding mottos here at VintageLights.com is this quote from William Morris, which we try to get back to at least once a month here in the blog:

"Have nothing in your home you know not to be useful and believe to be beautiful."
Simple and elegant.

The above image of this vintage light fixture brought this thought back to me this morning. Just looking at this antique light fixture by itself, a former church fixture and a somewhat Tudor style pattern on the shade, some imagination would be necessary to see it in an Arts & Crafts setting. And here it is, very comfortable visually frolicking with the 1896 inspired Arts & Crafts print. Even the crown fitter atop the antique fixture does not seem out of place here, with its pattern reversed along the bottom of the shade, it adds some tranquility to the scene. The muted colors of the vintage shade, orange and blue set in a tan colored lattice, is almost as pleasing as a rose covered trellis out in the garden. The custard colored shade would bathe the entire room with a very pleasing warm light, especially delightful on some stained wood furniture or woodwork as the tan pattern resembles an open beam structure.

Useful and beautiful.

We have another way of keeping his message in our forefront:

Listen to Your eyes. PB

Vintage Lighting 101 - Shades

Last week I was listening to a webinar trying to understand some of the basics of social media. The moderators were very knowledgeable about the subject, bypassing some of the very basics one needs to understand, use, and appreciate social media, and going straight to the topic of discussion. They had erroneously assumed everyone had the same basic understanding of social media.
Mea culpa, mea culpa.
In an email conversation just 3 days ago I suddenly realized I had made the same mistake, assuming that the customer had that same basic understanding of vintage lighting shades. I now also realize that there was no reason to assume the customer had that information and remembered there was a time not so long ago that I too was in need of some education, (Thanks again, Billy).
The conversation was about the size of the "fitter" end of the shade. They were measuring the inside of the opening and I was measuring the outside of the opening. The fitter end of a shade is where the shade fits into, well, a fitter.
The above image shows where to measure the fitter end of a shade. The most common sizes of the fitter end of shades are; 2 1/4", 3 1/4", 4", and 6". The usual way a shade of this type is described is simply "it has a 2 1/4" fitter".

There are other sizes, but these account for over 95% of shades of this type.

So if there is anything unclear in any of my blogs, flickr or facebook descriptions please bring it to my attention, I appreciate it.

Listen to Your Eyes