Ready, Fire, Aim

We are just finishing up a set of 1920 - 30s "Storybook" style vintage ceiling fixtures. There are three 5 light, one 3 light, two 2 light, one pair of sconces and a very rare table lamp. I know I have had some of these fixtures for over 4 years, waiting until I could do justice to them by developing a finishing technique which would match the original finish and retain an appropriate sheen for an 80 year old light fixture. Looking back at the finishing process I am a bit surprised how little trial and error there was to arrive at the finished product this time. Using several different techniques, tools, and finishes in a very specific order produced the desired results. It was like my brain already knew what to do and I just had to be willing to follow. And I am very happy and satisfied with the results.

Interestingly this coincides with an upcoming issue of American Bungalow magazine due out the middle of this month. They are doing a short feature on Vintagelights.com and this set of vintage fixtures was one they may include.

I submitted their image not yet consciously knowing what the refinishing process would be, but I must have already known. Had I not pulled the trigger by submitting them for consideration in the feature who know how many more years it would have taken.

They will be our next featured item on our home page.

Listen To Your Eyes. PB

http://vintagelights.com/

Light Investment

With few exceptions, Vintage Lighting still offers one of the most cost effective ways to to bring what is commonly called "Vintage Charm" to your home or business. Sure, "Vintage Charm" is subjective, different for everyone, and to certain degree, "cost effective" is also subjective.

But here are a couple of facts which bring "cost effective" into the realm of objectivity.

1. Again with few exceptions, no contemporary lighting fixture retains its value once placed into use, nor will it increase in value over time.

2. The underlying reason vintage lighting continues to increase in value (and it has even over the past 6 months) is that it is a very limited resource. There is no more being made. This is it. And every time a 1920s shade is broken, the value of those remaining goes up. Supply and demand. More than one of our customers consider their purchases an investment.

It may cost a little more up front for vintage fixtures but the pay off is not only monetary (in the long run) but in the daily appreciation of its contribution to your home's beauty and authentic "Vintage Charm".

Listen To Your Eyes. PB

http://vintagelights.com/

The Eyes Have It

I remember the first time I saw the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in person. "Big church" was about the extent of my acknowledgement.

After a job change I decided to take some Architecture classes at the University of Washington. Of course I could only take the introductory classes, but that's all it took. The professor was a seasoned pro who could bring the magic of the ancient Greek buildings to the Space Needle come alive. (He spent his summers in Athens trying to find ways to save the Parthenon from acid rain and other air-borne destructors).

About 3 years later I was again in Paris. This time when I saw Norte Dame with its flying buttresses and vaulted rooftops I was literally stopped in my tracks. What I was seeing this time was an almost unbelievable structure of beauty, grace and engineering that took several generations to complete. For the rest of that day I could not stop marveling at its enormity of both scale and imagination. Norte Dame began with a cornerstone almost 850 years ago but for me it started with an entry level class at the U of W. There I found a new way of seeing and appreciating the world in which I live, which carries on today in my profession.



Listen To Your Eyes. PB



http://vintagelights.com/

Vacuum packed

I read an article the other day which asked "Why Vintage Lighting?" The answer was obviously from an online form where you just plug in a title and a couple keywords and out pops a meaningless jumble of ver(gar)bage. I guess it helps to fill some void, much like all the "designer" home decor, found now even at Safeway, where your eye may look at it once then you will never see it again, even if you look right at it. Proof that it must be true that Nature abhors a vacuum.

Now that I have vented a bit, there is no time here to answer "Why Vintage Lighting", which was my original thought. sorry, next time.

Maybe I should wait until after I had my coffee...

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

http://VintageLights.com

Proper Vintage Bathroom Lighting

Another recent query we received and one we often field is "What is the best lighting solution for a vintage bathroom, specifically around the mirror?"

This question is pretty vague so lets try to narrow down some answers for a couple of the most common scenarios. If you have a medicine cabinet or just a mirror over the sink or counter and if room on each side permits, a vintage wall sconce on each side of the mirror at (the woman's) eye level gives the best illumination for detailing the face. Sconces with shades or using inside frost light bulbs help to minimize shadows. Another sconce above the mirror or a small pendant drop close to the wall will also help balance the light.

Sometimes the mirror is the width of the wall above the counter and usually here you find the typical light bar with 6 round bare bulbs (or worse, a fluorescent light bar). Recently a local customer came to us with this dilemma, the mirror the length of the wall. We provided him with 3 matching pendant drops of opaque milk glass which he had mounted into 3 new ceiling boxes. A bit more costly but a solution he was grateful for.

Listen To Your Eyes. PB

www.VintageLights.com

Patience and Planning

With the California Poppies popping up, it is a sure sign of Spring, even though last Friday morning there was 1/2 inch of snow on the deck. And today, Monday, it is going to hit 80 degrees. We are loving it.

Now is the time to start planning those outside projects that are on this summer's list. I mention this because it seems all too often we are hit with requests for a specific type of vintage lighting fixture (in this case vintage porch lights), and the electrician is coming out next week to install it.

When you know that vintage lighting is what you desire there are two things to remember: the first is patience and planning and the second is, if you find something you like, purchase it on the spot. We have a good track record of finding specific vintage fixtures if given enough time. But the "electrician is coming out next week" is one of the surest ways to end up with dandelions instead of golden California Poppies.

Listen To Your Eyes. PB

http://vintagelights.com/

Bring Back the Magic

Some call it beauty, some call it a felt emotional responce, and some just refer to it as magical. That inexpicible sense of self and emotion when in the presence of something that stirs us in a positive way.
The old lighting fixtures have it, the old buildings have it, Nature has it.
Maybe we all need a little more magic in our lives.

Listen To Your Eyes. PB

www.VintageLights.com