Color of Vintage Bathroom Tiles

The intention of all my blogs and articles is twofold. First and foremost is to give the reader “permission” to think, choose, and be comfortable with their own decisions concerning purchase, placement, and installation of vintage lighting (or any other item) in their home. Secondly is to give the reader useful information.

Somehow an “only this way is correct” authoritative mentality seems to be the norm, freezing people from making their own decisions for fear of doing it wrong. We should be giving credence to our own unique preferences and each of us should be guided by our intuition and sense of style. The whole arts & crafts movement was based on individuals wanting choice from the mass-produced “this is what you need (want)” commercialism. We need to give this permission back to the individual. Art Deco can be beautifully combined with Arts & Crafts or Spanish Revival or Victorian. This is exactly what one would have seen in the common home of the early 20th Century. Sure, using a specific term to describe a specific item gives one the air of authority, but as the bumper sticker says: Question Authority. And not just the kind with a badge.

It is nice to learn what style our home is, but not to then be tied to whatever design is designated to that style. This was brought home in a recent blog I read where someone asked what color of white tile would be most appropriate in the 1" hex tile for a period bathroom. (Not what color of tile, but what color of white tile). This seemingly had stopped the homeowner from moving forward. I answered whatever shade of white you like, AND trust your decision. I recently completed a “period” bath using new 1" white hex floor tile. In the bath I also installed a vintage claw-foot tub, 2 vintage white pedestal sinks (from different manufacturers, 16 inches apart), 3 vintage white porcelain wall sconces and 2 antique white porcelain ceiling fixtures with milk glass shades. All of the colors of white were original, appropriate AND none of them exactly matched. The bathroom is fabulous.

Point being, there were a lot of choices back then, as now, and any of them would be a correct choice.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

http://VintageLights.com

If You Have To Ask...

Another question we get on occasion and one we recently received was if the multi-colors on a vintage fixture was original. Many vintage light fixtures had multi- colored highlights, often referred to as polychrome or polychromatic, from the Greek words meaning multi color. Monochrome is used to describe a fixture of a single color.

Some vintage fixtures have retained their polychrome finish very nicely, muted shades of reds, greens, and blues. This coloration was never meant to be the focus on the fixture, but rather the "accessory" to it. These colors were almost always pastel, and usually applied by air brush; the colors faded nicely into the background. Thinking of Linda's earrings here.

What we are seeing out there today are people trying to repaint the colors or simply repainting the entire fixture in colors, totally absent of any consideration of what the original fixture looked like. In the catalogue section of our website there are numerous fixtures with a polychrome finish, all in muted shades of color, all appropriate for the fixture and time. None of the examples have brightly painted reds, greens or blues, much less the bright purples, hot pink, or vibrant yellows some are using to re-paint vintage fixtures.

So yes, multi-colors were original to certain vintage fixtures, as in the images above, and they will look right when you see them. If you have to ask, then you know the answer.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

http://VintageLights.com

Baked Light

The newest addition to our website is a pair of 1920s solid bronze wall sconces. What is rather unusual about these is their original shades are made of Bakelite.

http://vintagelights.com/product/1/solid-bronze-pair-of-vintage-wall-sconces-with-original-bakelite-shades.html

Bakelite was a forerunner to plastic and was developed near the turn of the last century. Dr. Baekland established the General Bakelite Company in 1910, to supply the rapidly growing demand for a plastic type product.

We occasionally see bakelite used in various parts of vintage lighting fixtures and even less frequently we see bakelite shades. Bakelite has a beautiful glow and was manufactured in some great colors, like tortoise shell, wood grain, and bright solid colors which makes it a very collectible item in today's vintage marketplace. One drawback of the bakelite shades was their tendency to turn black where the heat of the light bulb was most intense. With every increase in light bulb wattage this problem increased. You can see the blackened centers of the shades in the above image. The dark discoloration is much more noticeable when the light bulb is off.

Vintage bakelite is very collectible and an easy, non-destructive test to determine if an object is true bakelite or just plastic made to look like bakelite is to wet a q-tip with 409 cleaner and gently rub in a discreet place on the piece. True bakelite will discolor the q-tip in a yellow to brown color. Plastic will not discolor the q-tip.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

http://VintageLights.com

It Takes a Keen Eye...

The above image illustrates what a typical fixture looks like before and after we get our hands on it. Before we purchase any fixture, such as the one on the left, we have to know a few things about it.
First and foremost, is it appealing to me and would others find it appealing, what should it look like when refinished, what would it take to get it into condition to sell, what would the projected selling price be, can the wiring be replaced and if so, what it would take to restore the wiring to a safe working condition, what pieces, if any, are missing, who would the target purchaser be, does anything about it look out of place, are its proportion and scale correct? Then a quick check for damage and anything that is hidden or concealed. And the final question, is this something we can make a profit on or in lieu of profit, is there any other compelling reason to purchase it? Typical market research, but it must be done almost instantly, with authority, and with an absolute belief that I will make the right choice to pursue it or not.
I used to have to think about all these questions; now it is second nature. I can decide if I am interested in a used fixture in seconds, How? I listen to my eyes and I trust that my brain knows the answer. It does.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB

www.VintageLights.com

A MUST READ

Insightful, witty, amazing images, well written, factual, inspiring, (feel free to add your own):

http://blog.vandm.com/2010/05/listen-to-your-eyes-patrick-brady-at.html

Looking Outside the Square Tube Box

Once again, in a conversation with a customer, I was reminded of the curious path I have taken to get here. This customer had a concern that a certain fixture did not fit their perception of an "Arts & Crafts" fixture.

When I first became aware that I was living in a "Craftsman" home and that a sideboard I saved from my grandfather's basement 10 years prior was in the "Mission" style, I began to really appreciate this unique American style. But along with that I had somewhere picked up the misconception that Arts & Crafts light fixtures were square, fit into a certain style box, and were pretty much utilitarian in nature. Boy was I wrong. The Arts & Crafts movement was all about just the opposite.

But I understood where this customer's perception came from, as I had been there. Frequently the 3 terms used to describe this style are Craftsman, Mission, and Arts & Crafts. And sometimes they can be used interchangeably. Each has a different flavor of the time and I think a lot of folks, like me, initially do not understand the difference. These easily recognizable "Mission" fixtures are just a small part of the richness of the Arts & Crafts era.

Yes, the square fixtures are from the Arts & Crafts period, yes, the square fixtures look terrific in a Craftsman home and yes, these fixtures are also of the Mission style.

I think I was so enamored by the furniture of the Stickley era that I associated everything Arts & Crafts to that particular style.

I am glad I looked around that era and expanded my view to outside of the square tube.

Open your eyes and listen. PB

www.vintagelights.com

The Real Story out of the Box

Reading through one of our favorite magazines yesterday, Cottages & Bungalows, I noticed a story box with suggestions about where to go for additional information on bungalow styles. There were 4 books recommended, suggesting they can be found at Amazon. Should it be no surprise that VintageLights.com has 2 of the 4 in their vast and ever growing collection of vintage books and catalogues? And that their entire collection of vintage catalogues are free? It would set you back over $50 if you purchased these 4 paperbacks at the big A. Paperbacks!

The vintage catalogue selection at Vintagelights.com not only has the Internets largest free resource of vintage lighting catalogues but also Sears Kit Homes, interior decorating, Bungalow and home plans, plumbing, lawn and garden books and promotional pamphlets. All original, all in their entirety, all from about 1900 through 1939, and all FREE. Some of these catalogues are not reproduced anywhere else, making this resource unique, helpful, and important.

We are glad to help.

Above image from the book Architectural Woodwork by The Curtis Companies, 1920.

Listen to Your Eyes. PB