Friday, April 23, 2010

Art Deco Ceiling Fixtures

The art deco light fixtures appropriate to this house are either ceiling fixtures or floor lamps. The style seems more appropriate than others because the house was in its heyday in the 1930s to 1940s.

A prominent community member and city official lived here then. As a single guy, he would have rarely entertained on a large scale and the house is small. It is entirely possible he kept the house in some state of then-modern style. Because of the nature of his work, it is likely he did have drop-in guests who would have appreciated a basic, modern decor.

While art deco ceiling fixtures are an option there is only one in storage right now, ready to be installed when the electric system is upgraded. The light is a actually a ceiling fixture that is attached with a brass ring. The ring is screwed into the ceiling around a light bulb socket. The glass shade, shaped like a globe with the bottom flattened is slipped into the ring and held in place with tiny brass screws that grip the shade's rim.

This light fixture would not have been appropriate to the former house resident who was a single man. It has painted on it several ladies bedecked in art deco period fashion attending to their bathroom ablutions. No, nothing creepy, just putting on their makeup and dabbing their necks with a wet cloth. But the style is more appropriate for a single woman's house.

The glass light shade is outlined with a light shadow of emerald green. It looks like an airbrushed border, but that technology was not available back when the fixture was made, probably in the late '30s or early 40's. The women painted on the glass are wearing deep salmon pink colored dresses. That would match the planned colors of the remodeled bathroom. Green and pink in art deco style -- yes, that is a good path to pursue.