Old Fashioned Table Lamps

There is room in every historic house for old fashioned table lamps. Any interior designer will insist that a table lamp or two be placed in every room to reinforce the period design. For this house, early 20th century table lamps are the right style. An emphasis on lighting from the 30's and 40's needs to show up.

Other houses in this historic district use 19th century light fixtures, lamps and lights to carry out the period design themes. Many of them are reproduction table lamps, since the wiring of authentic 19th century lights is too risky. There is a small cottage industry in the area that pulls the old wiring out of old fashioned lamps and retrofits the light with modern electrical workings. These renovated lamps are very pricey, but invaluable to carry out a historic design theme.

Build a scene on a table top. Arrange a small photo or oil painting, a book, and several pieces of pottery or momentos next to an original or reproduction table lamp. Place a painting or wall sculpture nearby, allowing the light to glow on the tabletop arrangement and the wall accessory.

There is only space for one small table in the front room of this house, unless smaller scale furniture replaces what is currently in here. That will be sufficient to get the design juice of one table lamp into this area. At the back of the house in the large bedroom there is room for another table lamp, but instead of sitting on a table, it will be atop a bureau.

Antique Outdoor Lighting Fixtures

Lights for the front porch need to be selected right away. There is a contractor coming soon to replace the broken post that is barely holding up the porch roof. At the same time the threshold will get replaced and any lighting work needs to get done. It would be wonderful to put antique outdoor lighting fixtures on either side of the door.

Right now there is just a bare bulb poking out of the ceiling that covers the porch. The socket is controlled with a very short pull chain. It looks like someone had a lightweight paper shade taped up over the bulb, but that couldn't have lasted long in rainy weather.

Yes - the ideal would be a lantern type fixture placed about two feet from either side of the door. That would set the outdoor fixtures equidistant from the windows on both sides of the door. It would add another bit of symmetry to the front of the house, which is a bit of a hodge podge at the moment.

The best hardware finish would be silver to match with the greys and mauves of the paint and trim. Black outdoor wall lanterns would work, but the frame would have to be delicate, not heavy like the old fashioned garage and barn wall lanterns. This house is small and the outside decoration must be somewhat petite to maintain its cottage-like demeanor.