Antique Lighting Accessories
The question crops up from time to time with new homeowners or those that are about to embark on restoring an old home: why antique lighting? Why should they bother using antique or antique replica lighting in the first place? And how do you even incorporate them with your design ideas? Can modern-looking décor and antique lighting go together? Can we use modern lighting with antique accessories?
It may seem incredibly daunting at first when looking at your antique or antique-inspired lamps to round out your home's overall look and feel. There is a multitude of choices and antique lighting accessories that can mix, match and work with just as many décor ideas.
We're here to hopefully guide you in everything you need to know about antique lighting accessories and how they can be implemented.
Why Consider Antique?First, let's take a quick look as to some of the many reasons people should consider an antique lighting accessory or antique lighting option. Antiques often bring another era, with history and many stories from this history that may make that lamp even more unique. Antique lighting also directs itself to much better craftsmanship most of the time, due to hand-made glass, metal items, and details that a mass-produced, mass-manufactured lamp simply could not reproduce. Many antique lamps and their accessories were so intricately created and crafted by expert artisans that understood the importance of art balanced with high-quality materials that were made to last for years.
In fact, many antique replicas, replacements or lighting accessories are still handmade with the same qualities of the originals that make them so one-of-a-kind and truly marvelous lighting options for any room or home.
Antique lighting accessories can also be a piece of stunning jewelry against the backdrop of a clean, minimalist looking room. Aged fixtures infuse rooms with period flavor that modern lighting often lacks.
Decide What You're Looking for FirstA few things that will help you figure out what sort of antique lighting accessories you will need is to know what you are looking for. Are you looking for style, value, or both? If you're a collector looking for an heirloom or investment piece, you will no doubt want something different than if you were looking for a fixture for decorative flourishes.
If it's the first, make sure you shop with reputable antique dealers and reproduction sources like us to ensure you are getting the pedigree as well as history and important details about the fixtures you'll be investing in. This is especially important if you are rebuilding an antique piece or modernizing it as well.
In most cases, whether collecting or for aesthetic reasons, you should be prepared to do additional rehabbing of any antique lighting accessories from extensive cleaning, finish restoration, repairs, and replacement parts.
TheaterInterior design and decoration are commonly about theater. It's more than placing a picture on a wall, a lamp in the corner and a seat by the window or a bed tossed in a room for the most utilitarian of uses. Design and decoration of your home are about creating a space in which to live your life. Décor should be about making a beautiful environment for you that evokes something that you can come home to, day after day and be enchanted with it all over again.
In décor, lighting is often the most underrated but most essential element in the creation of that environment you're looking for in your home. So when you are including antiques and their accessories, you should figure out where in that theater, or "set," of the room your lighting will go and what you want out of it.
Spacious Rooms or HallwaysAntique electric lighting with functional lightbulbs wasn't readily available until around 1879. True antique lighting, or true reproductions, will consist of candle, oil or gas lights where some have been converted to electricity.
Bronzed chandeliers with dangling crystals can glow up a spaciously large room or hallway with a high ceiling and a few complementary antique objects such as tables or pictures. We advise putting a chandelier on a dimmer so that they can be dimmed down to a soft, warm glow that approximates candlelight for that authentic atmosphere.
Accessories for this décor idea:- Chandelier crystals, prisms, and lamp crystals
- Candelabra beeswax candle cover, 4-6" sizes
- Flame twist bulbs
- Brass bobesche and candle cups
A beautiful, drippy, glittering chandelier is also a fantastic pairing with an heirloom family hutch in the kitchen. Choose crystal accessories that add a touch of color.
Dens, Parlours or Living RoomsOil lamps have been used for thousands of years, with the most ornate and welcoming warmth. A den, parlour or even your living room could be turned into a cozy space with late Victorian influences. Beautiful vintage glass oil lamp fonts alongside a crystalline chimney always bring a gorgeous atmosphere in any den, parlor or living room. Switching out your antique chimneys or fonts allows you to match any décor color and theme for the room, too.
Accessories for oil lamp décor ideas:- 9 ½" ruby princess feather oil lamp font
- Tall embossed chimney
Dress your oil lamps up with intricate prism bands and add a glint of crystal shine.
Bathroom, Bedroom or HallwaysA little romantic, soft yet charming addition to any bathroom, bedroom or hallway are unforgettable sconces. Surround the mirror in your bedroom or bathroom, or highlight family portraits and art in any of these rooms to bring the focal point of the eye to where you wish.
Wall sconces and accessories for décor ideas:- Sheffield wall sconce
- Antique amber mica shield style chandelier or sconce lampshade
When it is time to refresh your home's antique lighting accessories and looks or to repair your beloved heirloom lamps, we're the number one source for everything you need. We're proud to answer any questions you may have about our lamps, kits, accessories and more. Contact us anytime, we'd be happy to help you find the perfect finishing touch for any of your rooms.