So many lighting reproductions that are available for outdoor use today are not just style-friendly but style-specific in ways that add architectural richness and detail. Although Early American fixtures have been popular since the 1920s, today’s best reproductions display the quirky imperfections that make the increasingly rare period pieces so desirable. Yet any of these designs can be rated for use outdoors on the porch, by an entry or alongside a walkway in your yard. For Early and some Colonial Revival homes, options include rectangular lanterns with or without guards, and onion and globe lamps with decorative carry straps for wall, ceiling or post mount. Authentic materials are often used for these replications: tin, terne, iron and copper.
Gaslight Fixtures
Does your home date to the mid to late 19th century? Then you have the option of choosing real gaslight for fixtures closely modeled after the flared, multi-paned shades, lantern shades, globe shades and acorn shades. Not sure about the gas? Charleston Gaslight offers gas and electric options for both 19th century and Early American fixtures.
Mission-style Lighting
It has never been easier to find good Arts and Crafts and Mission-era lighting. There are at least a dozen manufacturers who base their reproductions on true period examples. But in the next wave of Arts and Crafts design, you can also find sophisticated interpretations of classic pieces in materials like copper and bronze. Many modern versions of reproductions are tailored for specific uses beyond the traditional entry light and lamp post. For example, you can find Mission-inspired bronze footlights at Coe Studios. Brass Light Gallery is a great place to find versatile designs that easily morph from entries and porches to column mounts and garden path lights.
Electric-Era Lights
Electronic-era lighting influences almost every style that was ever made after the 19th century. Styles from this era include reproductions of Colonial Revival fixtures, “medieval”-style lighting originally found on Tudor and Spanish Colonial Revival homes, the classic bare-bulb industrial lights found over the garage, and sixties-style Atomic Age fixtures re-created from the grooviest lights that ever graced a porch. Clearly, “electronic-era lighting” refers to electric fixtures, but most will accept GU24 bulbs as well. Available in a variety of metals, from cast iron to aluminum to bronze, these designs often boast inventive finishes such as black enamel and unlacquered bronze, capturing the authentic look of period pieces.
Maria DeSoto writes for DesigningOrland.com and is currently remodeling her new home. To learn more about home improvement or 10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Bedroom you can visit her blog at http://www.DesigningOrland.com
