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. Early American fixtures, for example, have been popular since the 1920s, but today’s best reproductions capture the quirky imperfections that make the increasingly rare period examples so desirable. Just about any of these designs can be rated for use on the porch, around an uncovered entry or alongside a path in your yard. Owners of Early and some Colonial Revival homes can choose rectangular lanterns with or without guards. Also available are 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
If your home dates to the mid to late 19th century, there are options available for real gaslight in fixtures closely modeled after the flared, multi-paned, lantern, globe and acorn shades of that period. If you’re considering both gas and electric options, Charleston Gaslight offers both in a variety of 19th century and Early American styles.
Mission-style Lighting
It has never been easier to find good Arts and Crafts and Mission-era lighting. At least a dozen manufacturers base their reproductions on true period examples. Others offer sophisticated interpretations of early-20th-century classics in materials like copper and bronze. You can find reproductions that are tailored for specific uses that go beyond the door entry and lamp post. Coe Studios, for instance, offers a Mission-inspired bronze footlight. Brass Light Gallery offers versatile designs that easily morph from entries and porches to column mounts and garden path lights.
Electric-Era Lights
After the 19th century, electronic-era lighting influences almost every style. 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. As you can probably guess, these are all electric fixtures, but most will also accept GU24 bulbs. 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.
Mike Arlen is a writer for RemodDetroit.com and is currently remodeling and decorating his new colonial style home. If you want to learn more about improving your home, interior design, or 5 Tips for Decorating Your Dining Room in general you can visit his blog at http://RemodDetroit.com/
