DecoratingPhilly.com  

These days one can choose from so many different lighting reproduction options for outdoor use that are not only style-friendly but style-specific in ways that can add much architectural richness and detail to your home. Lighting reproductions have been around for a while. Early American fixtures, for instance, have been popular since the 1920s. But as authentic period examples become increasingly rare, today’s best reproductions often replicate those pieces’ quirky imperfections. 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
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. 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. 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
Almost every style made after the 19th century revolves around electronic-era lighting. 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. These are all obviously electric fixtures, but most will also 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.

Veronica Miller is a writer for mySanDiegoDecor.com and is currently remodeling and decorating her new townhome home. If you want to learn more about improving your home and 5 Simple Tips to Makeover Your Kitchen on a Budget in general you can visit her blog at http://www.mySanDiegoDecor.com

Regarded as beautiful objects fit to grace any elegant decor scheme, Tiffany Lamps have long been admired. Tiffany Studios original lamps are very expensive to buy at auctions and art fairs today and collectors exist the world over. More reasonable Tiffany style lamps are commonly offered today and in many cases offer a great alternative to the originals and at a fraction of the cost.

LAMPS IN THE TIFFANY STYLE

There are a great many Tiffany style lamps offered on the open market today. Organic designs featured strongly on the original Tiffany lamps and were a statement of their time. Art Nouveau was the new trend fashion and organic shapes and colours were very much the in thing. Today, many reproductions are manufactured of the original Tiffany lamps. As well as the reproductions, there is a huge selection of styles of Tiffany lamps today featuring designs from all eras. Every variation of style is available from Cubist, Art Deco and even modernist examples. All in my view are object d’art and tell of the artisans who create such beautiful home decor items.

BRAND NEW TIFFANY STYLE LAMPS

Most new Tiffany style lamps are delivered with a coating of oil or wax to protect the lamp in transport. Remove this coating to receive the most from your lamp. Clean the shade and base with clean cloths bringing each glass panel to a brilliance. The lamp looks so much better straight away.

REGULAR CLEANING OF YOUR TIFFANY LAMP

By their very nature, Tiffany lamps are composed of many pieces of art glass soldered together. The various and numerous panels, indentations and raised nature of the solder acts as a trap for dust, grease and grime. The very best way to get the most from your Tiffany lamp is to keep it immaculately clean. The colours are brighter and more vivid and the whole lamp looks so much better. Keep your lamp spotless by regular dusting. Gently rub each panel of glass with a clean micro fibre cloth to bring to a polish. Wet the cloth with clean water if you encounter a stubborn patch of dirt. If pure water does not work add a small amount of detergent to the cloth and rub the glass very gently. Dry the lamp thoroughly after cleaning and bring the whole shade to a polish. Vacuum any inaccessible areas of the base and shade to remove deep dust. The small brush attachments available with most domestic vacuum cleaners are ideal for this.

Once the whole lamp has been cleaned; use a clean micro fibre cloth and dust the whole lamp (don’t forget the inside of the shade and the base). This way you can appreciate your lamp at its very best with the colours and tones that make these lamps so special.

For beautiful Tiffany Lamps visit Busy Bee Gifts. This online store is a treasure trove of beautiful Tiffany style lamps and art glass accessories.

There are many reasons you should buy your home lighting online. The top reasons would be for the convenience. Lets face it there is no better way to shop than kicking back and not being harassed by a sales man. By shopping online your don’t get high pressure sales tactics as well as you can browse as long as you like.

Many online retailer have great features that help you compare lighting fixtures. This is great because you can look at them side by side. This is hard to do from a catalog in a Showroom. The one advantage to a showroom is that you could possible see the fixture in person. But this is a very unlikely because there are so many lights to choose from and limited space in a showroom. This is another great point when it comes to shopping online is your choice are much greater. Showrooms are limited to certain lighting vendors. But online retailers typically have a larger selection.

The Second best reason to shop online is it is very easy to compare prices from retailer to retailer in minutes. You can’t do this in a lighting showroom. As well as it save a lot of money on gas not having to drive around.

Home lighting retailers on the internet also typically have better descriptions of the products and higher quality images than a showrooms catalog. This can help you see the detail of the fixture as well as make a more educate decision on what you are going to buy.

Lets face it sometimes you have an epiphany in the middle of the night about your on going kitchen remodel and you want to shop for that perfect light right now. You can do this in a showroom.

There are many online retailers that supply great Lighting and lamps for your home.