Three-light Antique Pan Light
Frosted shades on Pan Light
Perhaps the best part of bringing back an old house is cleaning up the antique lighting and finding good reproductions to replace bad looking newer light fixtures. Rewiring is best done by a qualified expert. Early fixtures would have been gas and many of these fixtures were electrified once a house was wired for electrical service. When electrical service was being introduced, some lights were made with electrical and gas fixtures since electrical service was not highly reliable at the time.
If you have plaster ceiling medallions, you generally want to make sure that the light is either 2-3 inches wider or smaller than the medallion.
“Pan lights” are a common light choice that work well in bedrooms, while more ornate varieties do appear in the more formal rooms within the house. If you have plaster ceiling medallions, you generally want to make sure that the light is either 2-3 inches wider or smaller than the medallion. This produces a triangulated field of view that is more interesting then when both the medallion and light are the same size. Usually made from stamped brass, pan lights are typically lacquered with brass highlights. Higher quality pans will have more ornate brass castings and details. Pans can vary from either two to even six light configurations and there is a wide variety of reproduction shades available in clear, etched, amber and art glass from antique lighting specialty suppliers. The balance of the shades on the pan looks great and very period within an old house.
Many companies are offering reproduction barn lighting that is a great way to get rid of boring big box outdoor fixtures in the backyard or around car parks with something unique.
Barn Lighting
A good collection of antique lighting within Toronto can be found at Eclectic Revival lighting located on Dundas Avenue in the Junction.
Art Nouveau Light with Faded Chromatic Highlights
1889 Bay-and-Gable Victorian 