Things to Consider While Buying Rustic Bathroom Vanity Cabinets

There is no rule that bathroom furniture has to be boring and just serve the purpose of having compartments. We all spend a considerable amount of our lives in bathrooms yet ignore the aesthetics of this place. A cabinet is very much essential in a bathroom to store all our cosmetics and toiletries. If you are thinking of improving the interiors of your bathroom, the cabinet is the right place to start with. The cabinet can be turned into an amazing décor item if you are willing to put in some effort. If you are thinking how a cabinet can serve as a décor item, you have not heard of rustic bathroom vanity cabinets then!

Any furniture that is made of rustic wood is known as rustic furniture and bathroom cabinets too are made out of rustic furniture. Rustic themes retain the authentic texture and appearance of the wood they are made of instead of being painted upon. All the imperfections including scars, lines, dark spots, nail marks etc. are left behind to make the cabinet look used, weathered and distressed. The old and rusty look adds a lot of depth to the furniture and makes it seem that the cabinet is used by generations together. The raw textures and the bold, faded colors only get better with time as the wood ages.

You certainly don’t want to crowd your bathroom with unnecessary décor items and reduce the moving space inside. Hence, a chic rustic bathroom vanity cabinet is what you need to create the perfect bathroom ambience and efficiently utilize the available space. If you are willing to buy one, here’s a list of things you need to consider before buying.

Things to Consider While Buying Rustic Bathroom Vanity Cabinets

1. Type of Wood

The most important parameter that you need to consider while buying any furniture that is rustic in nature. The type of wood used contributes immensely towards the look and feel of any furniture and there are specific types of rustic furniture. For your rustic cabinet you can choose one of the following types- eastern white pine, lodge pole pine, western red cedar, northern white cedar, barn wood, reclaimed teak wood, hickory, walnut, aspen and white oak. All these types are solid wood that offers durability and naturally add a rustic feel to the cabinet. While buying ensure that you ask your vendor the wood types that are available and choose the one that is best for you.

2. Type of Finish

This is another important aspect to consider while buying a rustic bathroom vanity cabinet. It is ultimately the finish that will decide the appearance of the furniture and you have to ensure that it looks rustic in this case. Don’t dwell too much on perfection and allow the scars, dark spots and knots to be visible if you want a genuine rustic appearance. There is an array of choice when it comes to finish types and you can choose one of the following- stain finish, varnish, outdoor spar varnish, indoor satin varnish, water based stain, oil based stain, polyurethane, lacquer etc. Finishes not only add to the beauty of the furniture but also protect them from damage. Given that the rustic bathroom vanity cabinet gets exposed to a lot of moisture, a finish and a protective coating can avoid damage to the wood.

3. Size and Shape

It is no surprise that bathrooms always have space constraints and including a furniture like a bathroom cabinet eats up the available space too. Hence, you need to be very careful while ordering and study your bathroom space well in advance. Analyze the space that is available and have a fair idea about the space the cabinet is going to occupy. You don’t want the rustic bathroom vanity cabinet to be blocking the door or blocking the only moving space in the bathroom. Also have clear idea about the number of compartments you would need and whether or not you need a sink attached with it. If you can only accommodate a narrow space, you can go for upright vanity cabinets. If you don’t like constant opening and closing of doors, you can go for open vanity cabinets.

Use a Rustic Sofa Table for Natural Elegance inside Interiors

Rustic Furniture Has Gained Popularity

Rustic beauty always attracts human beings, due to the divine serenity it carries. You will get a relaxed mental feeling when you allow you to drown yourself in the natural tranquility. Pragmatically speaking, even in the midst of the contemporary sophistication, people generally love to stay within the calmness of an idyllic background. Bucolic exquisiteness attracts the human mind considerably; this is an innate human trait. That is the reason why these days all segments of the population try to make use of the pastoral elegance of rustic furniture for amplifying the quality of the interior decoration of their residences. Rustic sofa table is one such highly popular furniture items that enjoys great demand in the current furniture market. You can find various types and styles of this model sofa in the contemporary furniture market. However, you must make sure that you are getting an authentic piece, and the best bet for this is to purchase the item from time-honored dealers, who have good experience in dealing with reclaimed furniture items.

Rustic Sofa Table

You can place this model sofa at various places within your residence, for varied needs. If you take care to give a proper design and perfect color, it will certainly grab the attention of all onlookers. For example, you can use it to adorn the center or side part of your living room for making the space more eye-catching. As the piece holds the faded traces of the bygone era, it has an antique value. For sure, by seeing the item, the remembrance of the departed time will naturally gush into our mind. You can also place this model sofa in places like the corridor, balcony, and even in your bedrooms. The only thing you will have to take care is to give a matching design and color to the piece. This you can decide, by taking into account the color of the walls, style of the floor tiles, the curtain designs, etc. The rustic splendor of the sofa will certainly pass on an alluring effect to the overall décor of the related space.

Options You Can Have

  • Visit different websites that deal with furniture items (but, take care to avoid the amateur sites) and get a concrete idea about the practical probabilities. You must consider the discounts, the services offered like free shipping and easy return, etc. You must also take into account the selling experience of the dealer.
  • You can check the various designs provided by the dealer and go for the best option. Of course, this will save you the time needed to build new ones in accordance with your specifications. At any rate, you must check the various options available at different websites and pick the most suitable ones.
  • The main problem you may face when you buy such ready-made sofa tables will be regarding the adaptability, all though they will be much economical when compared to the customized ones. These pieces may not go well with the indoor area where you want to place them properly. There will be surely a projected appearance.
  • As many of the top dealers offer the highly desired bespoke facility, you can tune the style of the sofa table in accordance with the prevailing grandeur of the room where you place it. However, you will have to give adequate time for the delivery.
  • If you have reclaimed timber with you, you can give it to the dealer, along with the design that you would like to have and thus create a perfectly fitting sofa table for your specific need. This option also requires extra time, and so, you will have to plan accordingly.

Buy Rustic Sofa Table from Established Dealers

Whatever be the option you choose, you will have to take care of one main thing. The reliability of the dealer is an important factor, which you will have to consider while buying rustic sofa table. You must bear in mind that there may be websites that deceive you by selling imperfect furniture items quoting very low prices. It is easy to mislead the buyers, by making patchworks in raw wood to show that the piece is reclaimed wood. Hence, you must not fall as a victim to the showy advertisements or various other promotional activities. You must check the real experience of the seller; only reliable trader will be able to withstand the market competition for decades. Hence, you must buy the item only from traders who are in this line for years together.

Rustic Furniture to Create an Enchanting Ambience

Rustic Furniture for Attractive Looks

Furniture created by using reclaimed wood with pure rustic themes enjoys great demand in the present market. The key attraction is that such pieces look very natural. You can make any interior space attractive by placing this type of furniture. The inexpensive nature is yet another appealing feature. The asymmetrical shapes, the uneven edges, the diverse types of scars and marks due to the continued usage, etc., add up the overall enticement of the same.

Popular Reclaimed Furniture

You can find a plethora of this type of furniture in the modern market. People use them widely to upgrade the overall look in the indoor areas. The well-liked rustic furniture available in the current market includes beds, tables, bathroom vanities, nightstands, and desks. You can use each of these to bring in an alluring traditional touch to specific interior spaces, irrespective of the size or significance. Though most of these items are for particular areas, rustic tables and desks are multi-functional. You can place them anywhere you like, precisely in accordance with your own will and pleasure. Wherever you place, rest assured, there will be an upbeat result.

Benefits:

People use this kind of furniture for varied reasons. Some go after the fancy pricing, while some others admire the mind-relaxing appearance. However, the key advantages of this category furniture include the following:

•  Perdurable Nature: The wood used for the manufacture of this furniture belongs to the reclaimed wood category. As the wood comes from very old wooden items that have survived the testing climatic changes of decades, you can expect long service from rustic furniture. This high durability is a tempting trait that prompts customers to go for these furniture pieces.

•  Artistic Quality: The visual beauty is another notable point. Reclaimed timber will have various marks and scars that are par for the course of prolonged usage. Though these scars will not be fully visible because of the application of various creative modern techniques, there will be an inimitable look, and this makes the piece distinctive.

•  Antique Look: The rare antique look is yet another feature that will attract the attention of the viewers. By placing such furniture, you can convert the dullness of certain areas like patio, living room, courtyard, balcony, etc.

•  Cost: This is the most exciting part of these furniture pieces. They come with highly competitive rates. As the wood comes from existing wooden items, there will not be any rough timber to cut into shapes; moreover, there will not be any need for wood treatment. Because of these reasons, the processing charge will be very less. Even if your overall interior decoration budget is very low, you will be able to buy attractive rustic furniture.

•  Environmental Protection: The growth rate of population is increasing day by day, and along with this increase, there is a proportionate growth in the requirement of various items creating using wood inclusive of furniture and allied items. We must understand that the only source of wood is trees, and hence, the cutting of trees becomes inevitable. Hence, when one prefers to have reclaimed furniture, the destruction of trees becomes less.

Buying Rustic Furniture

In the olden days, shopping was a tedious task and in our time the same has become extremely laid-back. In the traditional way of shopping, there was a need to run between various shops to pick a most suitable item. Because of this tiresome nature, the present generation stays away from it and often opts for online shopping, which one can do by enjoying the coziness of his/her own residence. This tiresome nature is especially true while buying rustic furniture. Because of the rarity of the item, it will be a tough task to find suitable pieces from local shops or from large local showrooms.

Even big shopping malls may not be able to satisfy your precise demand. Thus, you will have to visit various shops that are located far and wide in such cases. For this, the investment of time and money becomes imperative and inevitable. As time has become a precious thing in the modern, fast changing world, this will be practically difficult. Hence, the easiest way of shopping such rare items is to opt for online shopping.

The Right Tactics for Maintaining Copper Sinks

Copper sinks are often a great addition to the home. They offer an aesthetic feel to your space and bestow a luxurious look. You can easily use a copper sink as a sanitary addition to your kitchen. Besides, they can be great accent pieces for your bathrooms. However, it’s not because of the beauty that people are opting for copper sink. It has a lot of other utilities. Copper sinks do not rust and are available in many styles. There is an increased chance of bacteria to thrive in regular basins, but most of the bacteria and germs can’t live long in copper basin and they die within a few hours after coming in contact with copper. Moreover, you can avail a wide array of copper sinks with smooth finishes created with single copper sheet. Nevertheless, if you varnish copper or wax it, copper loses its antimicrobial properties. Furthermore, it is prone to water stains, if you don’t take care of it in a proper way. You can ward off this concern by washing and drying the sink after using. In addition, you can avoid leaving acid residue like a leftover of fruits in the sink. Nonetheless, this is not the ideal method of keeping your basin shining and spotless. You must take some preventive actions for protecting copper sink from getting water and fruit stains. Hence, it’s significant that you should know the right tactics for maintenance of copper sinks. But, there is nothing to fret over! Cleaning copper sink only requires a few minutes and a few cleaning ingredients.

Let’s check out the right tactics for maintaining copper sinks in this regard:

  • Get all the essentials for maintaining copper

Collect all the essential ingredients for maintaining your copper sink including cleaning rags, tomato juice, mild natural dish soap, steel wood pad and Renaissance wax.

  • Wash the sink

Wash the sink with tomato juice as well as hot water. The tomato juice will help to get rid of stain, hard water spots as well as other build-up. Make use of the hot water with a few drops of dish soap for scrubbing the basin. Nevertheless, you should not use abrasive or acid based detergents as they would cause damage to your sink surface. It would be best to apply mild natural soap to a clean and soft cloth or sponge and scrub the sink gently. Steel wood pad can also be used in this regard. Go on scrubbing with the steel wood pad in circular motions till your basin is bright and shiny. However, ensure the fact that you are not using a pre-treated steel wool pad. It is because the chemicals of this pad can damage the copper. Use the cleaning rag for washing out the basin and make sure of the fact that no water or residue is left on the sink surface. Wash out the soap and the loose debris in your basin with running water.

  • Apply Renaissance wax

Spread on Renaissance wax to the surface of the sink with the help of a clean and dry rag. Follow the instructions of the manufacturer while applying high quality wax in order to protect it from damage. Applying wax helps the water to flow smoothly and maintain the natural shine and appeal of copper. Make use of circular motions for pushing the wax into the sink surface. Try to shield the entire basin. In case your sink consists of a decorative rim, you must wax the copper parts, or else the sink will become dark. At times, you may have to reapply the wax when water no longer drops in your basin. Repeat the treatment once in two months or six months as per your requirement. However, you must remember that even if, periodical waxing retains the shine of copper it eliminates all the natural anti-bacterial qualities by coating the metal surface.

  • Buff the wax

In order to get a brilliant finish, make use of a clean and dry rag to buff the wax. If your sink is shining, it would be ready for use again, making it less prone to water stains. In fact, whenever you are using the basin, try to make it dry with a soft towel for preventing the formation of water spots. Wipe the sink with an absorbent dry towel to get rid of the excess moisture content.

Follow these tactics and retain the natural shine of copper. Purchase the best copper sink available in the market and smarten up your home in an exclusive style.

Tips for Choosing a Rustic Bathroom Vanity for Your Home

Vanities are an inevitable component of any bathroom. They function as space savers and also as objects that make your bath and powder rooms look attractive. Rustic styled consoles are the trendiest among vanities. In selecting them for your bathroom, here are a few factors to consider.

•  Space availability – Vanities can be placed in bath and powder rooms alike. The space available within determines the size of the vanity that can be placed in them. In determining the size, pay attention to the width, length, and height, as well as the area of the bath where it will be placed. The overall size needs to be in proportion with that of the bath or powder room. It should also be in proportion with the size and placement of surrounding fixtures. The space needed by vanity doors for easy opening and closure also needs to be considered.

•  Storage needs – The size of the vanity and its type depends on the storage needs – how many and what kind of articles the furniture will need to hold. Sink consoles tend to be smaller in size and are suited for use in powder rooms and guest bathrooms. They generally lack storage beneath the sink, but can be equipped with a small cabinet underneath, if required. Double sink bathroom vanity is larger in size than sink consoles, and hence are better suited for master bathrooms.

•  Materials, colors, and finishes – Rustic bathroom vanities usually are available in wood. These include pieces made from regular lumber or reclaimed wood. The top of the vanity maybe set in a contrasting material like marble or soapstone for a brilliant focal point and ease of maintenance. Metal accents on doors and inlays on the surface are also a common feature on rustic wooden vanities. This article of furniture is also available in different colors like white, red, aqua, lime etc. and finishes like bleached, distressed, etc.

•  Number and type of sinks – The number of sinks on the vanity, is governed by the space available atop the vanity and the end use. Smaller, one sink vanities, are best suited for kids or guest bathrooms. Large and double sink vanities are better suited for master bathrooms that can accommodate large consoles with wider counter area.

Different rustic vanities come with different sink types. The most common are vessel or bowl shaped sinks that sit on top of the counter surface, and which do not require an under mount installation. Drop-in and under mounts sinks are also available for use with rustic vanities, though they are more common on custom built pieces.

•  Style of mounting – Free standing or standard vanities that resemble a chest or a cupboard offer the maximum storage space. They are also the most popular type of vanity. Wall-mounting variants too are available but lack legs unlike standard ones. These are perfect for use in modern bathrooms to open up floor space. Corner mounted vanities have a ninety-degree angle at the backside and can be fitted snugly into the corners of the bathroom to save space.

•  Maintenance and care – Bathroom vanities need to be moisture resistant in order to last long. They also need to be protected from the water that gets splashed on the counter. While some kinds of wood like teak, old growth cypress, and old growth pine lumber are naturally resistant to moisture, other kinds of wood need to be sealed and treated with water resistant finishes every couple of years. Choosing lumbers that are naturally rot resistant or that have been exposed to water for a long time (like wood reclaimed from barges) help bring down the maintenance required and keeps it stronger and more durable.

With the wide range of options that are available in the market, selecting a rustic vanity for your bathroom needs careful consideration of the above mentioned factors. These will help you choose the best vanity for your bathroom.

Tips for Choosing Custom Furniture for Your Home

Each person is unique in their tastes, and the best platform to express these individual likes and dislikes is by using the living space or the home. Turning a house into a home by treating it as a personal canvas that depicts the personality of the person occupying the living space is done best when supported by custom made or modified furniture. The best custom furniture designed with specific requirements, results in imparting a unique effect that cannot be achieved by purchasing regular mass produced furniture.

Designing the home of your dreams is easy if you are willing to put in the necessary time and effort to chalk up a plan and stick to it before hunting down the right manufacturers and dealers to procure the furniture needed to bring life into your ideas. These tips are aimed at the novice home designer to help create a living space that is in equal parts comfortable and functional with the added bonus of being an extension of your being.

Plan it out

Prepare the design plan for each room beforehand so that when out shopping for furniture or when describing your requirements to a furniture designer, you are able to provide precise measurements. Recognize the spatial constraints of your living space and determine the size and shape of furniture articles that you will require so that the space is utilized in the best way possible.

Lifestyle restrictions

Pick furniture pieces that suit your particular lifestyle, choosing furniture for a bachelor’s apartment and for a home of someone that has children needs to be done in different ways to suit the differences in needs. Furniture pieces that are custom made are generally expensive, so pay attention to durability and functionality when purchasing as it may not be possible to replace it easily once made. Make sure that furniture pieces are decided upon after their functionality and suitability have been evaluated effectively.

Choose a manufacturer

Custom furniture is ideally crafted to suit user specifications and they act as an effective medium for a homeowner to communicate their likes and dislikes and design choices. To build the coffee table that you see in your head based on your descriptions, a good designer will have to possess a design ideology that is similar to yours, otherwise you will end up with pieces of furniture that do not match with the theme followed in the rest of the house. Go through the portfolio of their previous work and make sure that their style choices match your own. If possible, get in touch with customers that have purchased their work earlier so that you can determine how well the product lasts and its resilience to wear and tear.

Avoid trends

This is of course, the whole point of choosing custom furniture but avoid the temptation to follow trends. The focus when choosing designer furniture should be on functionality, utility and true depiction of your style rather than following what is “in” at the moment. Do not be deterred by pieces that are supposedly not the trend at the moment if they suit the idea in your mind that you have for your home as long as they are well made and sturdy. Invest in quality and not flashy products.

Fulfill basic requirements

Decide on pieces that bring your dream home to life but at the same time serve the basic functionalities expected of it. A living room should have comfortable seating, a coffee table and one or more side tables and counters as needed, similarly, bedroom furniture should include at least a bed and one or more wardrobes and side tables. The functionality that the room serves should be the primary concern that needs to be addressed while picking out furniture for the room.

A home that represents the homeowner is not difficult to achieve, if the dedication to create the perfect living space and the tenacity to find the ideal furniture that will together build it exists. A home that truly represents the person living in it is not difficult to create, and is truly rewarding to go back to each time after a hard day at work. It welcomes you like nowhere else at it was created with your every need in mind.

Things to Consider At the Time of Buying Rustic Furniture

Home is where you hang up your boots and retire after a grueling day fighting numerous battles on different fronts. A home is a haven of peace and serenity and this is the reason that it should be done up in a style that complements your taste and personality. Apart from this the other factor that plays an important part in deciding the style of your home is the current trend. The best way is to create a combination of the trendy styles with your own preferences and create an ambience that is truly warm and welcoming.

If you are the type who likes a rugged country side look, then it is a great idea to invest in some rustic furniture like bathroom vanity or coffee tables. Rustic furniture adds character to a home and makes it look interesting and unique. However, if you completely fill up your home with rustic furniture, there will be no space for modern pieces. This is the reason that when you are planning on the décor of your home, you should sit with your family members and discuss requirements as well as preferences. If you combine a modern style with a rustic appeal, it will result in a truly interesting and intriguing décor. Let us look at some tips you should keep in mind while buying rustic furniture for your home. You will also need to redo the other elements of the interior space in order to achieve a complete look.

Decide on the Size of the Furniture

Before you invest in any furniture pieces, it is a good idea to decide on the size. This is necessary because by deciding the size you can decide on the layout and also avoid any over statements. Avoid anything that looks massive if the room is small because it will make the room look very crowded. At the same time, smaller pieces of furniture will look lost in a large room. Make sure that you don’t go overboard with anything or restrict yourself too much while deciding on the look of the room.

Analyze the Construction

Bent and assembled twigs and logs are used to construct rustic furniture. These finished pieces are then enhanced by using different styles including milk paint, chip carving and gold or silver brush work. It is always advisable to check the quality of the wood especially at the joints and edges, before you select a piece of furniture. Avoid furniture made from particle board and opt only for those pieces that are made of good quality wood. Also make sure to check the color of the wood, because the wood that appears off color means that it is imitation or processed wood.

Look for Durability

A large variety of materials is used to make rustic furniture including hickory, cedar, maple and pine. You should opt for hardwood pieces of furniture that are durable if you want furniture that will last for a long time. The best choices of wood to give your home a truly rustic appeal are hickory, and white and red cedar. If you plan to place the pieces outdoors then they should also be able to withstand the elements of nature apart from being sturdy.

Keep your Budget in Mind

Furniture made of pure wood is definitely more expensive than that made from plywood. In fact the better the wood quality, the more will be the cost. However, you should keep in mind that although it is expensive this kind of furniture is a good investment and will last you a long time. It is also a good idea to check out some good deals and offers in online stores.

There are some points you can consider while doing up different rooms of your home:

Living room: Instead of a sofa opt for light weight wooden chairs or arm rests and add some cushions for comfort. You can enhance the look by painting the same with natural feel colors.

Bedroom: A teak wood bed is better than a wrought iron one and a log placed at random in the room will lend it an interesting look.

Balcony: Placing a few wooden chairs in the balcony along with an unpolished table will look great. A cane or wood swing chair will complete the look.

Once you keep all these tips in mind you can create a rustic and beautiful home where you can snuggle up with your loved ones.

Add Sophistication to Your Home with Rustic TV Console

The television is an indispensable item in the modern home. Not only does it provide entertainment, but it also keeps you posted on the world scenario apart from being educational to a great extent. A television is a large enough item to affect the décor of your living room or entertainment room in either a positive or negative manner. This is the reason that it is not a good idea to let a TV stand by itself in any interior space. For improving the look of the interior space you should always add a TV console.

Needless to say your TV console needs to complement the rest of the décor of the room and the home. However, with a little innovation and creativity you can add quite a lot of sophistication to any style of décor with a rustic TV console or media console. There are thousands of options to choose from when you are planning to buy a rustic TV console. Let us look at some tips to be considered before you make the payment for one.

Size of the Rustic TV Console

Two factors play an important role in deciding the size of your TV console – the size of your room and your storage requirements. If you are a movie buff with a large collection then you need a home entertainment center with media storage towers and TV console. If on the other hand, you need the console only to house your television set, then a cart will also suffice. However, no matter what the space constraints, you need to choose a TV console that is slightly bigger than your television set. This is for safety reasons because if the TV is larger than the console it might easily get knocked off. Also make sure that the console does not block pathways or overwhelm the room.

Choice of Materials

While picking the material you should keep in mind the exact rustic style of the room and the kind of durability you expect from your console. Wood is definitely the material of choice if you are looking for a rustic look and durability as well. There are many finishes available in wood like walnut, ash, oak and cherry. Although, veneered plywood is a popular choice as it is more affordable it will not lend the same charm and durability and pure wood. The choice of material also depends on your family requirements because too much of glass and sharp edges are not advisable in families with children and elderly people.

Best Positioning

The general layout of the room and the placement of other pieces of furniture is the deciding factor in the place that your TV console will occupy. Ideally, a sofa or any other seating arrangement should face the TV console so that you can relax while watching TV. During the process of figuring out the space, you should measure all the furniture and draw a layout to decide where you will place the console. Avoid placing your TV console in a space that has bad glare and for this you can try different parts of the room for the best possible option.

Buying Rustic TV console

Of course, there is a large variety of TV consoles in rustic furniture as well as other trendy styles available in the stores in your market place. However, the physical stores have a constraint of space and hence cannot store more than a number of pieces. This is not a problem with online stores as they can display as many different pieces that they want. As a result, you get more choice options in online stores. What’s more, you can browse several different online furniture stores at the click of a mouse and your options increase considerably. If you were to attempt the same thing with physical stores you would have to trudge from one store to the next looking for the right rustic TV console.

Another benefit of buying a TV console or any other item online is that almost all online stores regularly offer great deals on their products. This is because they don’t have to spend money on overhead costs and the maintenance of the store and they in turn pass on these savings to the customer. Hence, if you are planning on buying a rustic TV console, then the internet is the best place to shop.

Grace the Exteriors with Unique Lighting Designs from Norwell Lighting

Colonial Revival architecture has remained an enduring facet of home decor in America. The influence of the style is apparent from furniture catalogues and decor stores even today. The style began as a nostalgic evocation of the early simple style of houses in early America of the 18th Century, particularly from the towns and harbors of New England. Gradually the style has become the default decor scheme, with trends of modernism coming and going. One of the firms that has kept innovating in this niche is Norwell Lighting, based out of East Taunton, Massachusetts. The firm itself is no new entrant, with a history of 75 years in the lighting space. The outdoor lighting range from Norwell Lighting and Northeast Lantern has come in for particular praise. There is great interest in their Colonial style pieces made with authentic materials and stylized finishes.

The characteristics of the Colonial style are clean lines and gentle curves with minimal flourishes. Exterior lighting fixtures in this style are best used in individual homes where the surrounding decorative scheme can be easily tweaked to allow it to fit in.

Outdoor Sconces

Norwell Lighting’s outdoor sconces are shaped like lanterns of yore. The range is divided into collections like American Heritage, Budapest, Cottage, Compton, Copper, Lexington, New Orleans, Olde Colony and Vidalia. The firm’s onion lights deserve a special mention as they are based on the lamps that whalers of New England would carry on their hunting trips. Budapest collection is based on European influences from the turn of the 19th century with retro industrial lines and galvanized steel finish. The Mariner range evokes portholes of luxury ships with their round glass and protective bands. The Seafarer range is designed to resemble old oil wick lanterns on passenger ships before the advent of electricity. Compton is another European influenced retro-style collection of exclusive chrome fittings. Minimalistic designs are also available, such as the Olde Colony range. These fittings use a wider glass area to bring in a modern touch to the straight lines of Colonial design. American Heritage is made of solid brass and uses retro elements like a reflector and candelabra electric bulbs with soldered grille metalwork.

Post Mounted Fixtures

Post mounted fixtures offered by Norwell Lighting include American Heritage, Lexington, Beacon, Copper, Cottage and Vidalia. Cottage and Vidalia are onion light fixtures with features like clear and seeded glass. These fixtures are best paired with an extensive garden and period style bulbs to create the feeling of nostalgia they are renowned for.

Onion lights are the most popular facet of Colonial lighting fixtures. These lamps were first used by whalers and seamen based out of the whaling towns of Massachusetts in New England. The original onion lights were heavy affairs, lit by whale oil. They were designed to have a measure of portability and could also be hung from the wall or rested on a level surface. A round glass orb was used for maximum light throw. As the glass industry advanced to thinner and lighter designs, protective rings were added to the onion lights so the glass would not crack on impact.

Design and Materials Used in Onion Lights

Onion lights were originally designed for throwing light in all directions, which was especially useful on the open sea on whaling expeditions. Modern designs use clear or frosted glass. The lights had a heavy stand so the lamp could be rested on a table or the ground and would not easily topple over. The stand also served as the oil holder for the lamp wick. A round hole on the top of the lamp served to help hand the light off a chain or a wooden peg. While the earliest designs used tin, brass came to be adopted widely because of its durability and corrosion resistance. However years of use and salt air of the coast ensured the lamps would acquire a beautiful patina of age over the years. Of course, these days, onion lights are powered by electricity. The finish on the fixtures can also be customized, with special artificial schemes resembling patina to match the decor and effect that buyers are looking for. The wooden peg has been replaced by a fixed curved iron piece connected the lamp to a matching plate or a chain for mounting to the ceiling. While some firms have switched to steel for these lamps, the best manufacturers still use handcrafted brass for authenticity.