When Rejuvenation hosted a facility tour for Jane (above) and me in March, we got a first-hand view of the gazillions of vintage lighting fixtures that they had in stock at their warehouse. They use this stock for reference when considering new reproduction designs… They are all just light-lovers and pack-rats like the rest of us, so can’t resist buying them… And, they actually restore them for sale locally and on their website.  I really like their online catalog of restored antique lighting because it shows a good selection of the true diversity of lighting that was available in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. So much of the interior design media today only focuses on the iconic (so far) mid-century *modern* lighting, that it’s easy to forget there were many other really beautiful styles out there, too.

When Jane and I toured, there 10 or more of these beauties on hand — seemingly ready for the set designer at Mad Men to snap them right up for Sterling & Draper’s offices.

For those of you who live in Portland, there’s a big selection of antique lighting for sale in their main store, and if you have particular needs, I bet they will let you see the stock in warehouse.

Tim Wetzel, who works in product design, and Bo Sullivan, historian, took Jane and me on the tour. That's all vintage stock behind them, and then there are rows and rows more to the left beyond.

The rest of us can keep an eye on the website, where they post a selection of restored lights for sale. Here are some of my favorites right now — encompassing the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s:

This circa-1940 chandelier has a wonderful, all-American sweetness to it. I like that Rejuvenation always seems to give some good historical detail: “The streamlined “slip-shade” or “cup-shade” type of fixtures became popular after 1935. This classic example features subtle Colonial Revival decorative details that help it fit comfortably in both traditional and modern interior settings.”

They have two of these unusual gold-finish pendants. The housing is 18″ tall, so the pair has the potential to make quite a decorative statement.

This circa-1945 pendant is very pretty and glamorous.

A very pretty colonial revival hall lamp — available as a pair.

A circa-1935 “tiny lantern” for the hall. I could definitely be happy in a sweet, pre-war colonial revival home.

1955 Scandinavian Modern ceiling fixture — to me, this is bridge between streamline and moderne.

This one was in the warehouse, it’s not on their website. I’m calling it 60s mediterranean, but now looking at it, it could be way earlier — a historic romantic revival. It’s so amazing how the period revivals just keep getting reinterpreted — and that means even today, don’t kid yourself.

Tha tha tha that’s all, folks. A 1935 exit sign – the EXIT printed on both sides. Now couldn’t you have some fun with this?

Related posts:

1. Mint-in-box 1960 Progress Lighting from Rejuvenation Here is a hot tip for anyone doing a...
2. 41 midcentury lighting ideas – post lanterns, lamp posts, wall lanterns and landscaping lights HERE IS A REALLY GREAT SURVEY OF VINTAGE OUTDOOR LIGHTING,...
3. Midcentury modern post lantern from Besa Lighting Jennifer gets snaps for sending us this very nice midcentury...

If you own a 20s, 30s or 40s home with deco or streamline style and also have lots of dough re mi, this bathroom suite from Lefroy Brooks would be fun to consider. The faucet style is called “1950 Belair,” but I say it’s is “streamlined” style, which is defined by the period when products were designed to look like fast-moving objects, like steam-engine trains. To be sure, this streamline style blurred over into the 50s. But this faucet is so distinctive, it looks like it is preparing for take off. The Lefroy Brooks sinks are also beautiful. And you can get the entire suite – sink, tub, toilet - in Vespa Pink. Heaven, simply heaven!  Lefroy Brooks site.

Related posts:

1. Pink bathroom fixtures available in the U.K. Although our British readers often write saying they want...
2. Ikea kitchen sinks with retro style I rarely feature products from Ikea, mostly because I do...
3. Christine’s salt-n-pepper pink bathroom It is actually quite amazing to see the diversity...

First of all, I think a lot of readers will identify with Jake and Barclay’s owners’ sense of style. It’s not “dogmatic” tee hee:

…We decided that mid-century, in our house, would mean anything from the 1930’s through the late 1960’s. We don’t want to be dogmatic about style, even mid-century style. So, while the major design theme for the house is generally mid-century, we add plenty of eclectic and oddball contemporary touches too. Ironic? Sure! Earnest, geeky, obsessive….even middle class? Sure; bring it on! (Read more on the blog’s About page, and cruise through the different rooms via their Categories.)

So, cruise around the site and you’ll see a lot of inspirational ideas not necessarily pigeon-holed into a single narrow collecting decade. Hey – “real” houses are like this, aren’t they? A mix of stuff you find yourself… and which came with the significant other…or from mom or grandma or Uncle Bill or… from the dumpster, even. It’s all a big, expressive, artistic life’s collage.

Second, I think that this house is really interesting because it was built during wartime, in 1943, as defense housing. From what I’ve researched so far, pretty much the only homes being built during the war were for defense workers. This was due to widespread materials shortages. Jake & Barclay’s house is in Richmond, California — the home base of the Kaiser shipyards. So, what a history! Relatedly, it was WWII itself that really catapulted the west coast in desirability as a place to live. I guess I’d stop short of saying it was a “backwater” til then, but maybe…just for farmer’s and movie people? Think “Grapes of Wrath.” But during WWII, there was massive industrial buildup with the defense industry, which needed to stage aircraft, ships, submarines and troops to fight in the Pacific theater. After the war, people stayed because there were jobs as industry converted from wartime to consumer production. The west coast has boomed ever since. And we got everlasting legacies like ranch houses and casual style living.

Jake and Barclay’s house is  2 bedrooms, 1 bath. Defense housing was, of course, quite basic. In terms of design, their  owners call the home a transitional “ranch bungalow.” Sounds right to me — forging a path between the old and the new.  Thank you,  Jake, Barclay, Rick and Sanh!

Related posts:

1. Why do people stay in their time capsule houses? STEVEN KURUTZ OF THE NEW YORK TIMES has written a...
2. Sumac Sue and her Gardenside way of life – a Retro Renovation re-run The post about Madison Sarah and her hunt for...
3. Painted MDF kitchen cabinets: Another great choice for a retro renovation Maribeth’s kitchen points to another excellent idea for retro...

A girl can never, ever have too many shoes. Now, to alternate with my reissued vintage PF Flyers, I neeeeeeeed these:  ReMix Vintage Shoes — actual reproductions from the 1940s and 1950s. There are oodles of styles and colors available – for men, too. A store in my town of Lenox, Mass., actually carries a few examples . I tried them on, and they were like butter. They are not inexpensive. But my goodness, they are sweet. The pair above is the Briarcliff, a reproduction of a 1940s play shoe. The website also says there’s a bricks-and-mortar store in Hollywood, California, that features NOS shoes as well. Remix Vintage Shoes.

Related posts:

1. Why mid-century houses had small closets: The Century in Shoes Our mid-century houses have small closets because our relatives...
2. Nathan recommends reproduction Converse tennis shoes My search for authentic reproduction 40s 50s 60s and...
3. 1930s reproduction sink for a bungalow, four-square or romantic revival bathroom When I visited Rejuvenation in Portland, I saw this...

Related posts:

1. 12 great products to create a Lodge kitchen I WAS EXCITED TO SEE AN ALL-NEW DOOR STYLE...
2. 1930s reproduction sink for a bungalow, four-square or romantic revival bathroom When I visited Rejuvenation in Portland, I saw this...
3. Vintage 1941 Montgomery Ward metal kitchen cabinets VINTAGE EYE CANDY today — a complete catalog of steel...