Before there were light bulb sconces, there were those fueled by
oil—vegetable oil as well as animal fats. Back then
lanterns were considered
a luxury due to the fact that the poorer people had little oil to spare
after they have finished their cooking. Early lanterns, or oil lamps, were
not considered as decorative elements until king Teta used lanterns as a
design element for his castle interior. While thaae first true oil lamp dates
back as far as the Stone Age, the first bronze oil lamp is thought to have
come from Egypt. Upon making it into the homes pre-industrial revolution,
the lams had a “chimney top” – designed by Aime Argand—which would let out
the smoke out and enough air in to keep the lantern flame going.
Lanterns have come a long way from the oil lamps that they began with. After
the artisans perfected the technique of making the brass lanterns, they were
free to experiment with different styles and design. The electrical lanterns
have an advantage of bringing the beauty to your home in a little bit of a
safer way. While candle lanterns do not pose danger to your home, some
people get a bit uncomfortable with having flames in their homes.
If you would like to have a more unexpected element in your design, then you
should look at our collection of lanterns. The lanterns are made with either
antiqued brass or bronze finish. Some wall lanterns that we offer hold one light,
others two.
While we have an extensive collection of hanging wall lanterns, we offer a
greats selection of wall lanterns. Most of the wall lanterns have a mirrored
backing for a brighter lighting effect, as well as adding to the overall
size of the lantern itself. When you are choosing a wall lantern, you have
to consider how it will impact the overall space. Its greatest advantage is
the size—it may be placed in a room that has little available wall space and
make a dramatic and bold impact which intern makes the room look bigger.
Another very important thing to consider is the amount of light that should
be coming from the lantern. Different light levels impact the room in
different ways. You might like a softer glow, or you could opt for a bright
light—it simply depends on the effect and the mood that you would like to
have in that particular space.
Another important part of picking out the lanterns is the finish. The bronze
finish tends to give you a very clean-cut and simple look that can chameleon
into many different styles. New Englanders are very prone to fall for the
solid brass lanterns because many New Englanders lean toward creating more
traditional looks for their homes. The antiqued finish creates a completely
different feel to the design. The antiqued finish gives a smoky and gentle
look to it. This particular finish is not to be polished as to not
compromise the finish.
Each one of your rooms plays a different role in your house—that also means
that they have different impact and different moods. If they are all
different, you cannot treat them the same way. You should also think about
how to integrate different lighting pieces—you could create many different
look by the way you choose to mix, match, and place lighting pieces. You
could also make an interesting statement by using different wall lanterns in
one room. Then you could pick out a lamp to go along with the wall
lanterns—you could get incredibly creative and really have fun with it.
