Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Arts & Crafts Lighting Fixtures







The Arts and Crafts Movement emerged at the end of the Victorian era when hand-crafted designs became more desirable. Several styles are associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement, like Mission, Tiffany and Craftsman, each with their own style of lighting fixtures.


Mission Style Lighting


Mission style lighting was created during the Arts and Crafts Movement and is distinctively angular and often made with strips of colorful stained glass in geometric patterns. Mission style lighting fixtures also make use of iron and copper crafted in strips to form geometric patterns that cover clear and opaque glass panels. This style of lighting mimics the horizontal and vertical lines prevalent in Mission style furniture. You can find Mission style table lamps, floor lamps, hanging light fixtures for the kitchen and dining room, as well as outdoor lighting to flank your front door, or free-standing posts to add to the beauty of your landscape.


Tiffany Style Lighting


Tiffany style lighting fixtures originated with Louis Comfort Tiffany in the late 1800s and are still popular today. The lampshades are made with bits of stained glass joined together with a copper foil and solder to form patterns that include floral patterns and insect designs like butterflies and dragonflies. The use of copper foil to join the glass pieces rather than the traditional came allows for lampshades designed with curves rather than straight lines and that include small pieces of stained glass shaped into the designs. Tiffany style lighting is decidedly feminine and is also closely associated with the Victorian period.


Craftsman Style Lighting


The term "Craftsman" is often synonymous with Mission style, but there are a few subtle differences. Craftsman style light fixtures were also born out of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and the lighting designs combine metal and glass. Some craftsman style lighting include opaque white fixtures without the linear metal cage that is distinctively Mission Style. Like Mission style, Craftsman lighting fixtures have similar properties to Old English and Tudor, with thick metal bars and a refined, rustic appearance.

Tags: Arts Crafts, Arts Crafts Movement, Crafts Movement, lighting fixtures, style lighting, Mission style, stained glass