March 29, 2023
January 07, 2023
Incorporating decorative and functional vintage pieces into your home is a great way to add character to your living space. However, it may require more than grabbing the first rustic item you find at a garage sale to achieve the ‘vintage look’. There is a fine line between worn, outdated pieces of home décor and timeless, classy pieces.
December 02, 2020
December 27, 2018
Here's the top 13 Most Popular Interior Design Styles Explained
1. MODERN
Modern is a broad design term that typically refers to a home with clean, crisp lines, a simple color palette and the use of materials that can include metal, glass and steel.
Modern design employs a sense of simplicity in every element, including furniture. A word that’s commonly used to describe modern style is sleek, and there is not a lot of clutter or accessories involved with a modern style.
2. CONTEMPORARY
Modern and contemporary are two styles frequently used interchangeably. Contemporary is different from modern because it describes design based on the here and now.
The primary difference separating modern and contemporary design style is that modern is a strict interpretation of design that started in the 20th century. Contemporary on the other hand, is more fluid and can represent a sense of currency with less adherence to one particular style. For example, contemporary style may include curving lines, whereas modern design does not. You can refer to modern vs contemporary article for more information.
3. FARMHOUSE COUTRY
What makes a house farmhouse style?
Taking you back to your roots. When life was simpler. Perhaps a vintage look of tea towels, buffalo plaids and windmills.
One of the most dominant elements of farmhouse style is practicality. When farmhouse style originated, people decorated with whatever was handy and useful. In wasn’t easy to obtain fancy furnishings, so everything that was built was built for an explicit, practical reason.Farmhouse style is like country but with more emphasis on 'The Farm'. Mason jars, milk crates, signage and pictures of cows dot the farmhouse style. Farmhouse flush mount ceiling fixtures will give instant appeal to your kitchen or bathroom. When you want impact a large farmhouse pendant light is the best choice like a windmill light. Antique farmhouse lighting can be achieved with repurposed farm equipment or chicken coop utilities created into unique light fixtures. Select modern farmhouse bathroom light fixtures to finish your remodeling project with a clean feel so admire your bathroom farmhouse lighting.
You can relax, kick back and be yourself in the farmhouse style.
4. INDUSTRIAL
Industrial style as the name implies, draws inspiration from a warehouse or an urban loft.
There’s a sense of unfinished rawness in many of the elements, and it’s not uncommon to see exposed brick, ductwork and wood. An iconic home with an industrial design theme would be a renovated loft from a former industrial building. What about an industrial farmhouse track lighting for your den or a ceiling light for man cave?
Think high ceilings, old timber and dangling metal light fixtures with sparse functional furniture. There may possibly be one or two pieces of abstract art or photography to add a dash of color to an otherwise neutral color scheme derived from the primary materials of wood and metals.
5. MID-CENTURY MODERN
Mid-century modern is a throwback to the design style of the mid-1900s—primarily the 1950s and 60s. There’s a retro nostalgia present in Mid-Century Modern Design, and also some elements of minimalism. Functionality or “fussy-free” was the main theme for Mid-century design. It emphasis on pared-down forms, natural or organic shapes such as “egg-shaped” chair, easy-to-use contemporary designs and simple fabrications. It easily complements any interior and also helps with seamless transition from interior to exterior.
6. SCANDINAVIAN
Scandanavian design pays homage to the simplicity of life demonstrated in Nordic countries. Scandinavian furniture design often feels like a work of art, although it is simple and understated. There’s functionality in the furniture along with some interesting lines, many of which have a sculptural influence.
Other common characteristics include all-white color palettes and the incorporation of natural elements like form-pressed wood, bright plastics, and enameled aluminum, steel and wide plank flooring. Many like to use a white and black pendant light or white sconce light to finish there space. If there are pops of color it often comes from the use of art, natural fibre throws or furs, or a single piece of furniture.
Spacious, natural lighting, less accessories and functional furniture characterizes Scandinavian designs.
7. TRADITIONAL
Traditional design style offers classic details, sumptuous furnishings, and an abundance of accessories. It is rooted in European sensibilities.
Traditional homes often feature dark, finished wood, rich color palettes, and a variety of textures and curved lines. Furnishings have elaborate and ornate details and fabrics, like velvet, silk and brocade, which may include a variety of patterns and textures. An easy choice for traditional decors are a glass globe flush mount light of island falls glass.
There’s depth, layering and dimensional within most traditional designs.
8. TRANSITIONAL
Transitional is a very popular style because it borrows from both traditional and modern design to facilitate a space that’s not “too much,” in terms of one style or another. There’s a sense of balance that’s appealing and unexpected.
A transitional design may incorporate modern materials, such as steel and glass, and then unite them with plush furnishings.
Transitional design also includes relatively neutral color palettes, creating a calming and relaxed space that manages to feel both stylish and sleek, as well as warm and inviting.
9. FRENCH COUNTRY
Warm, earthy colors are indicative of a French Country design style, as are worn and ornamental wooden furnishing. The style has an overarching farmhouse inspiration.
French Country design may include soft and warm tones of red, yellow or gold and natural materials like stone and brick. French Country design can include collections of ornate porcelain dishes and heavy linens and bed coverings.
10. BOHEMIAN
Bohemian is a popular style for home design and fashion. It reflects a carefree lifestyle with little rules, except to follow your hearts desire.
Bohemian homes may include vintage furniture and light fixtures, globally inspired textiles and rugs, displays of collections, and items found in widely varied sources including flea markets and during one’s travels.
It’s not uncommon to spot floor pillows and comfortable seating spaces when incorporating the bohemian style. This eclectic style can incorporate an ultra-glam chandelier paired with a well-worn rug and a mid-century chair. Within the Bohemian style, there’s a laissez-faire attitude where anything goes as long as you love it.
11. RUSTIC
Rustic design is drawn from natural inspiration, using raw and often unfinished elements including wood and stone.
Rustic design may incorporate accessories from the outdoors with warmth emulating from the design and architectural details that may include features like vaulted ceilings adorned with wood beams or reclaimed wood floors. If you adore heavily distressed finishes and loads of patina, they a rusty light it the perfect solution.
Many designs now integrate rustic design with more modern furnishings and accessories.
12. SHABBY CHIC
Shabby chic is vintage-inspired style, but compared to Bohemian and other styles, tends to be more feminine, soft and delicate.
Shabby chic furnishings are often either distressed or appear that way; paint tends to have antique-style finishes. The Shabby Chic color palettes include white, cream and pastels. Light light fixture and wall hangings may be ornate and continue the feminine vibe of shabby chic design.
13. HOLLYWOOD GLAM
Also referred to as Hollywood Regency, Hollywood Glam is a design style that tends to be luxurious, over-the-top and opulent. It’s a dramatic design style, perfect for a homeowner who enjoys making a statement.
This design style can incorporate some features of Victorian design, including plush, velvet furnishings, tufting and antiques. The color palettes are particularly bold—think purples, reds and turquoise.
October 20, 2018
We strive to create original designs that mimic the popular decorating trends of today yet are timeless enough for tomorrow since lighting is an investment.
Throw back to the 'good old days' remains a strong direction. And Vintage Mason Jars are being widely used in today's modern farmhouse decors. So why not a light we asked ourselves 9 years ago? Thus the start of the Mason Jar Lighting Craze.
Then there is the
And
Whether you hang them on your wall or out in your garden, they are hot!
Keeping the inspiration around us. This way when the creative juices start flowing, we are ready.
March 27, 2018
To obtain the 100’s of vintage mason jars needed for our lights, we travel many miles but are rewarded with great stories to tell. Here’s a few.
Most frequently, we ramble down dusty roads to old white farmhouses where grandparents have raised large families. Houses now left with handmade curtains, a few photos and a cupboard of vintage mason jars. Sadly the families have had to part with the possessions but hold fast to the memories.
We have rescued jars from the farm ‘ditch-piles’by digging under layers of household pots, plates, and castoff toys. But more commonly,we walked down dark steps into the food cellar below the house. Some jars still holding preserves, but most often replaced with the new version of twist-on canning jars.
One adventure took us to an older home damaged by a bad fire. The smell was so strong and everything was charred, but there were shelves upon shelves of old mason jars.So we bought a few and told the folks, if they clean up, we’ll be back for the rest. Miraculously, we polished the jars up so well they looked like they had never been used.
__________
Perhaps our two favorite stories involve the estate of a 103 year old woman who claimed to the reporter on her 100th birthday…
“I think I’ve lived so long because I only ate the foods I canned myself.”
And one of our last memories was obtaining over 1800 jars from an old school bus!
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Traveling along rural roads of Maine, we meet up with interesting folks for these treasures of vintage mason jars - jars that have held food to sustain families throughout the hard winters of Maine. From blueberries to dandelion greens, these jars have held ‘life’ for generations.
It's so rewarding knowing our handcrafted mason jar lights begin a ‘new journey’ in homes throughout the United States and entire world!
March 23, 2018
Why are so many people crazy about windmills? Perhaps because of the history and importance of them on America's farmlands.
We are crazy about them too and wanted to offer lighting fixtures folks could put into their modern farmhouse decors that are so popular today. So catch the wind...
If you want more history of the windmill...read more...
Windmills are machines designed to convert the force of the wind into power to be used by humans. In the Great Plains, windmills were used, and continue to be used, primarily to pump water for consumption by people and domestic animals. Windmill installations typically consist of the actual wind machine and a tower (derrick) to support it in the air.
Most windmills used in the Great Plains were of self-governing design. This means that they automatically turned to face changing wind directions and automatically controlled their own speeds of operation to avoid destruction from centrifugal force during high winds. The first commercially successful selfgoverning windmills in America were invented and patented in 1854 by Daniel Halladay in Connecticut. By 1863 the factory producing Halladay's wind machines had relocated to Illinois, closer to a growing market for windmills in the Great Plains and Midwest.
Windmills started to appear in considerable numbers in the Great Plains during the 1870s, but the heyday for their use spanned the decades from the 1880s to the 1920s. Dozens of companies produced them. In time, tens of thousands of these wind machines came into use, principally for pumping water from drilled wells. A small minority of the early windmills converted the force of the wind into rotary power for operating small farm machines such as feed grinders, corn shellers, and wood saws.
The initial windmills in the Great Plains employed wheels and vanes made from wood, combined with cast iron and steel mechanical components. Manufacturers painted them in bright colors similar to other farm machines. All-metal windmills began appearing in the 1870s, but it was not until the 1890s that they came into widespread use. Production of steel windmills gradually supplanted that of "wooden" mills, although the latter remained available commercially into the 1940s. Starting in the 1920s, some residents of the Great Plains began using specially designed wind machines to produce electricity principally for domestic use.
Over the years windmills became visual icons in the Great Plains. One reason for this phenomenon probably stemmed from their appearance. Windmills on their towers constituted some of the very few vertical elements in the otherwise horizontal Plains environment. Furthermore, many residents of the region associate fond remembrances with windmills and their life-giving water, from cool drinks after long hours of field work to the experience of learning to swim in livestock watering reservoirs. Many Plains residents to this day express their emotional attachments to windmills as historical and aesthetic survivals connected with earlier times.
Several economic and technological factors contributed to the decline in use of traditional windmills in the Great Plains. The first major competition the wind machines met came from small internal combustion engines, used by some farmers and ranchers for mechanical work, including pumping of water supplies. The decline of agricultural commodity prices in 1921, following World War I, reduced the ability of people to purchase new windmills, a situation that worsened with general economic depression during the 1930s. The passage of the 1935 Rural Electrification Act enabled many rural people in the Plains to begin securing comparatively inexpensive electricity, which they then often used to operate power pumps, further decreasing demand for windmills.
In the half-century following World War II, windmills remained prominent elements of the built environment in the Great Plains. In most counties in the Plains "windmillers" still continue their business of installing and repairing windmills, which remain available from manufacturers both in the Great Plains and beyond. Because of personal sentiment, many residents in the region have carefully preserved historic windmills as tangible links with their past.