Shades

It was, however, not long before the discomfort caused by the glare of the new method of lighting came to be felt and an effort was made to soften the sharp brilliance by opaque globes and silk shades. The lack of the reading lamp was felt and gas lamps were soon placed where oil lamps had formerly been used. The plain shade used on most of the oil lamps did not seem appropriate to gas lamps, unfortunately, and this led to silly extravagances in the way of silk, metal, and glass shades. Good taste was abandoned, and a feeling for the appropriate apparently did not exist. Flowers, flounces, fringes, and beads ornamented the lamps of sedate homemakers, placed in rooms otherwise furnished in accordance with classic detail. The gas lamp seemed to be considered a separate unit, unrelated to the room in which it was placed.

Electricity

Fortunately the revival of a desire for the more quaint form of lighting fixture has come with the introduction of electricity into our homes of the present day. The renewed interest which we now feel in the good period furniture of all time and in the best modern designs is reflected in the design of artistic lighting fixtures. The study of foreign details, and the reproduction of period furniture, is giving us saner and more artistic methods of working in all crafts, is increasing our sensitiveness to the small things that make up the whole, and leading us to realize the necessity of expending thought on all phases of home decoration. Efficiency in the matter of quality and quantity of light is being carefully considered all of the time, but in attaining that end a regard for the beautiful and appropriate is also exercised.

Artificial Light As The Point Of Interest In The Evening

In the evening the artificial lighting fixtures are the most important of all the furnishings of the room. It is of course a physiological fact that the eye is attracted invariably by the brightest point of light. If this greatest point of interest is inadequate in structural design or in architectural arrangement, there is a loss of dignity to the whole scheme of decoration. Some of that careful thought and planning which is given to the illuminated altar in the church should be carried into the home as well. The form, color, and design of the lighting fixtures should all reflect and be in keeping with the general spirit of the room.

Arrangement

The arrangement of the lights in the room is of the greatest importance in the general effect. Some very large rooms furnished in the formal style of Louis XIV, XV, or XVI are suitably lighted by the use of chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. Most of the rooms in modern homes, however, are better lighted by side lights and by lamps placed in carefully considered places about the room. The side lights should be so placed that they form a part of the architectural plan of the room, and should emphasize the principal feature of interest. In the living room, for instance, if there is a fine fireplace, it is most natural to strengthen its appeal by the use of lighting fixtures placed upon either side. In the dining room the buffet seems to become a structural part of the room when it is dignified by a pair of formal sconces. In the bedrooms the most logical place for lights is of course on either side of the dressing table. These side lights should, of course, be balanced in all rooms by other lights, but each illuminated spot should have a distinct use and reason for being, other than merely giving forth light.

Lighting Fixtures May Follow the Styles of the Various Types of Period Furniture.

Where Side Lights Are Used as Ornamental Fixtures No Pictures Are Needed upon the Walls. The Furniture Is a Modern Design Patterned after Sheraton.

(Copr., 1916, Good Furniture Magazine).