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Olde Good Things

Architectural and Altered Antiques

Olde Good Things Reclaimed Light Fixture Restoration for Enhanced Radiance, Classic Preservation

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The value of light as it is used in a space cannot be underestimated. Lighting is used to arrange a space – to create atmosphere, a perfect balance of light and shadow, or to make the best use of the dispersion of light for projects, office work, galleries, or dining.

Shoppers at OGT online or visitors to any of our Olde Good Things locations find themselves in a wonderland of light fixtures for every purpose. From atmospheric lighting for the home, commercial space, or restaurant, to industrial light fixtures invented to maximize light concentration and minimize glare, OGT offers such a wide selection of antique and modern lighting… it is an adventure in discovering the ways light can be used.

Consider the unique types of housing that encapsulate light. The variety of shades, globes, lanterns – all homes for light are a component in the overall experience of beauty and functionality when hunting down your unique lighting design.

OGT’s antique and modern light fixture selection is reclaimed from classic homes and historic buildings. Our collection includes chandeliers, sconces, industrial light fixtures, flush and semi flush mounts, nautical lighting, lamps, pendant lighting, and more.

 

OGT has collected, restored, and sold antique original fixtures since 1995. Reclaimed light fixtures from such historic venues as The Waldorf Astoria and Plaza Hotel wait to inspire. Customers can also find commercial lighting from historic NYC banks, skyscrapers, and entertainment venues, like Brooklyn’s Prospect Hall, along with a surprising variety of 1940s Art Deco theater chandeliers, many from the famous Rialto Theater. Other pieces include single socket flush mount fixtures from 1910 to Baccarat crystal chandeliers reclaimed from governors’ mansions. One of our latest historic salvages includes authentic vintage Murano glass chandeliers from a private collection.

Many of these historic structures are in the process of demolition or complete renovation. Some of the most classic pieces are diamonds in the rough.

Restoring light fixtures can be a project many would prefer to leave to the experts. Rewiring and cleaning of antique light fixtures can be a delicate art.  Olde Good Things restoration experts lovingly restore at our special lighting restoration shop. This allows our light-smiths to ensure the functionality, safety, and beauty of your chosen lighting. For those who purchase a light from us, services include rewiring, socketing, compiling, chaining, and custom design.

With several acres of lighting inventory to be restored, OGT offers lighting restoration service only for lights purchased at OGT. Visit us online or in our Scranton, PA warehouse to learn more about our lighting restoration workshop services, or contact one of our helpful OGT reclaim specialists for more information.

 

 

3 DIY Videos to Help You Strip A Door

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Reclaimed doors are a treasure, but sometimes treasure needs a little polishing. Whether you want to take your vintage architectural salvage doors down to the bare wood, preserve original varnish, or just repaint anew on a smooth surface, you may appreciate some ideas on the easiest way to tackle this tough project.

Stripping old paint off doors is one of those exciting projects that sounds great in the beginning, but can easily turn into a complex chore. A multitude of visual instruction videos on stripping old doors is available, and here are some favorites.

Number 1

How to Strip a Door (or any other surface)

Brittany at Prettyhandygirl.com has this helpful video on what products and tools to use, cleanup, and stripping a door to a fresh tabula rasa.

Number 2

The EASY WAY to Refinish a Door!

The Wood Whisperer offers tips on refinishing a door while it is still on its hinges – practical when it is already on your house or building and you don’t want to leave the interior open to the elements while waiting for stripping agents to soak in or wood to dry.

Number 3

How to Safely Strip Paint from Woodwork | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House consults the experts on removing paint from classic old wood without destroying the original varnish beneath, and what to avoid by learning from others’ mistakes.

 

Supplies:

Various hand tools for removing hardware and hooks from door

Paint/varnish liquid stripper

Mineral spirits

Wood filler/epoxy

Paintbrush

Various handheld strippers (flat and chisel edged)

Wire brush

Steel Wool

Sandpaper

Power sander plus ear protection

Gloves

Safety glasses

Respirator

Lead test kit

Adequate ventilation

Extras:

Shop-vac

Plastic (for the mess)

Rag or cloth

Pencil

Toothpicks

Baby gate?

 

For additional tips and tricks from experts on transforming your architecture salvage treasures, contact our experienced craftsman at Olde Good Things.

Large Quantity Lighting for Designers & Architects

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Why do designers & architects keep coming back to source their lighting at OGT? What sets us apart from most lighting companies is the larger stock quantity of rare vintage/antique lighting & the restoration of these lights provided.

Photo credit: Erica Diskin of Assembly Design Studio
Boston Showcase at the Broadway Restaurant

 

Olde Good Things is known to acquire lighting from old factories and famous buildings that face demolition or renovation. The most recent large-scale recoveries took place at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, reclaiming well over 3000 lights. These lights are in such high demand because they provide a taste of old New York City history & represent a memory of special occasions with their purchase.

Located in our National Warehouse in Scranton, PA is the Lighting Shop. The shop carefully cleans, rewires, & upgrades parts in most cases to fully restore the lighting for modern installation. Generally, depending on the quantity, it will take about two weeks to restore most lighting but highly delicate lights may take longer. Certain specifications can be made such as finish color or drop height.

Below we compiled the top eight list of the large quantity lighting we currently have in stock in Industrial Lighting, Pendant Lights, Flush Mounts & Wall Sconces categories. All of the lights below have 10 or more in stock at the time of this posting.

Industrial Lights

The majority of these lights we salvaged from an old factory facing demolition. In the post, Colonial Eatery Brings Repurposed Architectural Elements view this style of lighting used in a restaurant space.

Pendants Lights

These lights below consist of antique schoolhouse globes, vintage globes, or milk glass shade paired with a new-made fitter. The finish and type are customizable. These are great examples of a kitchen island or bar lighting available.  The post, How to Hang Kitchen Island & Dining Room Lights provides very helpful tips on positioning the pendant lights.

Flush Mounts

Most of these flush mount lights were salvaged from the Waldorf Astoria, New York City, and the others were uniquely acquired in Europe and New York. Again, turnaround time may vary depending on the quantity, but generally restoration time is around two weeks.

Wall Sconces

A few of the wall sconces were acquired new stock from Fine Lighting Company. The others were salvaged from the Toy Building, Waldorf Astoria, Greystone Hospital, and NYC Theater.

 

These are just a few examples of the types of lights we have in stock in larger quantities. Please contact us for specific types or finishes you are searching for. We have a huge inventory not listed online.

Made From Scratch and Olde Good Things

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The rich beauty of reclaimed wood, the timeless appeal of historical metalwork, and the vivid diversity of reclaimed glass are not things that can be easily replicated. Anyone who is building and desires the timeless look of these architectural elements knows how cost inhibitive it is to reproduce them.  Why not simply incorporate these same beautiful items from yesteryear rather than try and reproduce them?  And, yes, it is possible to design from scratch using reclaimed items!

Customer Showcase Tudor Style Home

One of our customers restored her stunning Tudor home with reclaimed materials carefully curated from Olde Good Things, designing the house from the ground up over a period of three years. Many of the items were purchased from OGT’s web store and Ebay after adoption from the Constable Estate in Westchester and a townhouse on East 10th Street, in Greenwich Village, NYC.

Current trends in home decor lean towards the modern rustic and industrial, often with a stunning combination of the two elements. Shabby chic is another popular look that hearkens back to the days of custom craftsmanship. Still, building with architectural relics is not a part of the mainstream, despite the fact that using reclaimed materials for building and restoration projects is advantageous in so many ways.

Architects and designers are turning to reclaimed materials more and more to meet the demand for sustainable architecture. Reclaimed wood and other architectural salvage pieces are an integral part of green building techniques. Re-purposed materials lessen the need for new materials to be harvested or mined and transported, and elements rescued from historic buildings scheduled for demolition keeps these treasures out of the waste cycle, where they would eventually be relegated to a landfill.

Reclaimed tiles make a lovely vintage backsplash and a one-of-a-kind focal point for the fireplace.  Originally from an Buenos Aires hacienda, they found new life in this Tudor Home.  Also from a similar home in Argentina, an entire tile wall was re-used as wainscotting to decorate a parlor room. The stained glass windows from OGT add splendor to the magnificent arches which originally decorated a Gothic style room from the lavish Constable Estate in NY State. A classic parquet floor, detailed door surrounds, gothic woodwork, and reclaimed tile result in a home like no other. Even the bannisters and exterior staircase were construed of antique iron.  The stairs and landing were designed from old heat registers.

Although using reclaimed materials can present certain logistical obstacles in a throwaway culture, many visionaries realize the inherent value in preserving and re-purposing. Reclaimed materials give a distinctive edge to any home or business with a custom style that can’t be found in new items.

We hope this example of design savvy using antique architectural items is inspirational to many who are undertaking a sustainable design project.  We have many customers who when they see these details in the rough can visualize a re-use for them.  Yet there are many who need inspiration.  We think this project serves that very purpose.

View the Tile Fireplace Surround current inventory

View the Paneled Rooms & Wainscoting current inventory

 

Olde Good Things