Antique Lighting
Antique Lighting 
| Questions Answered by Preservation Station |
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| Question | Hello: I am a member of the Glendale Heights Historic Committee. We are in the process of restoring a vintage 1888 farmhouse to be used as a small Village museum in Glendale Heights (a western suburb if Chicago). We are currently looking for a return air/floor grate for an opening in the floor of our family parlor that is approximately 32” x 12”. I haven’t been able to find anything of that size on the internet. Are you familiar with, or have you seen anything of that size? Thank you in advance for any information you can provide. Marty Olsen Glendale Heights Historic Committee |
| Asked By | |
| Answer | Hi Marty, Thanks for the email. The old floor registers do not come in that size. They are more squared (32 x 28 for example) than the very long and narrow rectangle you are looking for (that size is more recent). The only thing that might work would be if you are able to find a foundation grate from an old commercial building. Sometimes they come in that size. Thanks again, Julia Preservation Station |
| Question | Hi Julia, My 1920’s Gothic Revival sconces arrived safe and sound yesterday, and my husband and I are thrilled!! You were right in that the pictures did not do these sconces justice. As I mentioned over the phone, we are in the process of building our old/new English Tudor in a Chicago suburb. We were delighted to find your website with so many authentic fixtures for sale. We will visit often, since I have noticed that there are new items daily. We need several more pairs of sconces and a number of hanging fixtures. The electrician is starting on the rough-in on Wednesday. I was wondering what is the correct height at which I should have him place the sconce boxes? Thank you for all your help. Mary J. Ps. my husband has a conference in Nashville in August. We are going to make a mini vacation out of it, and make sure we stop and see your store. We are taking his truck so, hopefully, we’ll be able to pick out the pantry and the master bedroom doors. I can’t wait to see your door collection. |
| Asked By | Mary J. |
| Answer | Hi Mary, Thanks for your kind email. I am glad the sconces arrived safely. The placement of the sconces depends on your ceiling height. For ceilings heights of 8 feet to 10 feet, the sconces should be 5 ½’ to 6’ of the ground. For ceiling heights of 12 feet or higher, the sconces should hang 7 feet of the ground. You should also mention to your electrician to use rectangular switch boxes instead of the 4” round boxes for your sconces. The sconces you purchased will cover the 4” round box, however, a good number of antique sconces have a narrower back plate. The rectangular switch box will be covered by most antique sconces. That way you will not be limited in your choices. I am looking forward to seeing you and your husband in August! |
| Question | Hello, I was in your store a couple of weeks ago, and I purchased a leaded glass door with red jewels for the bathroom I am adding on. I am sure you get many customers and it is hard to remember them all. A nice lady at the front counter was very helpful and guided me to set up the door with all the hardware I needed. When I got home, my husband, who is weary of my design projects and their difficulty, was delighted to find out that the installation was a breeze and he did not have to go back and forth to the hardware store to get parts and pieces. I brought him everything he needed!! The door looks great and the glass knobs sparkle when the light hits them. Unfortunately, there are hideous looking newer knobs in their proximity. I have asked him to replace the new knobs with antique glass ones, but he said the newer doors don’t have the large cutouts for those big old locks that take the knobs. Any suggestions? Please help. I can’t stand the shiny brass hardware. Sincerely, Gail Martin |
| Asked By | Gail Martin |
| Answer | Hi Gail, Thanks for the email. I do remember the unusual Art Nouveau door you purchased. It is one of my favorite doors we’ve had. I do understand where your husband’s concerns lay. Even thou the interior mortise locks (“big old locks”) are inexpensive to purchase, they are difficult to install. Most contractors install them for about $100 - $125. The cost would add up in no time. There is another way to use antique glass knobs and not have to mortise out your doors. A Defiant lock set from Home Depot (a modern looking set that comes with ugly knobs. Throw away the knobs and just use the latch). That lockset will accept most antique knobs, and your doors are already drilled for it. The lock set sells for about $7, so it is an inexpensive alternative to mortise locks. There are also several other companies that make modern latches for antique knobs. You should be able to find them at your local hardware store. There is only one drawback. You will find out, when you remove your existing hardware, that your doors have a large (about 2”) hole drilled in them. Because of the hole, you will be limited to using plates (we have a number to choose from) rather that rosettes. The antique rosettes are too small to cover the large preexisting hole, unless your husband wants to fill the hole in and start from scratch. I hope this will help. Thanks, Julia, Preservation Station |
| Question | Hi, I purchased a silver plated chandelier for my dining room from you last week. My electrician is coming to install it on Friday, and I was wondering at what height should I hang the chandelier over the dining room table? Thanks, George |
| Asked By | George D. |
| Answer | Hi George, Thanks for the email. The recommended height for a dining room chandelier is 30” – 36” from the dining room table to the bottom of the chandelier. If you have taller than 8’ ceiling, you should hang it a bit higher. My personal preference is 6’ of the ground. I am taller and I prefer to have an uninterrupted view of my guests during our long dinner conversations. Thanks, Julia, Preservation Station |
| Question | Hi, I just purchased a Bungalow in East Nashville that does not have any of its original interior doors. I was wondering if you sell salvaged doors and if you would be able to help me with the type of doors that might be original to my house. Thanks, Ken |
| Asked By | Ken Rutt |
| Answer | Hi Ken, Thanks for the email. We have hundreds of interior doors and we would gladly help you find the right ones for your home. The type of door that was most likely in your house depends on the year the house was built. The Bungalows became popular in the 1890’s through the 1930’s. The 1890’s homes predominantly had five horizontal panel doors ( uncommon for East Nashville since most Bungalows there are from the teens through the twenties ), in the teens, most commonly two panel doors, in the 1920’s one panel or two panel, and in the 1930’s – three panel doors. Thanks, Julia, Preservation Station |
| Question | Hello, I just found your website and saw all the marvelous antique chandeliers you have for sale. I am interested in a couple of them. One would be for my dining room and the other for my son’s bedroom. How do I determine what size of a chandelier I would need for those rooms? Regards, Peggy Durham |
| Asked By | Peggy |
| Answer | Hi Peggy, Thanks for the email. Chandeliers are expected focal points of any décor. Purchasing the correct size is crucial to a balanced room. Chandeliers need to express a subtle refinement and sophistication; they are supposed to draw attention without becoming a thorn in the eye. An over-sized chandelier would cheapen the décor and make it seem garish or artificial. Similarly, you definitely don’t install a tiny chandelier in an impressive dining room. The size of the dining room chandelier can be calculated in two different ways: (a) The diameter of the chandelier is based upon the width of the dining room table and calculated by subtracting twelve inches from the total width of the dining room table. (b) The diameter of the chandelier is based upon the room dimensions. Add the length and the width of the room and convert them in inches. For example: a 12’ by 14’ room should have a 26” diameter chandelier. Other rooms can be calculated with method (b). This is just a guide and you can go several inches smaller or, if you are hanging the chandelier high of the ground (a two story foyer) you can go slightly larger. A good rule of thumb is that it is best to err on the small side when you have more elaborate and traditional chandeliers (most old homes had undersized chandeliers) and to go a little large on more contemporary chandeliers. Ultimately, use your own discretion and taste when it comes to your final decision about your chandelier size. Your opinion is the most important one. |
| Question | We have a beautiful chandelier over our dining room table, we have been given two sconces to match,our ceilings are 8 feet high and the sconces are about 6" wide and 10" high with an extension of about 10 -11" How high can we place them on the wall so that people will not be walking into them. |
| Asked By | Sandra |
| Answer | Hi Sandra, With 8’ ceiling in a dining room the sconces should be placed 5’6” off the ground. If the room is spacious, it can accommodate the sconces. However, by the way you have asked the question, I assume there is no ample room and the sconces you were given protrude too much. In that case I would use sconces with smaller protrusion (4” – 5”). |