I’ve always wanted to replace our crappy kitchen ceiling fan with a vintage (or vintage-inspired) fixture. More specifically, a schoolhouse fixture with a wide milk glass shade. Simple, classic and it matches well with the period of our house (1930).
I haven’t really tackled any real improvements in our kitchen yet. I didn’t even paint it when we moved in because the dark brown that was there suited the space pretty well. (Hard to admit for someone who’s addicted to painting.) So while I’ve scoped out replacement light fixtures a little online, I haven’t done anything more.
Then on one of my regular antique mall trips, I was just about to leave and I spotted this:
A vintage schoolhouse fixture. The price? Only $20. I had a silent freak out. $20? Really? I kept thinking I was missing something, that there would be a crack in the shade or something, but nope! The fixture itself needs to be cleaned up and possibly repainted (it has some minor rust on it), but that’s easy. And up near the ceiling, any imperfections would probably go unnoticed anyway.
It will hang about 14″ down from the ceiling (same as the ceiling fan) and the widest part of the shade is about 16″. I’ll have figure out how to re-wire it, but even so, a reproduction light like this would run well in the $160+ range. So even with the minor cost of re-wiring, $20 is a huge bargain.
I still can’t believe my luck. You really do find things when you least expect them!
