Schoolhouse Electric Powers Up Timeless Lighting

Enduring lighting designs from this storied home furnishings company mix practicality, simplicity and beauty

Staff Writer, Houzz.com

Staff Writer, Houzz.com More »

Few companies rise above the current trend of disposability with a profoundly different message. But Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., a lighting and home furnishings company in Portland, Oregon, is part of a growing movement of designers creating lasting products with a timeless style. For Brian Faherty, the founder of Schoolhouse Electric, it's not just about the product itself — it's about the story and the work behind it. Read on for ideas from the founder and his factory showroom.

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A chalkboard greeting welcomes visitors to the Schoolhouse Electric factory.

What sort of work were you doing before Schoolhouse Electric?

Faherty: I was a real estate broker selling old homes on the east side of Portland in the early 1990s, when people started to restore homes. Those folks were looking for materials that matched the quality and ethos of the past, and there weren't many options for lighting, which I had a real passion for. So I started to do research around what had happened to all of the amazing fixtures and the companies that had produced them.

I was particularly smitten with institutional-style lighting that you'd see in public buildings and storefronts, like schools and shops. I liked how practical and beautiful the opal glass shades were, yet they had all — except for a handful of ubiquitous shapes — disappeared.

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Above: Schoolhouse Electric started out in lighting, and Faherty has expanded the brand to include bedding, clocks and other home accessories. The Schoolhouse Electric building now contains a full showroom as well as offices and manufacturing facilities.

Faherty: My research led me to American glassblowers, and after lots of digging and prodding I came across a business in upstate New York that had been in the glassblowing industry since the turn of the century, blowing the old-style shades I had been searching for. The problem was, they had stopped hand-blowing glass since about the time of the war.

Fortunately, they had hung on to the molds. And while some had gone to the foundry for tanks and tools for the war, they had hung on to many of their best molds, which I purchased and had restored. So our shades are blown in the original cast-iron molds from the turn of the century though midcentury.

Do we want to buy disposable consumables in every category? Or do we invest a little more and buy a product that will last, and in certain instances get better with age? We're more interested in fixing things than throwing them away and buying anew. We embrace scratches, fading, patches, dings, tears and other signs of wear as badges of character, artifacts of a unique life lived.

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What is one of your favorite new things from Schoolhouse Electric?

I really geek out over our clocks! And I’m just getting started.

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What prompted Schoolhouse Electric's expansion?

My passion is rooted in the details that help make up a space. While lighting is our core business and has helped us get into many spaces and rooms across the country, our desire to put practical and beautiful products in our customers' lives is what it's all about.

This notion of domestic utility is central in our company mandate. What are the useful, beautiful, timeless, well-made, buy-it-once products we can produce that will make a difference in how our customers live their daily lives?

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Left: Crisp subway tiles and a chalk-inscribed logo reflect the company's old-school and minimalistic vibe.

Who are your favorite furniture designers?

I like Florence Knoll and some of the midcentury modernists. Reed La Plant in Portland is doing a great job on design builds.

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Left: A design library remains open to the public in the Schoolhouse Electric Showroom.

What message are you trying to share with your products?

That authenticity counts. We strive to manufacture, produce and source products that are not simply objects with a price tag, but they come from somewhere and are made by someone, and there's typically a story to be told about the product.

By and large, you'll find our products to be original, American — not in every case, but most — and iconic.

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Left: Visitors can get a coffee at Ristretto Roasters and do research in the design library or just relax.

What do you hope people will feel when using your products?

I think people want better, not more. Things that are economical in the true sense of the word. They believe in using their time, money, space, talents and other personal resources as judiciously and responsibly as they can. People seek products that have stories to tell, to connect with, to become a part of — and stories to build on.

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Left: Anna Marra Flowers is another company in the large factory building. Schoolhouse Electric takes up a little over than half of the building; Portland artisans including Reed La Plant Designs, Ristretto Roasters and Egg Press share the other half.

What types of products do you think are in the future for Schoolhouse Electric?

We have some exciting designs and products in the hopper, but I'm not quite ready for show and tell yet.

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The four-story brick factory that houses Schoolhouse Electric was built in 1910 by San Francisco company Pacific Hardware and Steel.

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Comments

Becky Harris says:

I love their products; it's so cool to learn more about them.

3 months ago · Like

ambervanh says:

I love their lights. I have two hanging over my kitchen island. We renovated a home built in 1885 and even though the budget was tight, I fought for those lights. The have become the heart of our home and are worth every penny--especially because they are American made and timeless. I'm thrilled to own them and to support a company that stands for something these days.

3 months ago · Like