I posted the pic of the schoolhouse light right on the post, but here it is again. I love it because it's so retro looking.

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Wed, Jun 25, 14 at 21:51

Tibbrix,

I did see the picture -- but I was wondering what the link to it is. I'd like to read more about it! It's growing on me.

I take it the "Dorado" doesn't do it, either? :)

Again, thanks for all your help!

Here is the link for the Burlington schoolhouse light.

Cons in the reviews say the bulbs are difficult to change, so if you were to go with this light, I'd get two very good LED bulbs which will last for 20 years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Burlington light

Re: the Dorado. Something isn't right about it, to ME. But we don't matter. I think you'll know the right light when you see it. It'll hit you. Try to not get caught up in caring so much what a consensus might be. Instead, try to find the light that you will love having in your bathroom. Don't listen to the "taste" arguments, per se, namely us saying we LOVE this one of don't like that one. Listen, rather, to the arguments as to WHY, because the why might help you see the light in from a perspective you at first did not, good or bad.

Not sure that's very clear! I feel somewhat discombobulated this morning!

Three shades are too much over your 24" sink and oval mirror. Use either the sconces or a two light. The PB Sussex is also available in chrome for $129. I'd match my light and faucet metals, but the others don't matter as much. If the towel bar will be near the tub, you won't even notice. But nickel is always more expensive, which is why the Sussex seems like such a bargain. It doesn't have brass as a base metal like the Oldenburg though. No two-light in the Oldenburg.

Got a couple pics from Houzz for illustrative purposes. The second one might be the PB Mercer light. The last one shows a heavier sconce with fabric shades with a larger mirror. Good balance.

[Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Washington Architects & Building Designers Trout Design Studio

[Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by League City Architects & Building Designers Chad Cooper

[Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by Los Angeles Interior Designers & Decorators Sara Ingrassia Interiors

[Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Boston Architects & Building Designers Jan Gleysteen Architects, Inc

PB has a similar style to Tibb's light in the Mercer collection

Here is a link that might be useful: Mercer light

I like the Burlington/Mercer style for your bathroom, although I do think they'd do better with a rectangular mirror.

I think they reflect the retro style of your bathroom while adding a little uniqueness, and yet also being classic enough to last for years.

I'd go with chrome. It'll look good with your fixtures and it'll hold up well in the dampness of a bathroom.

Re: your faucet. I see a brassy area that looks like the chrome or nickel has worn off, but maybe it's just a reflection.

I also don't like the El Dorado! Agree with Tibb about tastes. I try to explain my thinking and prejudices, which made my search for a chrome light a long one! I get the sense that you're not so much worried about staying true to the vintage feel as you are in making it a pretty bathroom. If you were, you'd probably have stayed with the rectangular mirror.

"I like the Burlington/Mercer style for your bathroom, although I do think they'd do better with a rectangular mirror."

Yup.

Tibbrix, thank you for that link! Since I know little about decor or eras, I've found all of your posts very informative and helpful. And I appreciate your comments about my having to like it. I will say that the only element of this that I'm sure I love at this point...is the oval-shaped mirror. :(

May_flowers -- okay, so I'll rule out the three-light ones.
And thank you for those pix (and the Mercer light). None of them really stands out for me (except I love the wallpaper in the third one)! And the more feminine style of light goes well with it.

You are so right about me wanting it to be pretty!
But I also don't want something that sticks out as a total mismatch for the era.

I posted them so you could see that the two light is a good size.

So are you leaning more toward side sconces or overhead light?

Wellâ¦ItâÂÂll cost $200 to re-wire for sconces, but thatâÂÂs okay -- if IâÂÂm convinced theyâÂÂll look substantially nicer than any overhead light.

Maybe I should remove the existing mirrors and wallpaper first to get a better idea of how things may look.

You know, to make your life a whole lot easier, you could consider an oval mirror in a square frame! and if you already have the mirror, framing it yourself in a square frame you like.

"But I also don't want something that sticks out as a total mismatch for the era."

If you look at the link Errant posted, you'll see that they didn't think people should linger in the bathroom and admire the decor. My house was built in 1954 and we had a 4' long mirrored medicine cabinet with a fluorescent light over it! I never saw your type of sink since homes in my city in the Hudson Valley were built around the turn of the century (claw-foot tubs, pedestal sinks) or post-WWII. I don't know when the schoolhouse style light Tibb posted would have been used, but I always thought schoolhouse lights were from the 30s. What year was your house built?

I mentioned about the sink being utilitarian. Adding a skirt will go a long way to softening it and making it work with an oval mirror. But I don't think you can go to either extreme of too frilly or too true to the era.

Would something like this Kichler light appeal to you?

[Transitional Bathroom Lighting And Vanity Lighting[(https://www.houzz.com/products/transitional-bathroom-vanity-lights-prbr1-br~t_602~s_2112) by Schaumburg Lighting Littman Bros Lighting

Oooooh! Murray Feiss. Polished nickel. Look how pretty the base of the shade is. Similar to the Oldenburg but more graceful. Thought I saw a two light too.

I think Build.com is the parent company of Lightingdirect. Remember coupon codes are available on the internet for them and a few other websites.

Here is a link that might be useful: Feiss Huguenot Lake sconce

Tibbrix, that's an interesting idea! I appreciate your finding that.

May_flowers, my house was built in 1948.

The Lake Huguenot is very pretty! Isn't it similar to the Perry one you also found? I'm not sure if I like the Kichler, but thanks for posting it.

And here are the overhead versions. I know we ruled out
three-light fixtures, but I wonder if 13" isn't too narrow?)

I feel like I'm monopolizing the board...but I so appreciate
all your help!

This post was edited by jacquelynn on Sat, Jun 28, 14 at 1:08

The house I'm in now has an oval mirror, no frame, with a two-light fixture, chrome, over it. I wish I could take a pic. It's very blah. I is lacking a finished look, IMO.

I really like the lights that May-Flowers is finding. I think because she and I both don't care for the tulip/bell shade thing.

jacquelynn, can you do a mockup with the schoolhouse light? I'm liking that light more and more in your bath and would love to see how it might look with the oval mirror.

Here's a straight view of the Schoolhouse Electric light to photoshop. If you go with this style, you can spend $20 more than Hudson Valley Lighting's and get a product made in the USA--Portland, Oregon. I don't think the HVL one is made in the Hudson Valley, just designed there.

I don't care for the oval sconce base plate with an oval mirror, so I might eliminate Perry. Don't like the Perry overhead sconce. You will need to mock-up the sizes for the overheads. My Oldenburg 3-light is 22" over a 24" rectangular mirror over a 36" vanity.

Hmmâ¦don't care for the schoolhouse light may_flowers put up. Don't care for those shades or the extended chrome arms.

Amazing what small differences can make, isn't it?

I think the shades are the same. I was just reading about Schoolhouse Electric, and they found the old cast iron molds that they use for their shades in an old factory in upstate NY. Probably the HV! Also, schoolhouse lights were popular from 1900 to 1950.

I showed DH the sink and asked if he remembered them. He was born in 1944 and said the faucet wasn't from that era as they didn't have a stopper in the faucet. You stuck a plug in the drain. I remember those, with a chain connected somewhere to the sink.

This post was edited by may_flowers on Sat, Jun 28, 14 at 11:17

Yes, and those rubber stoppers with the chain worked better! Lol.

the shades on the two schoolhouse lights look different to me, both in the style but also, and more importantly, in the weight of the glass. I think the extended chrome on the light you put up make it look like a horn and give it a marine look as well as diminishing the shades on that one.

I don't know, I think they look hugely different.

Here are the schoolhouse light (I tried to make it more straight)
and the one May_flowers just put up.

My wall is 11â long. When I take down the wallpaper and the three mirrors,
the wall may look very bare. What do you think of hanging artwork on each side of the sconcesâ¦or hanging two rectangular mirrors with an overhead light? IâÂÂve attached sketches.

Thanks again.

Wow. I hate to say it, but I really like the Burlington.

I like where you have the sconces in the bottom markup too.

And of course you can hang art work or whatever to fill in what feels like empty wall space. I have little buckets (one is a bucket from Ikea and one is a wall envelope) on my bathroom walls to hold bathroom paper hand towels for guests, for example, but also as items of design.

how about a mockup with May_flowers's Kischler double light?

The Kichler is called Pocelona and also comes in a sconce.

I think three mirrors are too much for the sink. Maybe glass shelves, or just one over what looks like a hamper.

Thanks, guys.

Tibbrix...I wish I could like the Burlington more than I do!
Thanks for your response about hanging art.

I'm posting a pic of the three mirrors I currently have --
the ones on the side are mirrored doors for medicine cabinets. I only suggested the three mirrors since it's so convenient to have a wall mirror I can get right up next to -- I can't see myself without glasses from behind the sink! But I agree with you, May_flowers that it wouldn't look right.

Here's the Pocelona. One reviewer said they hung theirs facing up.

Does the Porcelona somehow compliment the faucet -- even though it doesn't have flowing lines?

I like the Pocelona, but I like them lamps hanging down.

But, I think I like the sconces better than the overhang lights, other than the Burlington, which I'm convinced is the correct light for your bathroom and will have to have a pouting timeout, following a temper tantrum, over your not liking it.

I think May_flowers, though, has come up with really great sconces.

Oh, yeah, there's the lights we had in my 1954 house! Blue tile, blue tub, sink, and toilet, and blue vanity!

I like the Pocelona for the vintage feel. It has the same look as the other balled styles--Oldenburg, Huguenot Lake. Now I see you are leaning toward something with a curved stem like your #4 and the Perry. I'll look around for something, but they don't seem to execute that look as nicely in an overhead.

I like the Perry in a sconce. I've liked all the sconces. I love the shade on the Huguenot Lake.

Tibbrix, now I can see that the schoolhouse shades are different. Think of them as looking like a bowtie and maybe you'll get over it. ;)

So I went right to Kichler as I saw some curvy styles there. This one is a nice overhead. The two light is 15", three light is 24". Love the shade and it mimics the sink edge. The stacked ridges/lines of the connector pieces mimic the tub. The sconce is also pretty and has a curved arm. Good price, good brand, available in chrome. You might do better than Ferguson's price though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kichler Ashbrook

Ashbrook sconce.

I'll never get over it! Never! The second one does look like a bow tieâ¦or a horn. Don't you just want to squeeze one of those shades to see if it honks?

But not the Burlington!

anyway, one thing I would suggest re: the oval mirror is to mount it so that it is out from the wall a bit. The oval mirrors which are flush against the wall⦠I don't know, there is something off there. But the ones that have the hanging hardware on the sides that pull the mirror away from the wall are great. I think it makes a HUGE difference.

LOL, Tibbrix! You wouldn't want to use it in a guest bath. HONK!!!!

Those mirrors are called tilt mirrors. Mine tilts and it's nice to be able to see your lower half. Well, maybe not so nice.

That Murray Feiss has a curly one that isn't too bad. It's nickel though. I think it's better than #1. Didn't care for the overhead. That's about it--I haven't seen any I like better than what I've posted.

Now I'm chuckling about what I unintentionally posted about Murray. Tibbrix got me going with the honking. hehe

Here is a link that might be useful: Brook Haven sconce

Oh wow, the Brook Haven is perfect! I love it, and I love that the tulip-ing is actually squared off, which also means it works with that era of bathroom.

that's my favorite so far.

Agree that tilting a mirror downward isn't always desirable. Those dressing-room mirrors where you can see your entire backside out to be outlawed, frankly.

And actually, a horn in a guest bath is a great idea. Think about it! ;-)

I didn't notice that the shade was squared off. It's more visible in the overhead light photos. The three light is only 18" wide, so it's a great size. But it's backordered.

I'm wondering if you might want side sconces though since you have a ceiling light. The sconces are supposed to be better for applying make-up--no shadows.

This post was edited by may_flowers on Sun, Jun 29, 14 at 11:48

Tibbrixâ¦lol! And not to upset you further :) â¦but IâÂÂve always thought the hardware on the sides of mirrors was ugly! Can you explain more what you donâÂÂt like about the mirrors being flush?

may_flowers, Firstly, thank you for taking the time to look for all of these! I agree that the overhead lights are usually disappointing compared to the same collectionsâ sconces.

I was going to post the Ashbrook mock-upâ¦and then I saw the Brook Haven sconce.
I think itâÂÂs beautiful! The overhead isn't bad, either.

But do you see something a little weird on the backplate? It looks like something electrical. Or is it just a reflection? I noticed it on the Ashbrook, too.

And Tibbrix, youâÂÂd said that chrome would hold up better. Is it more rust-resistant than nickel?

May_flowers, I suppose I could leave the bulbs out of my ceiling light if the sconces are enough.

Thanks again for the help!

It's a reflection of the light itself.

With the slightly squared sides on the shades and the curved arms, the Brook Haven really is darn near perfect for your sink and faucet combo.

I did some reading on nickel and chrome. Everything I read pertained to faucets. First, as for holding up, I think you mean the plating wearing off. That shouldn't be a problem with a light that isn't touched daily like a faucet is. Or maybe nickel plating corrodes over time? Not sure.

I didn't see anything about rusting, but some nickel will tarnish and needs to be polished. Some people never see tarnishing on their faucets. I read that you can put a coating of beeswax on nickel to prevent tarnishing. You'd have to call Murray to see if there's a protective coating on the light.

Chrome is rust resistant. As far as the nickel, you have to find out what the metal is underneath the nickel plating. A big problem in manufacturing now is that companies have really scaled back on metallurgy and the quality of metals, suing cheap stuff under surface plating.

But, may_flowers is correct. Lights don't get touched, so they should be okay, and the coating of beeswax is a very good idea, just because bathrooms do get damp.

I think that oval mirrors flush against walls look flimsy and unfinished. That is just my opinion, of course. I do like the oval mirror in the frame.

Tibbrix and May_flowers,

Thanks. Do you have a preference for the overhead
or the sconces? I actually love them both.

May_flowers's Kichler sconces. Definitely.

Brook Haven is Feiss. I prefer sconces with an oval mirror.

Yes, they're perfect. Thanks, Tibbrix.

And thanks so much May_flowers for all your research!

Of course I'll need help with their placement...
that'll be another thread. :)

It was fun! You're okay with mixing chrome and nickel, right?

may_flowers,

I'm glad you enjoy this kind of stuff!

I'm assuming the metals will look similar enough
that most people won't notice the difference...
and that the risk of rust or corrosion isn't
significantly higher with nickel than with chrome?

Am I right? Are there other downsides to nickel?

jacquelynn, I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt that the metal in the brushed nickel lights is actually nickel. That is what you have to find out: what is the actual metal under the veneers. Even the chrome: is the whole unit actually chrome? That sort of thing.

Usually "in brushed nickel" means nothing more than that is the coating or veneer or whatever the word is I'm looking for.

Plating. The base should be brass, but I bet very few lights are nowadays. Gatco has several styles of lights and bath accessories but not all have a brass base. I'm not so sure it's as crucial in a light that isn't touched.

Most people won't notice the color undertone if the two aren't right next to each other. Most people will just see it as a metal. I have PN drawer pulls and the rest of my bath is chrome. If you put a towel bar alongside the sink, I'd do nickel. If you get a chance, go to Lowe's or HD and buy a chrome and PN cabinet knob for a few bucks and look at them in your bath.

Plating! That's it! Thank you, may_flowers.

Thank you Tibbrix and May-flowers for the explanation.
I'll see if Murray Feiss will tell me what the base is.
And that's a great idea to compare the two metals in the room.

However...a new concern has emerged.
(Doesn't it always...when retrofitting an old house?)
When I asked on the Electrical forum about installing
the new electrical boxes for sconces in an old
lath and plaster wall, here's a response I got:

"I have found such walls that would not support the box. Removed a few of the exterior clapboards and nailed in a piece of 2 x 4 between the studs to support the box. Not fast nor low cost."

I guess I'll have to ask the electrician if he's experienced
in doing this. Would this deter you from sconces? :(

This post was edited by jacquelynn on Tue, Jul 1, 14 at 23:53