By Ariel Kempf, June 30, 2023
I bought my 1927 home late fall 2020. It felt like a crazy time. I was a crazy time. We were all collectively in the depths of covid. The Portland metro area had just gone through a terrible fire season, there were protests every night for over a hundred days. The real estate market was bananas! Do y’all remember? It feels like a fever dream now to reflect back on that time.
I purchased my house with a dear friend, and I could not recommend it more! I could write a whole entire blog on the topic, and I will, so keep your eyes out for it. Our home is a sweet little house in the Cully neighborhood. When we bought it, literally every wall and ceiling was painted some wild shade of yellow, none of the shoddily installed trim matched, and the 80’s called for their shinny brass and glass light fixtures back. Despite all that, I could see the cozy home that was living under all those tragic details. I got right to work cleaning, painting, and installing new trim throughout the house.
I knew I wanted to find period appropriate fixtures for this old beauty. We are so fortunate here in Portland to have access to fantastic old things! Some of my favorite hunting spots are oldportlandhardware, reclaimnw, and the classic hippohardware. If I’m wanting to make more of a day of searching for the perfect thing, I love heading to Aurora and wandering around auroramills. The owners and shop keepers of each and every one of these places are incredibly helpful and full of wisdom! I’ve also had success searching on Etsy. On of my favorite online retailers of vintage light fixtures is architecturalsavage. They take grate care with packaging, and you can rest assured that things will arrive in one piece, ready to be hung, all with updated wiring.
Now for the fun part! Here are all of my traysures!
THIS ONE! Rare 1920’s green slipper shade. Seriously! I can’t get over it. Still.
See what I mean?! This one is proudly hung over my dining table
I was thrilled to find a matching pair of these beauties for my living room.
Growing up, my grandparents had this fixture in their French Quarter apartment. I knew I had to get my own when I stumbled upon it.
How cool is this angular space age one for the office?!
One of my favorite things about this one is similar to the pair in the living room, yet still all it’s own. Those little hand painted details are delish.
Last, but not least, this lovely lady. I think I had the most fun hunting for this one. I found the globe at Reclaim NW, and the solid brass mount online. A vast improvement to the fluorescent lights that were there, in my opinion.
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for today. Thanks so much for reading. If you ever want to talk vintage light fixtures, or anything related to old Portland houses, I am always available! Until then, happy hunting for your treasure, whatever it may be.
Ariel Kempf
Broker | OR
She/Her
I was first inspired to get into real estate after I purchased my first home. I was so well taken care of throughout the process by my realtor that I wanted to be able to offer the same support and service for others...
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