By Ariel Kempf, June 30, 2023
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.
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.