Studio Hours

Century Studios will be closed

Sunday December 24

through

Monday January 1

28" Magnolia, Part 3 The Completed Shade

After weeks of diligent work we completed the 28" Magnolia shade for our client in North Carolina.

The glass for the shade is a carefully selected blend of white and amber tones. The larger flowers showcase hand folded drapery glass that was made in the 1980's and early 90's by Schlitz Studios. Tiffany Studios only selectively used hand folded drapery glass in Magnolia shades, so to enhance the three dimensional qualities of the flowers Bill Campbell chose a variety of textured glasses for the petals.

The design of the 28" Magnolia represents a magnificent tree in full bloom. The color of each flower was chosen to create the intricate highlights and shadows you would experience when looking at a magnolia tree.

The background shifts from light amber/yellow at the top down to a deeper amber tone on the lower half of the shade. The completed shade has a warm, inviting personality. Our client will display the shade on a large floor lamp base.

Lamp of the Week: 22" Poinsettia

The 22" Poinsettia (commonly called the Double Poinsettia) combines large expressive flowers blooming within a formal trellis. A variety of reds tinged with blue, purple, and yellow were chosen to give the flowers a fanciful, sun dappled appearance. The light blue background glass at the top of the shade deepens to purple mixed with amber at the bottom of the shade. Defining the design and unifying these colors is the trellis with its hints of blue, amber, and green. Created as a showroom piece in 2015 the shade is shown on the Perforated base (24" tall) and is now in a private collection. The fanciful "pigtail" cap gives the visual profile of the lamp added interest.

 

28" Magnolia - Part 2

The work on the 28" Magnolia shade continued at a steady pace. Once all the pieces were laid out, cut and fit to the pattern we began the process of wrapping the edge of each piece in copper foil. Bill Campbell is seen foiling a glass piece. The rolls of copper foil in the red holder have many different widths because thickness of the hand rolled art glass can vary wildly.

Irwin Terry waxed the form with our house made tacky wax. The beeswax based mixture is heated and brushed onto the surface of the Fiberglas form.

Once all the pieces of the lamp were foiled, Irwin began the process of transferring each piece onto the waxed lamp form. 

After mounting the form onto our custom built shade holder, the shade was now ready to be soldered. Our shade holder allows Irwin to easily pivot and spin the shade as he solders. The soldering iron heats the solder to 800 degrees so care must be taken to not touch the surface of the shade as it is being worked on.

Once the exterior of the shade was completely soldered, the lamp form was heated to melt the wax and the shade was removed so that the interior could be soldered. All large shades are reinforced by the application of copper wires that are soldered on the interior of the shade. For this shade six wires were installed to follow the leadlines from the top ring to the bottom rim of the shade. These wires are not seen when the shade is illuminated, but add stability to the piece.

Studio Hours

 

Century Studios will be closing at 2:30 Thursday December 7

We will be closed on Friday Dec 8 and Saturday Dec 9

We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday December 12

 

28" Magnolia, Part 1

Along with the Wisteria and Dragonfly shades, the 28" Magnolia is instantly recognizable as a Tiffany Studios signature lamp design. This generously proportioned shade is inspired by the large Saucer Magnolia tree which blooms before leafing out. 

Commissioned by a client in North Carolina, this shade features an intriguing variety of exceptional glasses. Bill Campbell chose the glass for this shade with an eye for blending both color and texture.

Our client requested that the shade have no pink or blue and minimal green tones. Playing against an amber background and dark tree branches, large saucer shaped flowers are a blended mix of whites. Digging deep into our library of hand made art glass Bill selected a variety of ring mottles, streaky, rippled texture, and hand folded drapery glasses to bring the distinctive flowers to life.

Irwin Terry is shown holding the Fiberglas lamp form on which the shade will be soldered together. We need to block out 4 to 5 weeks of production time to create one of these shades.

Lamp of the Week: 28" Poinsettia

Considered a decorative holiday plant, poinsettias are flowering perennial shrubs native to Mexico, where they can grow to ten feet tall in natural settings. The talented designers at Tiffany Studios created a wide variety of sizes and styles of poinsettia shades.

The 28" Poinsettia shade is the largest poinsettia shade we offer. This generously proportioned shade has a non repeating pattern and is the perfect showcase for a variety of rich red glasses. This naturalistic shade was originally designed for use as a chandelier fixture, but the shade can also be used as a large table lamp or on a Junior Floor base. This example was commissioned in 2009 by a Midwest client.

New Floor Base

Century Studios is pleased to introduce a new floor base to our list of bases, the Sr. Floor Smooth. With an overall height of 72" this cast bronze base weighs just under 60lbs and is the tallest of the five floor bases we create. The Sr. Floor Smooth base is the perfect compliment to 24", 26" and 28" shades. Century Studios now makes five floor bases in a variety of styles.

We have three styles of junior floor bases. At 57.5" the organic Twisted Vine Jr. Floor base is the shortest floor base and is available with four or six lights. This base can be used with 20" or 22" shades. The Bamboo Jr. Floor is a highly detailed, intricate casting that stands 60" tall. The Jr. Floor has an elegant profile and is 60" tall. These two bases have permanent Tiffany 5" wheels and are intended for use with 22" shades.

The Bamboo Sr. Floor base is 66" tall and works best with 24" and 26" shades. The Sr. Floor Smooth base is 72" tall and works with 24", 26" and 28" shades. Both of these bases have permanent Tiffany 6" wheel shade supports.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Century Studios will be closed Thursday November 23.

We will resume regular business hours on Friday November 24.

12" Zodiac

The 12" Zodiac is an original Century Studios lamp shade design that we introduced in 2018. The pattern has a Celtic motif of intertwining border rows that divide the shade into quadrants. Small three dimensional glass jewels stud the surface of the shade. Each of the four sections showcases a large round turtleback tile.

The main borders of the lamp are a rich mottled green glass. Heavily rippled and textured glass in amber and purple  fill in the areas defined by the borders. With its jeweled surface and textured glass it is difficult to resist reaching out and running your hands over the shade in person. The shade is shown on the petite Zodiac base (16" tall). This lamp was commissioned by an out of state client.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Peony

With its undulating turban shape, large flowers, and infinite color possibilities, the 18" Peony is one of our most popular shade designs. A melange of red, pink and white peony flowers blend together against a backdrop of lush blues and greens to create a shade with a painterly appearance. The majority of the glass in this shade was made by the Lins Glass Foundry, a company long out of business that made exceptional opalescent lamp glass. Created in the late 1990's as a chandelier fixture for a local client, the shade is shown on the Library base (22.5" tall).

20" Dragonfly

 

The 20" Dragonfly shade, with its elegant shape and jeweled background is a versatile shade that can be used as a table lamp, small floor lamp or chandelier fixture. 

The dragonfly motif is one of the pillars of Tiffany Studios lamp shade design. Dragonfly shades were created in multiple sizes and shapes. Irwin Terry is pictured soldering the outside of the shade. The reflected light highlights the granite textured glass used for the background of the shade.

Seven dragonflies encircle the shade, flying in a downward formation against a stylized background that is studded with pressed glass jewels.

The multicolored background was cut from a five color granite textured glass. The lightly textured surface gives the shade a sparkling background for the dragonflies dart across.

Commissioned by a client in Texas, the shade is mated with the Twisted Vine w/Arms base. This base has an organic flow, rising up from the table to meld with the shade above.
 

Lamp of the Week: 18" Alamander

The Alamander (also called Allamander and Allamanda) is a a large flowering shrub that is often found near streams and ponds. It is often called "Golden Trumpet" even though cultivated varieties can have yellow, white, or purple flowers.

For this 18" Alalamander shade, a variety of deep orange, amber and yellow flowers are contrasted against a backdrop of purple and blue that is tinged with yellow. The green leaves and stems enliven the rich tones of the background, playing off  the border rows at the top and bottom of the shade. The shade is shown on the stately Library base (22.5" tall). This lamp was created in 2019 as a studio showroom piece and is now in a private collection.

14" Dragonfly

The 14" Dragonfly is one of our most popular reproduction Tiffany lamp designs. This compact shade can be created in virtually any coloration and features six filigreed dragonflies flying against a background studded with pressed glass jewels. For this shade, a lightly textured, multicolored glass made by the Lins Glass Foundry in the early 1990's was chosen. Lins ceased production in the late 90's and their glass is highly prized. The richly colored glass for this shade has been in our library of glass for 30 years, waiting to be used for the right project. The shade is shown on the Swamp Flower base (17" height). This lamp was commissioned by a local client.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Geranium

  

Geraniums give a splash of color to gardens, porches, and window boxes from early spring through late fall. For this 16" Geranium shade, a smokey blue & green background sets off the dappled green leaves and cheerful red flowers. The rippled glass used in the borders gives a textural accent to the shade. The shade is shown on the distinctive Greek Urn base. We created this lamp in 2012 as a showroom piece and it is now in a private collection.

Autumn Leaves Ball Lamp

Century Studios is pleased to present a new original shade design, the 8" Autumn Leaves Ball on Doric Column base. 

Bill Campbell designed this compact shade to capture the brilliant colors of the trees that surround us at this time of year.

The 8" shade has a non repeating design of branches and leaves set against a blue sky. We rolled the sky glass at our Century Studios furnace in the early 2000's. Our furnace has long been out of operation, and this is the last of this particular wispy blue sheet glass we had left. 

Every angle of the shade presents colorful surprises as the leaves overlap with one another as can be seen in this bird's eye view. 

The shade is mated with the Doric Column Torchiere base. The base is 6.5" square at the bottom, the shade is an 8" ball, and the overall height of the lamp is 20.5" tall. This lamp is currently available for purchase from our studio showroom. NOTE: The lamp has been purchased since this posting was listed and is no longer available.

Lamp of the Week: 22" Geometric

The 22" Geometric shade is a large, impressive shade that can be created in any coloration. For this piece, we began with a deep red at the top and gently shifted the color to a rich amber tone at the bottom. The brickwork configuration of the glass tiles gives the shade a calming appearance. This lamp was commissioned by a local client in 2020 and is shown on the study Bamboo base (27" tall). 

 

12 Light Lily Table Lamp

  

This 12 Light Lily table lamp was commissioned by a client in Philadelphia. The lily pad base from which the stems ascend is cast in bronze using molds taken from an original Tiffany Studios example. Each stem supports a hand made, mouth blown gold lily shade.

Lamp of the Week: 12" Dogwood

This 12" Dogwood shade was commissioned by a client in Texas in 2015. The white flowers are tinged with amber, yellow and pink, while the leaves are a fresh spring green. A fracture/streamer glass background keeps the shade light and airy. The shade is shown on the beautifully detailed Chinese base (16" tall).

16" Acorn

We recently completed projects for two separate clients. A local client commissioned this 16" Acorn shade for use with an antique lamp base in their collection. With a strong amber background and accents of red and rust, this shade has a warm glow.

The impressive Bell Pepper base was commissioned by an out of state client for a shade in their collection.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Indian Basket

The 16" Indian Basket shade is a Century Studios adaptation of a 24" Tiffany Studios chandelier fixture. Commissioned in 2013 by a client in North Carolina, the design weaves patterns of deep blue and red against the off white body of the basket. The shade is shown on the Grooved base.

Bat Lamp

The 17" Bat is one of Tiffany Studios most unique shade designs. This sculptural shade consists of three bats with outstretched wings flying against a nighttime sky. The shape of the shade mimics the bat wings, lending an air of drama and mystery to the design. Two evening stars appear in the sky.

The bats are rendered in a rich brown mottled glass. The bat bodies and heads are accentuated in cast bronze, enhancing the three dimensional look of the shade. The evening sky shifts from green tinged with blue and purple down to a deep nighttime blue.

Three bronze bronze bats are cast in relief around the bottom of the Bat Mosaic base (18" tall). The base is decorated with a mosaic inlay of blue lustre glass which reflects the light from the lamp. This lamp was commissioned by a client in Texas.

Lamp of the Week: Flowering Lotus Lamp

The 18" Flowering Lotus Lamp is one of the most detailed and technically challenging lamps we offer. With almost 1800 individual pieces of glass within the confines of a relatively small shade, this piece must be meticulously hand crafted and assembled. Commissioned in 2017 by a California client, the coloration for this shade was inspired by the original Tiffany Studios example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/4715). A rippled water glass provides a glittering backdrop for the multicolored stems in the upper half of the shade. The flowers are created in tones of pink and white with tinges of yellow, green, and red to give the flowers depth. The shade flares to an irregular lower border that enhances the natural look of the lamp.

The 10 Light Lily Pad base (27.5" tall) was designed by Tiffany Studios as an integrated element to the lamp. The base rests firmly on the table with a wide cluster of cast bronze lily pads. Ten individual stems ascend from the pads, making their way up inside the shade, each ending in a light socket. The upward thrust of the bronze stems is continued in the design of the shade. Beginning at the top of the shade the glass stems follow the trajectory indicated by the base as they cascade downwards to the glorious explosion of blossoms that fill the bottom half of the shade.