22" Turtleback

The 22" Turtleback is an elegant Tiffany Studios shade design. For this example, the distinctive band of turtleback tiles is bookmarked by light amber/yellow upper and lower geometric sections. We had large deep orange/amber turtleback tiles created expressly for our studio, and from these, we hand cut and fit each tile for the band. Commissioned by a client in Maine, this impressive shade will be installed as an inverted chandelier. The 22" Turtleback shade also makes an impressive table or floor lamp. We are showing this shade on the Perforated base.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Alamander

The 18" Alamander shade is covered with large, showy blooms. The plant, also referred to as "Golden Trumpet" is a large flowering shrub that  flourishes in warm climates. The mottled yellow flowers are tinged with orange and green accents. The warm tones of the background are cut from fracture/streamer glass. The border rows feature amber/yellow ripple glass, and additional textured leaves dot the surface of the shade.

 We created this shade in 2011 as a showroom piece, and it is shown on the Flask base. The unusual base has opaque green glass blown into, and protruding from the reticulated bronze work. The lamp is now in a private collection.

16" Geometric Cone

The simple elegance of the 16" Geometric Cone shade is refreshing variation on most Tiffany geometric shades. While geometric shades tend to be laid out in horizontal rows, this design is vertically oriented. As the rows widen towards the lower portion of the shade, the height of the pieces also change to accommodate the shape of the shade. The shade is cut from green and white striated glass which provides subtle color variations. Created as a wedding gift for a couple in the Boston area, the shade is shown on the Small Stick base.

Lamp of the Week: 24" Curtain Border

With its generous proportions and elegantly simple design, the 24" Curtain Border is a pattern that will fit easily into many interiors. The lower portion of the shade mimics a fringed border popular on many Victorian fabric lamp shades, but the look of this shade is firmly rooted in the arts and crafts tradition. The rich amber tones of this shade impart a warm glow. Commissioned by an out of state client in 2007, this piece was installed as a chandelier fixture. The Curtain Border also makes an impressive large floor lamp.

16" Peacock

With their showy multicolored feathers, peacocks are a natural inspiration for stained glass. Tiffany Studios created about a half a dozen peacock inspired lamp shades, and the 16" Peacock shade is still one of our favorites. Composed of eight pairs of swirling tail feathers, the design has a flurry of movement and opportunities to blend colors.

Commissioned by a client in Seattle as an anniversary gift, this 16" Peacock shade has a variety of blue tones which are accented with green and purple. The glass for this shade has a light granite texture that give the shade added sparkle when illuminated. This shade was created to be an inverted chandelier in an entryway, and also can be used as a table lamp. It is shown on the Greek Urn base.

Window of the Week: Hollyhock

Created as a showroom piece in 2013, this Hollyhock window was inspired by an 1893 painting by John LaFarge. The impressionistic coloration highlights the deep red hollyhocks in full bloom. This 24" x 36" window showcases a variety of glasses, including ring mottled, streaky, rippled, and fracture/streamer. Polished quartz pebbles add dimension to the insets in the upper corners. This window is now in a local private collection.

Century Studios Lamp Bases

At Century Studios, we offer over 90 lamp base options, including table lamps, floor lamps, and chandelier fixtures. We create more than half of the bases/fixtures we offer in house. Here we have a photo showing a number of raw bronze castings for various projects that are underway.

Our bronze bases are cast using a lost wax process, and hours of hand work are needed to create each individual lamp part. To create a piece, we begin with a mold taken off an original part/base and using these molds, we pour waxes of the pieces to be cast. After hand cleaning the waxes, we take them to a local foundry. The foundry coats each wax part with a ceramic shell mixture which hardens around the piece. The wax is then melted from the shell and molten bronze is poured in its place. When cool, the shell is broken away to reveal the raw bronze part. Each wax and ceramic shell produces only one piece of bronze, and these parts are shown in the above photo. After additional cleanup and metalworking we apply a verdigris patina to the finished bases.