Lamp of the Week: 18" Geometric Brickwork

Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to make a winning shade and base combination. This was the case with the 18" Geometric Brickwork shade we had on display in our showroom. Last week, a local client stopped by the studio looking to purchase a piece for his home. We were displaying the shade on a Small Stick base, which our client purchased and took home. Returning in search of a different base because the combination was not completely satisfying, he had us put the shade on the Artichoke Trumpet base, a base that would normally be considered too tall for the shade. The unexpected combination of shade and base instantly felt like they belonged together, and the client now has this lamp in his home.

New Shade Design - 16" Peacock Feather

Century Studios is pleased to present a new reproduction Tiffany shade pattern to our offerings, the 16" Peacock Feather. The bold design of this shade has the symmetry of a repetitive geometric pattern softened by natural curves of a feather. The shade was created for a California client and is shown on the Greek Urn base (overall lamp height 21.5").

Taking our color inspiration from an original Tiffany example, this shade is primarily made from Lins glass. The Lins Glass Foundry was based in Florida and closed in the late 1990's. Lins glass is highly prized by glass artists for its Tiffany-esque properties. Beginning with a strong amber tone at the top, the color shifts through green to teal, ending in cobalt blue at the bottom. These colors are reflected in the peacock "eyes" that encircle the lower portion of the shade. The playful coloration of the finished piece is bold, yet subtly modulated.

Lamp of the Week - 18" Grape

The 18" Grape is one of several Tiffany Studios lamp designs that incorporate a heavy cast crown at the top of the shade that mates with the Tree Trunk base. This shade features red grapes cascading amid lush green foliage. We created this shade over 25 years ago as a studio piece and it now resides in a local collection.

28" Magnolia Part 2 - Finishing the Shade

(Please reference our blog post from Sunday October 28 for the Part 1 post showing the process of creating this lamp)

Once all the pieces have been been wrapped in copper foil, the Fiberglas lamp form is coated with wax. To make our special tacky wax, we melt beeswax and add elements that keep the wax tacky to the touch. Each individual piece of glass is transferred and held in place by the wax so that we can begin the soldering process.

The exterior of the shade is then soldered together. The solder adheres to the copper foil that has been wrapped around the edge of each piece. The soldering iron heats to 800 degrees allowing the solder to flow and "bead". Much time and attention is paid to getting the rounded bead of solder between all the pieces of glass even and smooth. If too little solder is used, the bead will appear flat and sunken. Too much solder results in a lumpy look to the leading. Hot solder flows downhill, so the angle of the shade is constantly being repositioned at many angles using our custom made shade holder.

 When the exterior of the shade has been completely soldered, heat is applied to melt the wax that is holding the shade onto the form. When hot, the form is removed from the shade. The interior of the shade is then completely soldered. For any shade larger than 20" across, a network of reinforcing wires are permanently soldered in the interior. Large shades like this 28" Magnolia will be extensively reinforced. The copper reinforcement wires are soldered in place following the lead lines so they are not visible when the shade is finished. Once the shade has been reinforced and the soldering finished, the shade is cleaned and prepared for patina. The leadlines on the completed shade are patinated to match the coloration on the base.

The overhead view shows how the background sky color lightens towards the top. The blue/purple tones at the top blend seamlessly down to a deep cobalt blue on the lower portion of the shade. The flowers for this large piece were selected from a wide variety of glasses including streaky, mottled, rippled, and the deep hand folded drapery glass. To create a natural look to the flowers, many of the ripple glasses were positioned with the ripple facing the interior of the shade, creating subtle ripples in the petals. The flower colors are a blend of white, off white, pale pink, and intense fuchsia. From start to finish, the 28" Magnolia shade takes about 300 hours to create.

The 28" Magnolia is shown on the impressive Sr. Floor base in our showroom before being packed for shipping. This impressive lamp was commissioned by clients in North Carolina and now resides in their home.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Vine Ornament

With its autumnal swirl of leaves dancing across its surface, the 16" Vine Ornament is a cross between a representational and abstract shade design. The unusual mottled glass chosen for this shade are a mix of amber and peach tones, creating a warm, welcoming lamp. The shade is shown on the versatile Small Stick base (20" tall). This lamp was created in 2002 as a showroom piece and is now in a private collection.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Peony

With its unusual shape, large flowers, and infinite color possibilities, the 18" Peony is one of our most popular shade designs. For this example, we chose a limited color pallet where the background glass closely resembles the flower colors. This blended color approach gives the shade the impression of fullness, as if a huge bunch of peony flowers are bundled together by the horizontal border rows. Created in 2012 as a showroom piece, this shade is now in a private collection. The shade is shown on the Decorated Library base (21" tall).

CENTURY STUDIOS WILL BE CLOSING AT 1:30 on Friday November 9 and WILL BE CLOSED Saturday November 10

16" Turtleback

With its combination of geometric glass pieces framing a wide band of thick glass tiles, the 16" Turtleback shade has an tactile quality not found in other shades. Green and yellow mottled glass geometric piecework bookmarks the row of glowing green turtlebacks. Each turtleback tile is hand cut and fit to form the decorative element of this shade. Shown on the Flower Petal base, this shade was commissioned by a client in Connecticut to be installed as an inverted ceiling light fixture.

Lamp of the Week: 20" Geometric Cone

Geometric lamps fit into any decor and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This 20" Geometric Cone was commissioned in 2010. The shade pattern can be made in a variety of colors. For this example our client requested a warm, golden amber tone for the shade. The shade is shown on the versatile Ribbed base.