Vintage Barn Lighting
We have launched Vintage Barn Lights as a separate website!
Do you have any vintage porcelain barn lights? We might buy them! Contact us
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Information
The Vintage Barn Lighting you see here, has been cleaned, rewired, and comes ready to be installed. These vintage RLM warehouse shades are in exceptional condition and each has its own character. Their sturdy, porcelain enamel construction has allowed them to withstand years of previous use. Originally found around early 19th century industrial factories and workshops, these Vintage Barn Lights can be brought into your farmhouse or industrial loft as a token of an early American era.
Most of the shades offered come in traditional porcelain enamel finishes like green or white and are mounted using gooseneck arms, stem mounts or are cord hung pendants.
The first porcelain enamel reflector shades were manufactured by companies such as Benjamin™, Crouse-Hinds™, Appleton™ and The Miller Company. Each company created differing variations of shade styles that were used in buildings with high ceilings. Since most original porcelain enamel manufacturers went out of business in the 1970′s, these popular shade designs have not been produced in over 40 years.
Barn Light Electric recovered and restored many of these shades, which are also known as RLM warehouse shades. Oftentimes, RLM warehouse lights with gooseneck arms were used in agricultural areas such as on exterior barns and storage sheds. These gooseneck barn lights shined a large amount of concentrated light over specific areas across garage doors and outbuildings. Inside, the lights reduced shadows and glare to create comfortable lighting for assembly line workers and other industrial laborers.
For task lighting over smaller surfaces such as office desks and production tables, some vintage barn lights were produced as cloth cord pendants, which were inexpensive and could be easily customized to fit any ceiling height. Most of the original cloth cord pendants consisted of a bare socket, single bulb, and oftentimes a wire cage. Reproduction vintage pendants can be found within our Vintage Industrial Lights category.

