Onion Lighting: New Look For A Golden Oldie

Traditional onion lighting is easy to spot. It is formed of a blown-glass globe that sits inside a cage metal cage. Onion lights have been used in centuries past, and continue to be used both indoors and outdoors.

The origins of the onion light are up for discussion. Some say that the onion lights were first made in the early days of America. People who hold this belief say that the lights were made in glass-blowing shops. People nearby bought the lamps. It was only after transportation became more reliable that the popularity of the onion lights spread.

Others are of the opinion that the onion lights did not come along until the 1800s. This group claims that the lamps were used by railroad and shipping companies. They were supposed to have been designed to be fueled by whale oil. The truth of the matter is unclear.

Onion Lighting Outdoors

Onion lighting has been used outdoors, especially on posts. These onion lanterns could be very large and produce a very bright light. Others have been used as movable lanterns which can be carried from one place to another, like a more elegant version of a flashlight.

Indoors, onion lights have been made into wall lamps that attach with a brass or copper mounting piece to match the metal of the lamp cage. They have been used as lamps that have a base and sit directly on the surface of the table. This goes for dining and kitchen tables, as well as coffee and end tables in the living room. They can provide warm light for a bedroom nightstand as well.

New Types Of Onion Lights

Onion ceiling lights are becoming more popular, and not all of them are of the traditional kind. One new type of onion light is a simple hanging lamp with a many-stripped onion-shaped shade. One company that sells this type of light has one that is over 23 inches high and 17 inches in diameter. It does not go cheap, though. Its selling price is over $1500.

Of course, there are the traditional onion lights that can be made into hanging lamps with the addition of a hook and swag. Others are made with a fitting to attach them above to make ceiling lamps from them. There seems no end to the usefulness of these lights.

A company called Mica makes its version of onion lamps with painstaking old-fashioned methods. Their onion lighting, though, does not feature a glass globe and brass cage. Instead, the design is based on an early 1900s pattern of a vaguely onion-shaped bottom with a stem coming up into the center of a conic shade.

Many of the onion lamps you buy are made after the order is placed. Skilled craftsmen do their work only with an order to work from, and you have to wait several weeks to get your product. However, those made after the order are usually the most well-made onion lamps.

Onion lighting has been around for a long time, and it seems it is here to stay. It continues to go through innovative changes. Yet, the older styles continue to be popular, too.