Historic Home Lighting Cost: A Look at What You’ll Pay

By Joshua Scheide | Updated November 1, 2025

If you live in a historic home, you already know—it’s not just wood, plaster, and trim. It’s a time capsule. Every detail of your home carries a piece of history.

Lighting is one of those details that can make or break authenticity, and when planning a remodel or refresh of their home, many historic homeowners can have a moment of sticker shock:

How can one sconce cost $90 and another almost $1,100?

We wrote this guide because we want you to understand what you’re actually investing in and how those costs are determined. When you know what factors create the prices, you can make choices that fit your home and your priorities.

What you'll pay, using a single sconce as an example.

Four main factors determine what you’ll pay: labor intensity, material quality, design complexity, and safety standards. Understanding the trade-offs at each price point helps you make the right decision for your project.

Bottom line: Durable, period-appropriate lighting costs more because it’s deeply researched, often handcrafted domestically, and built to outlast your grandchildren—not just your next house guest.

Labor accounts for half (or more) of the difference between mass-produced and handcrafted fixtures. American craftspeople earning domestic wages—welding joints and hand-applying finishes—can spend days or weeks on a single fixture. That time ensures each piece receives individual attention and can be customized to your home.

• Overseas workers earning lower international wages
• Automated stamping machines and high-volume production
• Assembling from pieces found in mass produced catalog parts
• Minimal hand-assembly
  Results: low per-unit costs, faster production, identical fixtures, and no customization.

• • Domestic labor with fair wages
  • Handcrafted processes (welding, finishing, assembly)
  • Specialized skills in metal and glass work
  • Machining individual pieces in-house one at a time
  • Small-batch or made-to-order production
    Results: slower timelines but individually crafted pieces built to fit your home.

What This Means for Your Project:
You’re choosing between warehouse inventory and a made-to-order piece built by a skilled team who understands period architecture.

Material choice determines both initial cost and long-term value. A $90 plated fixture replaced every 7 years costs $360+ over 30 years (plus your time and labor). A $1,100 solid brass fixture lasts 100+ years—one purchase, one installation.

• Thin steel or cast aluminum
• Sheet rolled glass or acrylic shades and diffusers
• Spray-on acrylic finishes and molded glass
  Results: lower cost, shorter lifespan, corrosion and chipping

• • Solid brass, copper, or stainless steel
  • Hand poured and mixed glass, blown glass or stained glass
  • Hand-applied chemical patinas
    Results: longer lifespan, refinishing potential, and authentic patina development over decades.

What This Means for Your Project:
If preserving your home’s period look over generations matters, durable materials protect both aesthetics and value. You’re not just lighting your dining room for you—you’re lighting your dining room for your great-great-grandchildren.

Design complexity and customization options affect manufacturing costs, and whether your fixture looks like it belongs in your home or feels out of place.

• Simple geometric shapes
• High-volume, repeatable molds
• Fixed sizes and finishes
• Results: lower cost, your home must accommodate the fixture's dimensions and finishes

• • Historical research through source books and site visits
  • Prototyping
  • Custom tooling for architectural detailing
  • Designing fixtures that maintain their appearance at different scales

What This Means for Your Project:
A well-researched Arts & Crafts sconce belongs on a Craftsman bungalow; a generic “vintage-inspired” fixture, though less expensive, can quietly undermine your home’s look and feel.

Safety certification adds a small percentage to total cost—but matters in homes with older wiring.

• Minimal testing or third-party verification
• One-size-fits-all mounting system for every home
  Results: meets legal minimums but may not be optimized for vintage homes.

• Third-party independent testing and ongoing audits
• Custom mounting brackets and firepans
  Results: a fixture that’s tailored to install in your home’s system.

You’ll find period lighting across a wide price spectrum:

• Retailers (e.g., Rejuvenation, Restoration Hardware): $200–$2,000 — generally fairly quick availability, “period-inspired” designs.
• Specialist Manufacturers (e.g., Arroyo Craftsman, Brass Light Gallery): $300–$5,000 — deeper research and customization, often focused on a specific style
• Local artisans and custom makers: $5,000–$50,000+ — one-of-a-kind, museum-quality work.

Old California sits solidly in the mid-market price range. We're in the specialist category: domestically handcrafted, historically researched, and customized to your home. Plus, we have a knowledgeable staff who have helped thousands of historic homeowners, and we’re just a quick call or email away. We cost more than mass market retailers, but our fixtures are designed for beauty, authenticity, and generational durability—not disposability.

We hear this from homeowners all the time:

“I don’t want to pick something that doesn’t fit my home.”

You’ve invested time, thought, and love (and money!) into your historic home. The last thing you want is lighting that feels like an awkward add-on. That’s why period-appropriate fixtures matter—they don’t just brighten rooms; they complete stories.

When you flip the switch and wonder, “Were these always here?”—that’s when you know your investment was worth it.

You’ll love working with us if:

• You’re restoring or maintaining a historic home (1860s–1960s).
• You want solid brass fixtures built for multi-generational durability.
• You want fixtures tailored to your home’s period style.
• You can plan for a made-to-order lead time.
• Your budget allows $300+ per fixture.
• You value American-made craftsmanship.

We’re probably not the right fit if:

• You need fixtures installed within days.
• Your budget is under $300 per fixture.
• You prefer contemporary aesthetics.
• You’re flipping your home.
• You’re okay replacing fixtures every few years.

If that second list sounds like you—that’s completely fine. We’d rather you find the right solution for your project than feel pressured into the wrong one.

Since 1989, we’ve specialized in protecting architectural beauty through historically accurate lighting.

How We Make Choosing the Right Fixture Easy

• We study original fixtures from landmark homes like the Gamble House.
• We reference period catalogs from your home’s era.
• We honor authentic proportions and lines for each style.
• We organize collections by architectural period for easy browsing.
• We’re here to help—give us a call! 800.577.6679

What Every Fixture Includes

• Solid brass construction
• Hand-applied finishes and personalized styling
• Lifetime warranty on materials and workmanship
• UL safety listing with multiple inspection points (and regular factory audits)
• Handcrafted in Southern California by skilled craftspeople whose work becomes part of your home’s time capsule

Investment Ranges

• Pathway lights: Typically starts at $250
• Pendants: Typically starts at $300
• Outdoor brass sconces: Typically starts at $1,000
• Stained glass sconces: Typically starts at $2,500
• Wood chandeliers: Typically starts at $5,000
• Stained glass chandeliers: Typically starts at $8,000

Typical project totals:

• Lighting for three rooms: $4,000–$15,000
• Lighting for four or five rooms: $10,000–$30,000
• Lighting for six or more rooms: $20,000–$60,000+

We’re not the cheapest option, but you’ll own fixtures your great-great-grandchildren can inherit—and lighting that genuinely belongs to your home’s architecture.

Can I finance period lighting purchases from Old California?
We don’t currently offer in-house financing. Most orders require a 50% deposit, with the balance due when your order ships.

Maintenance costs?
Minimal. Brass fixtures age beautifully and need only occasional cleaning.

Do you restore antique fixtures for a fee?
We don’t, we recommend you contact your local architectural salvage specialists or antique dealer.

Do you do custom work?

Yes. We start with a $500 up-front fee for the initial consultation and drawing. Interested? Get started here.

Do you offer trade discounts?
Yes. Designers, builders and architects can join our trade program here.

Period-appropriate lighting from a specialist shop like Old California typically costs $300–$8,000+ per fixture, with full-home installations averaging $15,000–$30,000. You’re investing in solid materials, craftsmanship, and historic accuracy—fixtures meant to outlast you and preserve your home’s story.

Big-box alternatives cost less but require replacement every few years if you want them to maintain their look.

Your historic home has already stood the test of time. The lighting you choose now helps it continue that legacy—beautifully and authentically. If you're unsure where to start, send us a few photos of your home. We'll help identify its architectural style and point you toward some appropriate options, no strings attached. We're on a mission to help historic homeowners across the country preserve and restore their homes, and that includes lighting that honors every detail—and since 1989, we've been helping people make choices they'll never regret. We can’t wait to do the same with you.

Explore our collections organized by architectural style—making it straightforward to find fixtures that belong in your home:

• Craftsman & Arts & Crafts — For bungalows and prairie-style homes
• Spanish Colonial & Mediterranean — For Spanish Revival and Mission-style homes
• Tudor Revival & Storybook Cottage — For Tudor and Fairy Tale-style homes
• Prairie School — For Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired homes

Have questions about your specific project? Contact our team.