Old California's reproduction of the Gamble House column landscaping light sits on a clinker brick wall at the Lodge at Torrey Pines.

By Joshua Scheide | November 11, 2025

Every bungalow has a voice.

You can hear it in the creak of the porch rafters and see it in the grain of the woodwork. The right light doesn’t just illuminate your home— it reveals that voice. Get it wrong, and something always feels off.

At Old California we've been handcrafting historic fixtures for nearly four decades. We've studied period homes, reproduced originals and built our own designs using inspiration from period catalogs.

We'll make sure you get it right.

Here’s what you’ll know by the end:

• The origins of the Craftsman look in lighting
• How to identify Craftsman lighting at a glance.
• And where to find fixtures that make your bungalow feel the way it was meant to.

In late-19^th century England a handful of designers had had enough of Victorian excess—the lace, the clutter, the machine-made sameness. Not only were they upset by the factories churning out the same thing one after the other, but they had also had enough of the workers themselves being turned into mere cogs in the machine of the factory system.

They looked to the medieval European guild system as a utopian antidote to this inhuman system, and believed beauty and morality were linked: if you could see the maker’s hand, you could trust the work.

That’s the heartbeat of the movement that birthed this style. Every rivet, every mark, every piece of construction says, “Someone’s elbow grease created this piece of my home.”

Imagine flipping a switch for the first time in 1905 and flooding your parlor with raw electric light. Some people just plain hated it; many were scared it would blind them.

Arts & Crafts architects and designers humanized it rather than fighting the new technology. They used materials that diffused the new glare into a warm glow. And they rejected the one-fixture-in-the-ceiling idea, instead spreading light at human scale— a lamp beside the chair, a sconce at eye level, a pendant low enough to make conversation feel intimate.

In short, they brought back the pools of firelight humans had known for millennia.

Light didn’t dominate a room. It belonged.

Here's George Leland Hunter's opinion on the matter from his 1913 tome ‘Home Furnishings’:

·     Craftsman light fixtures that have stood the test of time—and therefore define how we understand the style today—were usually made from solid brass or copper.

·     These metals develop a natural patina over time.

·     The makers often hammered the metal to add texture, depth and a level of tactile pleasure—run your fingers over a piece to feel its tiny irregularities, tool marks and other evidence of work.

·      These metals have heft. If you pick it up and it surprises you, you’re probably holding a piece that will last (or has lasted) for generations. Plated metals that will corrode lack that weight and sound tinny when you tap them.

·   Mica—often amber but also other natural colors like silver—was one of the main materials of choice. Incredibly thin sheets of the mineral were shaped to the fixtures and cause a diffuse, warm glow.

·   You’ll also see abundant use of hand formed art glass in a variety of golden tones to create the desired gentle, warm glow. One fun color common to the era was bright green glass, sometimes called frog skin green because of its undulating patterns.

·   Glass was often seeded, meaning it contained a multitude of tiny bubbles that helped scatter the light and was further evidence of its handmade nature. If you see perfectly uniform glass, you’re looking at machine work which is more appropriate to other architectural styles.

·   Some makers had a love affair with iridescence, applying a thin rainbow layer to the outside of their fixture’s glass elements.

·   Quarter-sawn oak was the workhorse of the Arts & Crafts movement. Its ray-fleck pattern (often called tiger striping) is instantly recognizable.

·   Quarter-sawn oak is also more dimensionally stable than other cuts, meaning it won’t warp as much over decades.

·   Wood is finished to reveal, not disguise, the grain. This means it’s stained, not painted.

·   It’s worth noting that sourcing quarter-sawn oak has become more challenging recently. The issue isn’t a lack of trees as much as fewer sawmills producing the cut.

·   Some higher end fixtures were made using Honduran mahogany. Much like quarter-sawn oak, Honduran mahogany is harder to come by these days, in this case because we’re losing the old growth forests. Contemporary makers often use sapele (suh-PEEL-ee) instead, which has similar characteristics. You may see it called ‘African mahogany.’

These architects and designers were drawing inspiration from medieval Europe and medieval Japan in their design and construction methodologies. What does that mean? Among other things: make the construction visible. Highlight the joinery.

Rivets, pins and brackets weren’t hidden behind decorative panels, they were featured as part of the design vocabulary. The transparency about construction is fundamental to the philosophy of the movement—proof of the maker’s hand. If a fixture is hiding how it was made, what else is it hiding?

• Squares, rectangles, and simple lantern “boxes of light” form the backbone of Craftsman design.
• Grid patterns (like nine-square layouts) add structure without fussiness and echo the lines of a bungalow’s architecture.
• Curves appear when the design needs them—gentle arches, subtle swings.
• Geometry is often created with metal filigree laid over the panels of glass.

• Nature’s forms are simplified into geometry—leaves, branches, and pinecones become stylized rather than literal.
• The classic Arts & Crafts rose—sometimes called the Hunter Rose and other times the Mackintosh Rose—suggests petals through abstracted shapes, not Victorian realism.
• Common motifs: oak leaves and acorns, ginkgo trees, wisteria, pinecones, grape clusters—always interpreted, never imitated.
• Like the geometric patterns, natural scenes and landscapes are created using metal filigree laid over the fixture's glass panels.

• Masculine: rectilinear geometry, darker finishes, heftier proportions, and minimal decoration.
• Feminine: lighter finishes, softer curves, slimmer proportions, and more nature motifs—still within a geometric framework.
• Both are historically correct; your home’s character and your personal preference dictate which direction feels right.

• West Coast: lighter, airier forms with Japanese influence—exaggerated horizontal lines, negative space, pagoda-like rooflines, and shoji-inspired patterns.
• East Coast: heavier, more English Arts & Crafts influence—substantial construction, grounded proportions, furniture-like presence. You’ll see much more hammered copper and mica in these variations, hearkening to their interpretation of medieval Europe.
• Matching your home’s regional feel helps create visual coherence, though mixing styles is beautiful and eclectic when done intentionally.

‘Arts & Crafts’ shouldn’t technically describe a style at all, but rather any piece of work that grew out of the philosophy behind the movement. Over the decades, though, the term ‘Arts & Crafts’, and its relatives ‘Craftsman’ and ‘Mission Style’, have been diluted into describing a visual style. And since that’s the dominant understanding now, that’s what you’re going to need to work with when you’re looking for this style of lighting.

Here are the three related-but-not-identical terms marketers tend to use interchangeably, and what they often mean when they use them:

• Arts & Crafts Style: A look closer to the late Victorian era with more ornament and florid design, like the work of the William Morris.
• Craftsman Style: A more modest form and look using simpler shapes and design but maintaining some level of ornament in its construction.
• Mission Style: This was a misnomer marketing term that managed to stick around, and now generally means the simplest, plainest possible look and a complete lack of ornament.

None of these terms is totally right, and none are totally wrong, but you’ll find them all when you’re on the hunt for your lighting.

Authentic Stickley, Limberts, Roycroft, or Greene & Greene pieces represent actual history with unquestionable design integrity.

Finding them can be difficult, and it will be comparatively expensive. If you find an authentic piece in restorable condition and can afford both purchase and proper restoration, you own something irreplaceable. Just know that ‘authentic antique’ and ‘practical for daily use’ don't always align.

Where to find these:

• Reputable auction houses like Sotheby’s (who has an American Furniture, Decorative Art & Folk Art section)
• Reputable salvage companies like Pasadena Architectural Salvage
• Your local antique dealers

A whole host of manufacturers and artisans exist who support historic homeowners, including lighting specialists. Well-made reproductions make historically accurate designs accessible and functional. Companies specializing in reproductions study original fixtures, understand period construction, and use appropriate materials.

This is the kind of work we do at Old California. This is also what most historic homeowners actually need: authentic in spirit and construction, reliable in contemporary function.

Where to find these: see the list of our favorite makers.

These fixtures dominate big-box stores. They understand superficial elements—geometric shapes, dark finishes, amber-ish glass—but they don’t honor the spirit of the movement, as they’re usually spit out by machines. They usually feature thinner materials that won’t prevent corrosion and acrylic finishes that will chip easily. Sometimes they come with acrylic panels as well instead of glass to diffuse the light. Best for homeowners who like the look but are on a tight budget or don’t plan to stay in their home for long.

Where to find these: Search for ‘craftsman style lighting’ or ‘mission style lighting’ at online warehouse-style retailers or walk into your local lighting showroom.

You’re ready.

You can walk into any showroom, scroll through any online catalog or browse any salvage yard and immediately understand what you’re looking for. Not only ‘Is this Craftsman?’ but also ‘What kind of Craftsman do I want for my home?’ Something a little more masculine or feminine? A little (or a lot) more West Coast or East Coast? Hammered copper or patinaed brass?

When you find the right piece and install it in your home you’ll feel it—not just see it. Your rooms will soften with glow instead of glare. Your house might even feel like it can finally exhale—and you along with it.

And if you’re still unsure?

Send us photos of your space and links to a few fixtures you’re eyeing. We’ll give you honest feedback—no pressure, just guidance from folks who love this style as much as you do.

Because when you find a good fit the light feels warmer, the space grounded. In short, it just feels…right.