shelterblog

Field trip: Hippo Hardware

Last week, Jack needed a fitting for our bedroom light and was headed over to Hippo Hardware, our local outpost for salvaged house parts. I decided to tag along and see if there was anything available to round out our lighting in the kitchen now that we had chosen the two Alabax fixtures.

We'd been to Hippo several times before in years past, and I had always found the lighting department completely overwhelming. It really helped to return this time with an open mind and without my children. Bored kids + crowded shop of breakables = frustration.

Some other tips for shopping salvage:

• Ask for help. Chances are what you're looking for is tucked away on a shelf in the back or buried in some corner. When we told the salesperson we were looking for porcelain fittings (to coordinate with our Alabax fixtures), he couldn't find any, but he did dig up this white enameled fixture that we loved. We'll be using it in our mudroom.

• Use your imagination. The enameled fixture was originally paired with an ugly frosted glass and brass globe. We rummaged around and found the perfect schoolhouse shade to compliment it. There were many other fixtures that would have benefited by switching out one of the elements.
• It's okay to dicker a bit. If nothing is marked with a price, then, most likely, bargaining is to be expected.
• Return often. Inventory comes and goes daily. We really lucked out on our trip, but we could have just as easily left empty-handed.
• Take your time, poke around, enjoy yourself. You may just find something that you didn't know you were looking for. While we were waiting for our enameled light to be re-wired (which they did free of charge), Jack started looking through a box of old industrial lights and found this cage shade (originally used, we were told, to protect a spotlight). We decided it was perfect for our pantry. We'll hang it from a cloth cord pendant.

We're making great progress around here. Jack finished off the wiring this week and had it inspected. If I can ignore the great weather we're having this weekend and stay inside and get the insulation installed, we'll be moving on to great things like walls and ceilings!

Field trip: Schoolhouse Electric

Schoolhouse Electric is one of the resources that we're very lucky to have right in our own town (they also have a showroom in New York). They specialize in period lighting fixtures and shades made from the original cast-iron moulds from the early 20th century.

In our search for the perfect ceiling-mount fixtures for our kitchen, Jack and I were both drawn to their porcelain Alabax model we originally saw at Remodelista. According to the salespeople at S.E., we weren't the only ones. Julianne Moore and Maggie Gyllenhaal both called in orders for the Alabax fixture after seeing it on Remodelista.

We loved it just as much in person and not because of the celebrity endorsements. It's elegant, utilitarian and will fit perfectly in our vintage modern space.

By the time we left the shop, Jack had me convinced that the black version was the way to go, adding a little drama and contrast to our white kitchen. We've since come full circle back to the white fixture; it will reflect the light better, and we have some other tricks up our sleeve to add some contrast to the space.

Here's the Alabax in the pendant style at Portland's Ace Hotel. I thought I had seen them somewhere before.

We are super pleased that these fixtures are made right here in Portland (scroll down to see pictures of the Alabax in production).

I'll be back soon to share the salvaged fixtures that we found today to round out the lighting in the kitchen.