Once Upon A Time

Era: 1920 - 1950

Related Styles: Old English / Tudor

Influenced by Hollywood films of the 1920s and an alluring idealization of "Old World" life, what we call Storybook style was a actually a creative stew of admired features culled from historic European lighting designs.

European history had became a sourcebook for fresh ideas. However, Storybook lighting wasn't driven by history as much as imagination, as architects, designers, and working stiffs alike fell head over heels for cinematic, glamorized notions of the past.

Unhindered by a guiding philosophy, lighting designers still celebrated the skilled hand of Old World craftsmen in enduring combinations of solid brass, intricate patterns, and lanterns. Rustic and romantic, these were essentially free interpretations which defied categorization under any one label but "fun."