Wed, 22 May 2013 13:56:52 +0000 en hourly 1 Mon, 20 May 2013 11:18:55 +0000
Here at Scofield Lighting, we are known for making incredible custom historic lighting. We can replicate an existing design, research to find out the appropriate historical context for a certain setting and even create entirely new designs suitable for an older building that has been restored. Our custom process works to ensure that we're creating fixtures with a focus on quality and beauty that's befitting of your design vision and the historic building that you're working on.  Recently, we completed the chandelier for the Deep River Town Hall auditorium restoration project. The undertaking meant quite a bit to members of the Deep River...]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 03:15:56 +0000
For many years, the town of Deep River, Connecticut, has been hard at work revitalizing their town hall and offices. The historic building has served many purposes for Deep River, including a post office and storefront space. At one point, it even housed the town morgue in the basement. However, the second floor of the beautiful flatiron building has always been an auditorium. For 70 years, students at Deep River High School used it for dances, plays and assemblies, as the building where they attended class did not have one of its own.  Though this stopped in 1952 when Valley Regional...]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 08:53:04 +0000
No matter where you're from, there's something undeniably charming about the Southern-style porch. For most of us, the simple idea of a porch conjures thoughts of rocking chairs, lemonade and hours of luxury spent in a cool breeze that breaks up an unforgivingly hot afternoon. These days, this type of porch can be found anywhere in the world, and will always have the same welcoming effect on people in the neighborhood.  Now that it's May, we're moving into prime porch season, and many people will decide to spend some of their leisure hours outside, enjoying the fresh air but staying in the...]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 05:55:47 +0000
The New York chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA NY) holds numerous forums focusing on all aspects of design including commercial, contract, hospitality and residential each year. Interior decorators look forward to the residential forums as they provide an inside look at certain aspects of the industry for professionals in the area. These are wonderful places to network and learn something that you can put to use in your business and in everyday life. Last night, the association held an event at the Baccarat Lighting showroom in the D&D Building called Illuminate Your Design.  The forum focused on the various...]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 04:11:24 +0000
Constructed at the height of American opulence, the Andrew Calhoun Estate sits demurely within the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. And though it is formally named for the real estate man who commissioned it, most people know it by a different nickname: The Pink Castle. So named for its lovely exterior in pink stone, the house was constructed by locally renowned architect Philip T. Shutze.  At the time of its construction, it was very fashionable to build Italian baroque houses in Atlanta, and the house was immediately considered to be among the grandest homes in the South. Though it cannot be verified, it...]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 16:26:00 +0000
In a recent Slate article, writer Gabrielle Lipton shrewdly pointed out that many of the legends about the great Sands Point mansion called Lands End being the inspiration of Daisy Buchanan's house in "The Great Gatsby" had to be false. But if anyone has proved to us that sometimes the legend turns out to be more important than the truth, it was Gatsby himself. Therefore, today, we will be discussing famed newspaper man Herbert Bayard Swope's house in further detail.  We know from Fitzgerald's scribblings that the kind of lavish parties thrown by his elusive central character were in fact based on the...]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 02:58:18 +0000
Famed Fitzgerald scholar Matthew Bruccoli established that the scenery was perhaps the most important aspect of the American novel "The Great Gatsby," as the author used the word "house" more than any other in the book, a total of 95 times. This was wisely pointed out by Gabrielle Lipton, who wrote on the incredible homes in the real life towns that were the basis of East Egg and West Egg for Slate earlier this week. In her hunt for evidence of the real life houses the famed American author pictured as he was writing his book, Lipton uncovered the fact that F. Scott...]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 15:18:53 +0000
In the days leading up to the high-profile release of the much anticipated "Great Gatsby" remake, we are taking a look at some of the real-life Long Island mansions where beloved American author F. Scott Fitzgerald drew his inspiration for the classic novel. Yesterday, we featured Harbor Hill, the McKim, Mead and White-designed site of numerous legendary parties that may have served as an inspiration for the author's desired title for the novel. The home's financier owner once hosted a party so lavish that it's still being talked about today, and decorated his house with an enormous American flag made out...]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 14:43:02 +0000
With "The Great Gatsby" remake scheduled to hit movie theaters around the world later this week, hardly anyone in the design world can wait to feast their eyes on what's sure to be quite the spectacle. The classic tale of American wealth and excess is treasured by many of us for its incredible descriptions of the roaring 20s lifestyle actually lived by many people at the time - as well as the tragic ending that reminds everyone that periods of economic prosperity always come to an end.  Told from the point of view of comparatively sober narrator Nick Carraway, we get...]]> Thu, 02 May 2013 06:36:03 +0000
A woman whose name is still synonymous with class, style and fashion, Coco Chanel created one of the most iconic brands to ever walk down the runway. During her time, she was its best advertisement for her own designs, carrying herself exactly the way that every woman who wears Chanel hopes that she will.  But that doesn't mean she grew up with a silver spoon. The story of Chanel is inspiring, as she was raised in orphanages, and picked up sewing when she was taught it as a skill. But the directors likely did not think that she would go on to...]]>