Architecture

“There are three forms of visual art: Painting is art to look at, sculpture is art you can walk around, and architecture is art you can walk through” ~Dan Rice

Almost as well as we are known for lighting we are known for reclaimed and salvaged architectural pieces. The list of items we have in the store is numerous. We'll just brush on a few in this post though as it could go on forever if we started to list everything.

One of the most popular is the windows. Great as accent pieces or for painting on or to make into frames to hang on the wall. We have multi-pane windows, leaded and bevelled glass windows and of course stained glass windows. The old windows can be of great use in decorating or refinishing furniture. Leaded glass windows go great in cabinets and doors.

After windows comes the doors. The old doors have a load more character then most new doors. From rustic to elegant we have hundreds of doors in many a variety.

Old barn doors, butler doors, old office doors, five panel, screen doors interior or exterior and of course french doors. They can of course be used as doors but they all could be made into headboards or hung on a wall. Used as separators or even sand blasted and mounted on the walls as paneling.

Of course above the doors they used to have the classic headers. Usually Oak or Fir these great pieces of wood made doorways a lot more attractive then just having your standard trim around the door. Not only are they good for above a door they can be great for attaching hooks to and then attaching them to a wall for hanging your jackets and hats etc. We've got all the supplies necessary to undertake this project and even a few hints for making it more functional. To see what we mean though you'll have to come down and check it out.

Now for one of my favourites. The tin ceiling tiles.

Once used a lot on ceilings in restaurants, cocktail lounges and hotels these guys class a place up in a real hurry. Or if you leave the old ones in their rustic condition they add a good deal of texture to a room. We have both new and old tin tiles. Here's a sample of how each look respectively.

New

Old

We have a large selection of the old and new tiles but as we are no longer ordering the reproduction tiles if you are looking for the shiny look hurry down and grab up some of the last few.

Courtesy of the Greeks and Romans next up are the pillars and posts. Good for inside or out. We have your classic white pillars to painted veranda posts. One of the first pieces of serious architecture pillars look great in almost any setting.

On of the great centres of old houses are the fireplaces and mantles. They were once used for everything from heating and cooking to a source of light. It's no wonder people wanted them to be a standout piece of architecture. We not only have mantles but we have fireplace inserts and surrounds. From coal to the electric...

Two great mantles in this shot one nested in the other. Not to mention the insert and the andirons.

Matching pair of old coal burning fireplaces.

We'll end it here for now. Our stock goes on and on so it's impossible to list everything. To give it a shot though I didn't even touch on the massive collection of hardware we have from Doorknobs and mortise locks to glass and brass pulls for drawers and cupboards. Plumbing hardware from faucets to towel rods to spare claw feet for tubs not to mention the tubs themselves. We also have old grates and registers that are excellent for restoring old houses or re-purposing. We also have many other pieces of rescued wood from flooring to trim to baseboards to dentil moulding.

To end it off we'll throw in a few snap shots of our buildings architecture. It's a great old (1901) building...

From elevators to stairs we've got it all in this ol' building.





The old beams are massive and always draw the attention of new comers to the store.

Thanks for coming back again folks and we hope to see you in the store over the next few months. As the seasons and holidays change so will our store setup, come down and check out what we're doing!

New Fall Look

With the change of a season we try to do some major revamping here to make things look and feel appropriate for the coming season and holidays. With fall here the staff and vendors at the Old House have done some revamping and reorganizing. If you are looking to decorate for the season come on down and check out what idea's and items we have to help you out. Painting windows is a great way to create your own custom decoration for any season. Paint a pumpkin, spooky cat, or a creepy night scene on one for Halloween. See the image above for an example.

We've been going for the more open approach to how we are organizing things on the main floor right now.

It's brought a nice feel to the place. Of course you still will have to hunt around to find the goodies. We like to use the colour and arrangement of the vignettes to bring a feel to the House. So we have started using the darker colours and setting up the dinning room tables to bring the feel of the holidays into the air.

Fall also means back to school of course. Kids are now back in school they've got most of their school supplies classes are getting into the thick of it.

If you are a college or university student trying to set up a new living space and need a few things come down and check out what we have. You may not think of an antique store as a place to find your furniture but we have some great old pieces and we like to keep our prices affordable for everyone. Not only does the older furniture have more character but it is sturdier and will last you longer then just your time at school. It will be a piece you can take with you into your first house and your last house. Something you can sit around the fireplace and tell your grand kids about.

Not only have we been having fun down here on the main floor but upstairs the vendors have been having some fun too. There is a new vendor on the second floor with some awesome stuff she has now set up her space and got most of her stuff in. The space is lookin great with a bit of a retro vibe.

We had another existing vendor do a major revamp of her space with a new cupboard and lighting set up that looks great.

Of course as soon as we take these pictures the scene tends to change so come down and check out what's new for yourself.

Last but not least I always like to have a piece of lighting in here as it is our specialty and I love it. This weeks piece is a combo light and stained glass made by our own Dick Turnbull. It's a wonderful piece and the hours of work he poured into really shine in it's exquisite nature.

It's a great way to enjoy stained glass without having to have sun shining through it. The design is just wonderful and the colour pallet is awesome. This light would go great in a foyer or front hall, living room or dinning room. Pretty much anywhere everyone will see it.

Closed Sunday & Monday of the Long Weekend

Hi folks just a little note that we will be closed Sept 5th and Sept 6th of the long weekend. We open again at 11:30 Tuesday morning. To tie you over a large picture packed post of lighting will be going up soon so keep an eye out for that.

A New Angle on Lighting

"Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation."
~ James Turrell

Hello again folks, we often say it is our specialty, even though the business has grown to encompass so much more now, I'm speaking about antique lighting of course. We have a good selection of it here at The Old House.

Not only do we have lovely old lighting in brass and glass with wonderful patinas and the like but we have an amazing vendor upstairs named Pauline who does absolutely stunning work with all things lit. She Revamps old chandeliers giving them unique style and colour.

Creates and paints wonderful lamp shades.

It's the use of texture and colour that I like most about her work I think.

The lamp shades have wonderful rough textures with vibrant colours while the chandeliers have nice smooth textures and consistent solid colours that pop and make the fixtures stand out.

She doesn't stick solely too the electrical either she has a few nice candle holders that she has constructed.

Not only does Pauline have some wonderful stuff but there are of course other vendors who have some interesting pieces.

On the main floor in our stock we have a ton of everything lighting related from sconces...

to shades, spare crystals and parts...

Lastly I'm just going to finish off with some photos of our lights that I took. I love the lighting so I have snapped many a photo of the lights. Some are artsy some are utilitarian. Either way take a scroll through and enjoy.

Just a few of our school house shades and fixtures.

Cute little cherub resting on a lovely lamp.

Beautiful brass mission style fixture with original antique slag glass shades.





Unique shape of school house fixture.



Macro shot of some patina on an old brass fixture.



Another macro patina shot.



Cute little missionesque style hanging lantern fixture.







Some very unique lamps done up by Pauline.



Stiffel lamp with new shade.

We have so much lighting I couldn't even begin to showcase it all here but it gives a taste. If you are looking for a new fixture or replacement part or shade come down and take a look at what we have.