Light after Candles and Gas at the Dusty Victorian


When walking the dogs in the evening, we often notice the houses that are lit up, top to bottom. They are the ones with children. We also notice the ones we suspect are uninhabited, always dark and sad or spooky looking. To me, lighting is the soul of the house and an excellent gage to evaluate the amount of liveliness in a home.

The ceilings at the Dusty Victorian are 10' 3" in height, which explains why all ceiling light fixtures are suspended from a chain or a rod. This makes changing a light bulb an easy task. There is a wide variety of light fixtures at the DV, a few antiques, many vintage, one is new - but whether old or new, they all are in keeping with the style of the house. When purchasing the house, we were told that some of the light fixtures had been converted from gas to electrical. You can still see the little nobs used for turning the gas on or off (now only decorative details) in the kitchen, dining and studio parlour shots.

Starting with the light fixtures on the upper level and the most glamourous one.

 South-West bedroom (Astrid's)

 South bedroom (our's)

North bedroom (guest)

 North-West bedroom/study (I'm keeping an eye open for four matching glass shades)

 Bathroom

 Detail

 Laundry room - matching pair of light fixtures

 Detail

 Servant's staircase

Coming down to the main level:

 Kitchen

 Central foyer

 Detail

 Library - Matching pair of light fixtures

 Library - Single light fixture

 Detail

 Dining room

 Studio/parlour and dining room - Matching pair of light fixture

Studio/Parlour

With the exception of the first chandelier, the light fixtures at the DV are elegantly simple to moderately ornate which is in keeping with the country setting of the house. The Dusty Victorian has a relaxed atmosphere in comparison to a city home of the same periode. From the day we first walked in, the DV felt comfortable. I think it has a good soul.