Art Deco Chandeliers, Pendants and Wall Sconces: Styles and Buying

An art deco chandelier, pendant or sconce is geometric rather than floral, and made from the materials of the 1920s and 1930s: frosted, molded or etched glass with wrought iron, chrome, nickel, silvered brass or bronze. Check a vintage fixture’s glass, sockets and canopy, and have a qualified electrician install it on a ceiling box rated for its weight.

What makes a ceiling light art deco?

Geometry and material. The V&A describes art deco, from “the roaring 1920s through to the bust of the Depression-ridden 1930s,” as “playful, luxurious, exotic, geometric, modern.” The Art Story points to the sunburst crowns of the Chrysler Building as a signature American deco motif.

Museum lamps of the period show the materials to look for. Edgar Brandt’s “Temptation” lamps, shown at the 1925 Paris exhibition, pair patinated bronze with etched glass, according to the National Gallery of Victoria. The Metropolitan Museum’s 1927 lamp by Donald Deskey is chrome-plated metal and glass, and its 1928 lamp by Walter von Nessen is silvered brass. The French chandelier pictured above, of about 1925, combines wrought iron with a molded glass bowl and matching glass shades.

Which fixture types will you find?

Art deco chandeliers, pendants and flush mounts

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The listings mix pre-owned period fixtures and new ones in the style. For a pre-owned fixture, ask the seller for a photo of the canopy and the sockets, and whether it was working when it came down.

What should you check on a vintage chandelier?

The glass first, because it is the hardest part to replace: a lost molded or frosted shade can be difficult to match. Then the metalwork: the canopy that covers the ceiling box, the chain or rod, and the arms. Last, the electrics: sockets, wires and any old cloth-covered wire should be checked or replaced by an electrician before the fixture goes up.

Bulbs matter too. The NIH Office of Research Services says fixtures carry a sticker with the maximum wattage for the bulb; old fixtures that have lost the sticker should get a conservative bulb until an electrician rates the sockets.

How heavy a fixture can a ceiling box hold?

A standard ceiling outlet box has a limit. EC&M explains that under Section 314.27(A)(2) of the National Electrical Code a ceiling box must be able “to support a luminaire weighing a minimum of 50 lb.” A fixture heavier than 50 pounds must be supported independently of the box, unless the box “is listed for the weight to be supported” and marked inside with the maximum weight.

Weigh a large vintage chandelier, or ask the seller for its weight, before you plan the installation, and give the figure to your electrician.

Art deco sconces and vanity lights

Sconces are the easiest deco fixture to live with: they light a hallway or flank a mirror without a ceiling box. If you want a matched pair, buy them together: finding a partner for a single sconce later can be hard.

Bathrooms have their own rules. EC&M’s summary of the code says fixtures within the tub or shower area up to 8 feet above the rim “must be marked for damp locations,” and those in shower spray must be marked for wet locations. Hanging fixtures cannot sit within 3 feet horizontally and 8 feet vertically of the tub rim. Check any vintage vanity light for such a marking; if it has none, use it outside that zone or choose a new, rated fixture.

Art deco wall sconces and vanity lights

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For plug-in lamps, see the art deco table and floor lamp guide. For later ceiling lights, see the mid-century guide, and for old wiring, the rewiring guide. Back to the art deco lighting guide.