December 25, 2015
No matter what you own or where you place it in your home, one of the most crucial elements in creating a sense of warmth and beauty is bathing your belongings in an attractive display of light. If you neglect to improve a tepid or overly harsh display, whether it's from a lamp or an overhead fixture, you risk selling your treasures short and leaving guests with a peculiar feeling of discomfort they'll never explain to you.
While a natural inclination might be to head to any major retailer for a solution, the greater Philadelphia area has plenty of businesses where you can browse through a selection of more refined, intimate and sublime lighting. Here are five of the best local options.
120 Arch Street
Showroom at Arch Street Lighting.
With more than 100 years of experience in business, Arch Street Lighting boasts a dazzling showroom with products from more than 70 manufacturers from around the world. Owner Michael Kurland, who remade the business in 1996 and has been dubbed a "lighting historian," has his showroom filled with a beautiful selection of floor lamps, hanging fixtures and chandeliers, bathroom lighting, wall sconces, table lamps, desk lamps and outdoor lighting.
Take a Google-powered tour of the Arch Street Lighting showroom and see for yourself. All products are sold wholesale and customers are asked to call for pricing.
622 South Broad Street
Showroom at CIRO Lighting & Design.
The CIRO Lighting & Design showroom on the Avenue of the Arts offers a complete inventory of lamps, chandeliers, fixtures and ceiling fans that will give your home a brand new glow. An assortment of colorful products on display will give you a chance to visualize how different shades and angles will enhance the most prominent tones in your home to achieve the ideal ambiance.
2148 E. Tucker Street
Showroom at Antique Lighthouse.
If you're looking for a more vintage feel for your home, The Antique Lighthouse offers a vast collection of "lighting devices" from single-light fixtures to 37-light chandeliers. The business bloomed from the restoration of a 100-year-old house in 1987, including refurbished chandeliers and lamps, and by 1994 became a complete showroom and workshop to repair old fixtures and antiques.
With two full showrooms, featured items and special collections, The Antique Lighthouse boasts one of the most comprehensive selections of floor, ceiling, wall, table and exterior lights. They also carry antiques and continue to provide restoration services.
160 Delsea Drive, Sewell, N.J.
Lighting design by Lamp & Shade Works.
Across the river in Gloucester County, Lamp & Shade Works offers high-end products at the best prices through its membership with the national Lighting One co-op, which specializes in showrooms for lighting fixtures. The 5,000-square-foot showroom in Sewell features a variety of products found in the complete online catalog, which covers categories you may never have considered for illumination.
In addition to carrying furniture, parts and accessories, Lamp & Shade Works manufactures custom shades through its parent company, JOVIN Inc., which enables customers to put a personal touch on their home design project.
343 South Street
Tiffany Lion Lamp.
The award-winning Tiffany City Lighting is a must-visit destination for the eye candy alone. If you're specifically hunting for stained glass lighting, the South Street shop offers a plentiful selection of beautiful table lamps and windows that can help you take advantage of the vistas in your home that draw a steady stream of natural light. You can also browse an alluring collection of giftware, glass art and trinkets from discs and friendship balls to dreamcatchers.
