When you’re deciding on lighting for your home, the options seem endless. Wrought iron lighting has been a choice for many different designs and styles over the ages and the variety of looks developed by different countries is amazing. Spain is well known for the use of wrought iron in everything from fences to banisters. From the 1300’s on, iron lamps, wall sconces and huge chandeliers were all created by skilled artisans using a technique developed in Catalonia, Spain. Some lamps were of both metal and glass and a number of hanging lamp styles had intricate tassels hanging from the bottom.
Italy is another country well known for wrought iron lighting. Villas all over the country have charming iron sconces and lamps tucked into their rooms. Modern Italian designers are still focusing on wrought iron for their lighting designs as they’re well aware that the grace, strength and beauty of wrought iron is unparalleled by other types of metalworking.
The French utilized wrought iron extensively in their country homes, pairing it with stained glass. Some lovely pieces of wrought iron lighting can be found from the Art Deco period and there are endless tales from tourists about the wonderful wrought iron lights found at the famous Paris flea markets.
Perhaps the best known country for iron lamps second to Spain is Morocco. Nearly everyone can imagine the well knows images of lush carpeted rooms with silk swathed walls and dangling lamps of intricate wrought iron and jewels. The Moroccan people also stretched leather over their iron lamps and decorated them with henna. Over time, the henna crumbles off, leaving intricate brown designs on the leather.
Many countries in Asia have also developed wrought iron lights. Large iron lamps were used on porches and wrought iron torch holders were scattered through gardens. Botanical themes and ideas like plants, insects and birds were frequently used and there are some exquisite examples in modern gardens in Asia.
Wrought iron has been used to make lamps in many different styles. From hanging tasseled lamps in Spain to Art Deco pieces in France, iron has been a mainstay of lamp making for centuries. Whatever your decorating style, there is an enduring, graceful wrought iron light fixture that will provide you with illumination for years to come.
