How does an interior designer use barn lighting to transform a smoothie shop into a trendy, yet casually inviting vegetarian restaurant? Sasha Lanka of Sasha Lanka Design, who recently took the reins of this remodel project in Asheville, North Carolina, tells us how.

Q: What was your design direction for plant?
A: This was an extensive remodel. The building needed a lot of work, but it’s in a great location. I wanted to do something a little New York-inspired but also casual and comfortable.

Q: How important was the lighting for this project?
A: One of my goals was for the lighting to be a key design feature of the project. Choosing great lighting can make such an impact.

Q: Why did you choose to use barn lights for plant?
A: I thought barn lights fit the building and the space. They are stylish and modern but not overly formal. In addition to the exterior goosenecks that I used on the sign, I used smaller gooseneck barn lights in the bathrooms. Along with antique mirrors purchased from local shops, the lights add style to the bathrooms, and the dark green finish adds a punch of color. It was a good combination of style with the architecture.

Q: Why did you purchase your lights from Barn Light Electric?
A: Barn Light Electric offers so many options in sizes, shapes, and finishes which is ideal for designers. For example, on the exterior, it would have been complicated to move the junction box on the brick wall so I chose the appropriate size light to fit the space and the wiring. Having a variety of sizing options was very helpful. Also, buying from Europe is more complicated with the extra shipping costs and rewiring that must be done. Barn Light Electric is budget friendly too. I’m always asked by people who visit plant where the lighting came from.

Photos Courtesy of Sasha Lanka Design

Tourists strolling the streets of Asheville, which is nestled in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, now have a tasty alternative when they crave a snack. The Gourmet Chip Company opened its doors in early 2011 and offers a dozen different selections of potato chips dressed up with anything from gourmet Italian cheese and seasonings to Belgian dark chocolate and even sweet potatoes spiced with hot Cajun seasonings. It’s gourmet chips like you’ve never had!

Beckoning the customers into the building on Broadway in downtown are handsome barn lights much like our own Original Barn Light. The black powder coat finish blends well with the exterior walls of the building while complementing the hanging Gourmet Chip Company sign. The wide span of the fixture and white interior throw a pleasant, and functional, pool of light onto the doorway at night.

The owner of the Gourmet Chip Company also chose coordinating angle shade gooseneck fixtures to highlight the sign mounted on the side of the building. These lights, similar to Barn Light Electric’s angle shade, come in a variety of sizes, finishes, and gooseneck lengths to suit any outdoor signage. Inspired by the vintage porcelain RLM warehouse shades, Barn Light Electric’s fixtures are created with commercial grade steel and a tough porcelain glass finish to withstand years of weathering. While durable, these lights lend a touch of history to any space.

Inside the restaurant, which features local art on the walls and bluegrass music every Saturday afternoon, barn lights not only look good but serve a purpose in keeping the gourmet chips warm!

All of our barn lights are American made using the same quality materials and craftsmanship that was the standard almost 100 years ago. You can rest assured knowing that our lights will provide you with years of both service and satisfaction.

Interior Photo Courtesy of The Gourmet Chip Company

Ahh, the American Dream. To everyone it means something different, but we can guarantee that there is one common theme between all of our dreams. It’s all about setting a goal and finding a way to do what you love, and today’s featured customer happened to do exactly that. Originally from New York, Chris Calabrese and his wife moved to Keyport, New Jersey few years ago. It didn’t take long before he quickly grew tired of the daily commute they inherited with the move. Chris decided to put his dreams into motion and opened up a barbershop a few blocks from his home, aptly named Calabrese’s Barber Shop. A glance at Calabrese’s Barber Shop will transport you back in time. They refer to themselves as a classic, two-chair American barbershop, with scissor cuts and hot shaves being their specialty.

Keeping with the all-American vintage theme, Chris kept the décor industrial – leaving the exposed brick walls in tact and with the addition of an antique barbershop pole. The atmosphere wasn’t complete though without retro lighting to complement the old, factory feel. Throughout Calabrese’s Barber Shop, there is six of our Farm & Barn Cord Hung Pendants. This warehouse pendant light can be seen in the image to the right, and if you didn’t know any better, you may even think it was a photo taken nearly 60 years ago. These discount barn pendants have the same look of a vintage light, but come with a fraction of the price tag in many cases. Not only are they similar in design, they also remain American made, just like the famous brands from Crouse-Hinds and Benjamin Electric.

You wouldn’t expect to see great lighting solely on the interior of Calabrese’s, right? Chris also went with some of our discount sign lights to spotlight his logo on the windows (shown below). The All Weather Sign Light Angle Shade is a common choice for those looking to create a noticeable exterior to draw in business. So if you happen to be in the Keyport area, make sure you stop by Calabrese’s Barber Shop; enjoy the atmosphere while you get a fresh cut or a hot shave!

Photos Courtesy of Calabrese’s Barber Shop

By now you’re probably familiar with the work that the Extreme Makeover Home Edition team has done for deserving families. The Hall family is an all American family from Kansas and was one of the lucky families that have received help from the EMHE team. Carl Hall, patriarch of the family and former baseball star, was seriously injured in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

The EMHE team of builders and designers built a beautiful ranch home for the family, topped off with rustic and farmhouse décor from the inside out. The Hall’s new home has been equipped with an indoor basketball court and outdoor batting cages too – complete with technology for Carl to play and interact with his kids. While this is definitely a welcome addition to the handicap accessible home, the two lucky parents still needed a retreat to call their own.

Keeping with the country atmosphere of the home, the design team put together the master bedroom that farmhouse style fanatics can only dream of. As you can see, the team went all out when designing this space – filling it with antiques and even Carl’s old baseball memorabilia.

Over the bed is a huge mural reading, “Kansas Sweethearts” – and it’s the perfect term to describe the young couple. Highlighting the sign are three of our gooseneck sign lights. The All Weather Gooseneck Angle Shade was the perfect choice for playing up the sign. Thankfully, the EMHE team chose a neutral galvanized finish for each light, careful not to stray from the classic country décor.

Opposite of the mural are two large sliding barn doors. What lays behind the doors are precious memories that the couple has shared together: Carl’s days of playing baseball and even the couple’s wedding photos. They gather around a touching message from Carl to his wife. On either side of this featured wall, you’ll find our Ivanhoe™ Sinclair Porcelain Pendant lamps. Not only are the Sinclair pendants a rustic necessity, they are about as American as apple pie. That’s right, just when you thought finding affordable American lighting was an impossible task, our line of enamel lighting is low in price, but big on style!

Photos Courtesy of Extreme Makeover Home Edition

A green room is typically a backstage space for actors and actresses to wait and relax while they aren’t performing, however, if you live in Brevard County, you’re likely to think of  The Green Room Café in Cocoa Beach. It’s a small, local café specializing in healthy organic foods, primarily vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

The Green Room, whose motto is “The Goodness Within,” is truly a unique dining experience from the moment you spot the building. With a trendy storefront painted lime green and galvanized tin accents, there is no way you can miss this place! The atmosphere inside is exactly what you would expect from a restaurant like this – artsy and vibrant, just like the exterior and the cuisine.

It appears to be pretty hard to miss, even at night, but the Green Room Café wanted to cover all the bases and came to us to find coordinating sign lighting for their storefront. Angle shades and emblem shades are probably the most common choices for sign lighting; choose emblem shades for a classic, old-style look or angle shades for a modern and edgy feel. Keeping with the “look at me” vibe, they chose four All Weather Angle Shade Sign Lights in a matching galvanized finish to complement the tin metal sign backdrop. The four angle shades cast just the right amount of light onto the sign and sidewalk below, luring in anyone walking by.

These All Weather Lights are a great sollution to anything needing a spotlight, as they only require a short five day manufacturing period and have a small price tag attached. Don’t let their name fool you, these aren’t just for businesses or stores. Use them in your home to highlight a work of art, a family portrait, or place one as an exterior entry light.

For decades, Carlo’s Bakery has been a landmark in Hoboken, New Jersey – it’s even currently featured on TLC’s hit reality TV series, “Cake Boss.” Carlo’s Bake Shop is a family owned and well-known bakery featuring award winning and nationally recognized cakes and pastries. The bakery was founded by Carlo Guastaffero in 1910 and acquired by Bartolo Valastro Sr. in 1964. Today, Bartolo’s son, Bartolo Jr., known as Buddy, runs the bakery along with his sisters and crew.

The storefront at Carlo’s Bakery stands out for the same reason as its award winning cakes: a distinctly unique look with timeless appeal. Keeping with the historic Hoboken feel that the bakery has acquired, a series of sign lights were placed on the exterior of the shop. Installed only a few feet apart, the angle shade gooseneck lights focus on the etched logo below, separating the bakery’s first and second stories. And much like frosting, the Vanilla Cream finish was the perfect finishing touch to tie together the exterior color scheme!

Like Buddy, store owners utilize angle shade sign lights to preserve a style that represents small town America – a time when downtown stores were the main destination for daily shopping. From the buttercream cakes, their famous cannolis or the sign lights, every aspect of the Carlo’s Bakery pays homage to our classic American style.

On last night’s episode, Buddy and some of his crew traveled to our very own Space Cost to help honor the 30th anniversary of NASA’s space shuttle program. With the final launch only a few weeks a way and Kennedy Space Center directly across the river from our Barn Light Electric office, we were thrilled to see the tribute! Known for his over-the-top creations, Buddy and his team sculpted a five foot replica of the shuttle orbiter, external fuel tank and rocket boosters out of cake and rice crispy treats. The creation was unveiled to a crowd of thousands – complete with a proper lift off!

Photos Courtesy of Cake Boss & NASA

During an employee’s recent trip to Walt Disney World, Lauren (our graphic designer) discovered a gooseneck light like our Radial Wave Shade at an entrance to the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.

With its matching brown finish and fluted shade, this gooseneck light is “muy bonita!” The Barn Light Radial Wave Goosneck Light starts at $174 and is a popular choice for sign lighting at stores and restaurants like we show today. You can even customize it with various finishes – Disney designers chose a Cappuccino style finish but our Red or Trans Yellow would have looked muy bien also, no?

Disney is known to use light fixtures like these because they have been built with durable components that don’t require constant upkeep and maintenance. Anyone who has visited one of these major theme parks knows that a lot goes into making them look great year round! To ensure an pleasurable and memorable experience for the thousands of daily visitors, a meticulous attention to detail known as the “The Disney Touch,” is applied in each park. From the lush landscaping down to the outdoor lights, each piece must combine reliability with a visual, aesthetic appeal. It is this very distinction sets Disney apart from the rest of the world and keeps families coming back each year.

Even when you’re not in one of the main theme parks on Disney’s campus, you’ll see the same devotion to detail – for example, the photo below which was shot at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

The dock’s posts are lit with marine lighting that resemble the Nautical Marine Bulkhead Light found at Barn Light Electric. At $37 each, these nautical lights are an affordable upgrade to consider for your dock or post mount lighting at home.

The flush mount base and grid style cover resembles the first marine lights used on ships in the early 1900′s. Their nostalgic design is consistent with the Grand Floridian’s with red gabled roof and white walls which were inspired by former Victorian Era beach resorts along Florida’s east coast!

Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia is known for its great skiing trails and resorts! Unlike some, ski and snowboard enthusiasts look forward to winter storms that bring in fresh snow for the slopes. And to top a great day off, the Starbucks in Snowshoe Village is a favorite stop for skiers who need to warm up with a cup of coffee after a long day on the slopes. Day or night, visitors know where to go because of well placed sign lighting at the store’s entrance. The gooseneck lights along the top Starbucks awning resemble our Emblem Shade Gooseneck Lights sold in the Warehouse Lighting and Sign Lighting section at Barn Light Electric Co.^®.

As you can see in the photo above, the weather resistant gooseneck lights emerged unscathed by the onslaught of ice and snow from a recent blizzard that covered the roof and facade. A powder coat finish is applied to many of our outdoor sign lights and is what keeps these lights looking new year round. This style of finish is much more durable than that of conventional paint, and is what has helped these lights not fade or deteriorate by the winter storms and ice.

On a larger scale, many commercial businesses and retail stores install emblem shade gooseneck lights to catch the attention of patrons and visitors. If your storefront or business doesn’t yet have outdoor sign lights, do consider getting them – they are an affordable investment that could end up paying for themselves! No matter the time of day, gooseneck sign lights offer attractive exterior lighting styles that can be utilized for years to come.

Gooseneck arms are available in various lengths to meet the specific lighting needs of your sign or display. Barn Light Electric Co.^® sells other versions of exterior lights, including: Angle Shades, Par Lights and a larger gooseneck barn light, which is based off of the Original Warehouse Shade.

Photo Courtesy Of:  www.anacostianow.com

Are you opening a new business or restaurant? Next to permits, safety inspections and ordering product, it’s important to not forget the exterior of your building. Your storefront should catch customer’s attention and tell them who you are or what you do long before they even walk inside.

Whether it’s brick, stucco or wood, paint is the easiest way to transform your project. Unless your location is in an older part of town and requires approval from the local Historical Society, consider using some slight color as opposed to tan or white. It gives your place a fresh look that will stand out among your neighbors.

Finishing off the exterior requires placing your logo or business name above the entrance. For daylight viewing, make sure the sign is large enough for patrons to read as they drive by. You should also have a smaller version placed on storefront windows or doors for those who may walk by. You want customers to know who you are, and that you’re open for business! To help with this problem in the evening, proper sign lighting should be placed above your business name. Take for instance the photo above – this recently renovated building in Anacostia, Washington D.C., has the right idea for a sign and sign lighting. Four perfectly placed gooseneck sign lights sit ready for the next tenant. Outdoor sign lighting is an exterior necessity that welcomes evening customers into your establishment and adds a bit of architectural interest!

A variety of sizes, styles and colors are available from Barn Light Electric®. Today we feature three popular shade styles – the Emblem Shade, Angle Shade, and the Deep Bowl Shade. All three styles have the ability to be fully customized from finish choice to gooseneck arm and range in price to fit into most budgets. What will you customize for your store front?

As Shown Above:
(Top Right) 16″ Emblem Shade, Black, HL-H Gooseneck Arm, $274.00
(Middle Right) 10″ Angle Shade, 96-Galvanized, HL-H Gooseneck Arm, $239.00
(Bottom Right) 12″ Deep Bowl Shade Gooseneck, Black, 15″ Arm, $134.00

Photo Found On (Left): Smitten Design
Products As Shown (Top Right): Barn Light “The Original” Warehouse Shade, 16″ Shade, Dark Brown, HL-A Gooseneck, $247.00. (Bottom Right): Barn Light “The Old Dixie” Warehouse Shade, 17″ Shade, Black, B-1 Gooseneck, $218.00.

Barn Light Electric® has always been the home of The Original Barn Light. Unofficially coining the term “Barn Lights” years ago, we have always kept our focus on true, American made barn lighting products. Barn Light Electric® got its start from vintage porcelain RLM lights – it was the hobby of our owner that turned into the full time and successful online business that we are known for today.

Since the beginning, the most popular selling items have been our gooseneck barn lights. The growing design styles of today have begun to utilize these fixtures for not only their classic look, but for their large amount of light they can project. Gooseneck lights are ideal for storefront lighting to draw evening customers into your business or restaurant. Larger goosenecks highlight overhead signage, while smaller gooseneck lights or sconces are placed near the entrance.

Noting the photo we feature today, gooseneck lighting can also bring a traditional look back into newly constructed horse barns and utility sheds. The traditional styles of these nostalgic fixtures have become widely popular around the country, as people are searching for a way to bring nostalgic and vintage charm into their homes, businesses, or out buildings.

Two of our most popular RLM fixtures include The Original and The Old Dixie. Both shades utilize the basic styles found around the 1930′s around warehouses, factories, and farm houses. Their popularity stems from these traditional roots and has made them what they are today. The fact that each can be fully customized in color, shade size, and gooseneck style is just icing on the cake. These, and several of our other popular light fixtures also have the ability to add on extra enticing features – including jelly jar glass, cast guard units, and wire cages that all assist in giving you a one of a kind, unique fixture.