Tucked in between the Victorians and the 500 Club in San Francisco’s Mission district is the little workshop slash showroom of ~Meteor Lights~. I’ve been intrigued by this storefront since the first time I rolled past it, but never knew when it was open or if it was. Well, it is and it was this week, and what a score of a store to walk into!
Meteor Lights designs and fabricates custom fiberglass drum lampshades, modern pendant light fixtures, and mod acrylic lamp bases in retro, atomic, and mid-century modern styles, bringing classic ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s Americana to any space. These colorful drum and tiered fiberglass lampshades also look great with streamline moderne, tiki, vintage western, googie, biomorphic, Danish Modern, and mid century-influenced contemporary lighting styles.
–from MeteorLights.com
The shop is literally stacked to the rafters with mid-century style parchment shades in every shape, size and color. Rob, owner and craftsperson, creates shades to your specified sizes, shapes, and patterns. These are fiberglass resin parchment shades made from the same material as the original versions in the forties and fifties. Amazingly, this material can be dyed to match anything from a fabric swatch to a Pantone™ color allowing you to create exactly the look you want, in the shape, size, and quantity you need too – try doing that with vintage!
Shades range from sconces to petite lampshades to pendant fixtures complete with the electrical works. All of them have the lanyard lacing at the edges that can be as obvious or subdued as you desire. Play it up for contrast adding a retro or western flavor or keep it simple for a look of mid-century class. I love the reverse atomic 2-tier shade as a pendant fixture for living or dining room. Add a diffuser panel on the underside, or even a simple silver bowl bulb, and you’ve got a cool pendant or swag light.
Stylistically, these types of shades are an obvious choice where a vintage, or eclectic Americana look is desired. As a material, though, the fiberglass parchment has a soft, natural-looking glow that could compliment an array of interiors from an Asian-style tea room to an urban industrial loft.
By using the same parchments and similar shape of shade you can easily create a family of classic mid-century lighting and unify an assortment of lamp bases and light fixtures. Meteor Lights makes all shades to order so customizing is standard and incredibly affordable, ranging from about $40 for the sconce shields to $150 for large drum shades. Made in California!
Ph. 415-255-6700 3505 17th St #A
San Francisco CA 94110