Hang vintage enamel lights to add instant industrial cred to your room

If you want to update your interior to inject some industrial cred into your room – hanging vintage enamel lights is about as quick and easy as it gets. Authenticity is everything here and we don’t think you’d go far wrong if you opted for some vintage factory lights. Raw steel and enamel ceiling lights, shades and pendants will add a lovely vintage accent wherever you choose to hang them.

The end look you’re going for, and how much work you want to do, will ultimately determine which style of vintage industrial light you choose.

Inject individual character with vintage enamel lights

A true vintage enamel light shade will be made using similar methods to the original lighting that was designed to be used in factories around the time of the Industrial Revolution. As such they will be beautifully imperfect having small distinguishing characteristics – no two shades will be identical.

Enamel light shades are made of raw steel and covered in coloured enamel – typically black or white but green enamel is also a popular choice. Be sure to invest in authentic glass enamel shades rather than the cheaper spray painted versions. The enamelled light shades will last much longer, they’re virtually indestructible, won’t scratch and the colour won’t fade with exposure to UV light.

Choose raw steel industrial ceiling lights to be a true industrial stylist

Raw steel shades are the epitome of industrial lighting style. We like an odd number of these industrial ceiling lights hanging in a straight line along a room – perfect for making a statement with your lighting in a kitchen or dining room.

These will add just the right amount of metallic sheen to any room you put them in – subtler and altogether less ‘blingy’ than highly polished chrome shades. If you hunt down untreated steel shades they will age naturally over time to add beautiful authenticity to your overall industrial look.

Make a statement of your lighting with a large industrial light

If you’ve got a very high ceiling or just an open space, then opt for a large industrial light. It sounds obvious but standard-sized factory lights get lost in large spaces – and what’s the point of going to so much trouble over your lighting if nobody notices it!

Other options for large spaces are to hang an odd number of vintage enamel pendant lights in series along your room. Create a striking statement by hanging a series of large industrial lights in your room – imagine the contrast of white enamel pendant lights against a dark wallpaper background or black enamel light shades against a white painted wall. For something a little more harmonious, use raw steel against a backdrop of exposed brick or distressed concrete.

Create homely 50s vintage appeal with a white enamel pendant light

A white enamel pendant light is perhaps the most versatile enamel ceiling light you could choose. These will, in reality, play nicely in most kitchens styles from minimalist vintage industrial to kookie kitsch. If you love to bake with vintage enamel cookware – think Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen – then these are definitely for you.

Enamel pendant lights are a versatile choice for creating the vintage factory light look

In short, enamel pendant lights are extremely versatile – they come in many shapes and sizes and even different colours. They can be hung singularly or together in a line to create different effects, all perfect for achieving the vintage factory light look.

To make your vintage enamel lights even more individual, hang them using coloured fabric cable. We’ve seen white enamel pendant lights hanging over a café bar, each with a different coloured fabric cable – it added some eye-catching colour pops to the otherwise minimalist industrial-style interior.

A raw steel industrial light shade looks amazing hanging from a black and white fabric cable and a black enamel shade with a red fabric cable – really the possible combinations are only limited by your imagination.

Pair vintage enamel lights with vintage light bulbs and coloured fabric cables for truly stunning ceiling lights that will be the talk of whoever sees them.