New to Us Onion Lights

The good thing and the bad thing about living on the coast is the salt air. I love that tangy smell, there’s really nothing like it, but it does a number on metal. For a few years now we’ve been saying how we need to replace the lights on the pool house and the back door. We talked about getting new lights made or maybe salvaging antique lights.

Here’s a peek at our new to us onion lights:

Doesn’t it look so pretty out there?

Second Hand Onion Lights

I know you’re wondering the source, right?!? Well, these lights weren’t new. Our friend and neighbor, Jenna, had put them outside and was giving them away for free!!!!

Luke snapped the photo on the way to the harbor and asked me if I thought we could use a pair of these lights. To which I replied, “let me measure the area” and then a quick “yes, please!”

These lights were in such great shape. They just needed a little cleaning and my handy hubby to wire them.

Before & After

Okay, want to see a bit of the before and after. Before our pool house light was extremely rusty. This light was 7 years old and from Lowe’s.

See what I mean?

Luke wired the new light and added some silicone to seal it from weather.

Here’s how it looks hanging on the shed:

Such an improvement.

And here’s a peek of the before and after of the back light near our steps. Before:

And after:

The brass bell is from childhood and my mom used to ring it when dinner was ready and it was time for me to come home.

The nice thing about these lights are they throw so much more light because the globe is so much bigger. They are in such great shape too.

Why I Love Onion Lights

You all know how much I love onion lights. We had the one hanging in our entry made when we had the house painted. We got this one from Flemming’s in Cohasset and went with unlacquered brass so it will patina with time. Read more about our hanging onion light.

We went with seeded glass on this hanging light and here you can see it hanging in our entry:

Onion lights are very classic coastal. They originated in the early 19th century as maritime lights on whaling ships and fishing vessels. The shape protected the flame from the elements and got it’s shape from an onion, hence the name. They would have originally burned whale oil. You see them a lot in our area, on Cape Cod and the Islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Do you love this look, too? If so, I’ll include some fun sources below.

Sources

I know many of you have questions about where things are from. Below is a source list.

This post also contains affiliate links, if you purchase a product via the link I may receive a percentage of the sale. You can read my full disclosure policy here. Thank you for supporting my blog in this way.

Source List

• Door and Shutter Color – Buxton Blue by Benjamin Moore in high gloss
• Shed – originally from Home Depot, see she shed makeover, see pool house makeover
• Window box – DIY by Luke
• Adirondack Chairs – similar
• Garden Stool – Home Depot
• Onion Lights – Similar
• Patio and Stone Steps – Makeover done by Joe Truglia, read more about it.
• Hanging Onion Light – Flemming’s in Cohasset, similar
• Weathervane – Home Depot

I hope you enjoyed this post and can’t wait to hear you with think of our new to us onion lights!