Our New Onion Light

Growing up, I lived in an old gray cape style home with dark green shutters in downtown Andover. Our home had traditional brass onion lanterns on either side of the door and I’m so excited we to share our new onion light!

Back in the summer I shared this view of the house with more details about our freshly painted trim, shutters, and door. Later on I shared about the summer into fall window boxes, but I’ve been meaning to share all about our beautiful new onion lantern.

Here’s a closer look:

What are Onion Lights?

Onion lanterns date back to the whaling ships and shipping vessels of years gone by. They were originally designed to burn whale oil. The name comes from the shape – the rounded shape looks like an onion. This style is synonymous with classic coastal style. You will see this look on Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket) but it’s becoming more and more popular across the country.

More About Our Onion Lantern

We ordered our onion lantern from Flemings in Cohasset, which is such a beautiful lighting and home decor shop right in the center of Cohasset Village.

The shop is filled with so many beautiful lights. All different kinds – pendants, hanging, flush mount, chandeliers and more! It’s like a candy store for anyone who likes home decor. A peek inside:

The rattan pendant we got for the sunroom is from Flemings. I’ve ordered light fixtures online but I do really like seeing the proportions and the construction in person. Our onion lantern is made by Northeast Lantern and was custom made for us. Northeast Lantern has been hand making lanterns since 1987 and they actually sell online as well (in case you aren’t local or can’t get to a retailer in person). I’ll share more by them a bit later int he post.

For our lantern we went with untreated brass so it would age and patina over time and the glasses is seeded and it looks so pretty at night!

The brass is GORGEOUS.

The seeded detail so lovely:

Why I love this Light

• Classic coastal style
• It will patina naturally with our salt air
• It’s handmade by a family owned company
• It’s made in the USA

Shop This Post

Do you love the look of this lantern. Shop more like this online by Northeast Lantern.

Let’s Stay in Touch

What do you think of our new light fixture? Let me know!

Let’s stay in touch! Join our newsletter for access to exclusive content, our favorite projects, easy recipes, and fun tutorials. You’ll receive the best design secrets delivered directly to your inbox! Sign Up Here!