One of the various conundrums staff has run up against during the refurnishing process has been dealin

g with the matter of lighting.

What seems like a simple issue – illuminating the interior (and in certain cases the exterior) of the home during darker hours – has proven challenging.

Shedding a Little Light on the Subject

As we discussed previously, Long Branch is currently working on implementing a multi-faceted refurnishing plan that has identified various uses (both period and modern) for the many rooms within the historic home.

In short, there are three main categories: “historic spaces,” “interpretive spaces,” and “modern-use spaces.”

This is how we’re envisioning these three areas:

Historic Spaces are those areas where, utilizing the best evidence available, we are reconstituting the furnishings and lifestyle of the period in question. For Long Branch, that’s the entry hall, parlor and dining room. The intention is to refurnish these spaces as authentically as possible – when you enter you should feel as if you’ve stepped back in time.

Interpretive Spaces are areas where a certain historic era is depicted, but attention to the historical record is not as precise, or is unavailable. For Long Branch, the bedrooms mainly fall into this category. They will be authentically refurnished, but where following a precise inventory is not feasible or necessary. In the end, the rooms must double as spaces to engage tours – and bonafide accommodations to help support site operations (i.e. lodging for guest lecturers, prep space for brides, etc.).

Modern-Use Spaces are areas that will be treated with an historic “feel” (i.e. historic color palette, window treatments, etc.) but will be designed to serve a uniquely modern purpose. In most cases, this means gallery/lecture/exhibit/event space or bathrooms.

With these categories in mind, the decision on lighting became clearer:

In the modern-use spaces, the decision was made to utilize track lighting capable of illuminating exhibits and galleries. In these areas, which are shielded from historic spaces, the priority is an excellent display environment and modern lighting fits the bill.

In our interpretive spaces, lamps and lighting common to the period of the room will be utilized. However, reproductions will be accepted along with more modern variants capable of providing both light and a “period feel.”

In our historic spaces we made a split decision. We intend on honoring the space (which meant the removal of non-historic chandeliers) and will utilize oil lamps (now electrified) common to the period, as well as candles where necessary. The decision to go electric over oil was made solely on the basis of safety.

What this also means for the historic spaces is that at night it will be far darker that most modern eyes are accustomed. Thus, for special events where the focus is not on a period experience, we will introduce some modern, temporary event lighting. We are lucky that most of the period rooms have doors in the corner of the room, providing a perfect triangular space to hide a lamp and still illuminate the space for special events. We’re also hoping to experiment with added period lighting to see if this level of extra “historic” light is enough — it’s really about experimenting to find that sweet spot.

The moveable lamps allow us to maintain our authenticity and not sacrifice illumination when modern demands call for it.

On the exterior of our home we’ve adopted a similar compromise. For more modern events, we’re hoping to employ a growing collection of solar lamps to light the path and provide some balance to the darkness of the farm at night.

But, for events where the focus is on providing an authentic experience, we’re planning on illuminating with a variety of cressets

and lanterns – all common to the period and evocative of the era. While hardly any plantation lit up like modern homes do, by using period devices we can begin to shift the minds of our guests from the 21st century to the 19th simply by switching from bulbs to candles.

Now we just hope our plan for screwing in all these light bulbs isn’t equally as complex!