A Lamp for Reading

Oh, hello you. And, hello weekend. There's nothing like Spring Break and some lingering illnesses to make a girl lose her recent blogging momentum. Whew!
Let's talk about lamps for a minute. Several years ago the professor stumbled on a mid-century mahogany table lamp at the university's surplus property sale. The lamp was actually in the discard pile but the man in charge gave it to my husband after he expressed an interest in it. {You can see it in the photo above; it lives in our living room.} A little research revealed that the lamp was made by Nessen Lighting, a manufacturer of high-end light fixtures and the creator of the original swing-arm lamp design.

Since then we've been passively hunting for a vintage Nessen swing-arm wall lamp. From a cost standpoint, to purchase a new Nessen lamp is a bit like buying a nice piece of furniture... which is not budget friendly... which is why we have to rely on discard piles, thrift stores, and ebay for our Nessen purchases. Several months ago the professor finally found the right one at the right price on ebay. It was chrome with a teak wall mount, it was missing the shade, and it was cheap.

The professor worked with a lighting company in Atlanta to replicate the original lampshade for our "new" lamp. While a custom lampshade sounds lavish this was, by far, the most cost effective way to go. Apparently, Nessen thinks pretty highly of their lampshades as well as their lamps.

The professor installed the new lamp a few weeks ago and, lucky for me, it's on my side of the bed! We are both delighted. It's a simple, classic lamp that casts a lovely light in our bedroom. I've been curling up every night to read in its warm glow.
As for what I'm reading, I thought it might be fun to share...
I have three favorite books that are always are my nightstand; I never tire of them and their beautiful photographs always inspire me. They are, The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket, Atomic Ranch Midcentury Interiors by Michelle Gringeri-Brown {this one helps me keep the vision in the midst of our home renovations}, and Heart of a Small Town: Photographs of Alabama Towns by Robin McDonald.
In addition, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson has kept me up late laughing for the past few nights and I'm enjoying The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois, a book that Big Brother recommended. I love that he is old enough to make a book recommendation to me! I've also been slowly reading through all of L.M. Montgomery's Anne books since early fall; right now I'm in the middle of Rilla of Ingleside, but, obviously, that one's on hold for the moment. I think one of the pleasantest ways to end a day is with a good book and a cozy place to read.