Tweaking the Nipple Light and a Bit of Chicago Architectural History

I don't know if it's an industry standard term, but I first heard these blah and boring lights referred to as nipple lights by a contractor five or six years ago; the name stuck, and I've called them nipple lights ever since. They're absolutely awful, and we have one in our front entry stairwell, although its days are numbered.


The Box House stairwell is dimly lit. Despite the fact that the front door has a small glass window--complete with bullet hole, I noticed the other day--and a larger window on the second level, there is not a whole heck of a lot of natural light.

In front of the doorway to each unit is an incredibly fun and funky vintage light fixture, which I'm going to deem as 1920s or 1930s Spanish Revival. They're the very first things I fell in love with when stepping inside The Box House. The lights and the original gray-and-red tile in the entry had me at hello. Unfortunately, the lights don't cast much actual light.

The light in front of the door on the second-floor unit.

A somewhat better view of the lights; this is in front of the door of the first floor unit.


Our entryway tile. The chiminea we picked up in Antigua, Guatemala, and somehow carried him all the way back to Chicago without breaking. The Indian head comes from the original facade of the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago. There were once fifty six terra cotta American Indian chiefs that circled the center tower of the Mart; they were three and a half feet wide and seven feet tall. Unfortunately, they were all removed and, according to the Merchandise Mart history page, destroyed in 1961 to put up clean-looking and modern concrete plates. We found "Chief" at an estate sale; the woman's father had been involved in the demolition of the terra cotta facade, and managed to save this piece.


Chief's original home.

The P.O.s must have felt the same way we did, that there wasn't enough light, because next to the beautiful lamp on the lower level is this brightly glowing nipple light. It does give off more light than the Spanish Revival fixtures, but it also detracts from the overall vintage character of the entryway. We found a matching one in the basement, still in its box, which leads me to believe it was purchased and installed recently. I don't know yet if it was to replace another fixture or if new wire was strung through to install it; we'll know when we take it out. Is it me, or does it just look awkward? Or maybe I have a bias against nipple lights to start with?

New and old.

I agree with the P.O.s that the stairwell does need more light. Although replacing the nipple light is hardly a priority, I found one I liked at Lighting Universe. Its twisty iron look complements the fixtures already in place, and look--it's completely flat without any weird nipple-ly things clinging to it. With a mere six-inch profile, Ted won't hit it as he goes upstairs. I ordered it today and it should be on its way!