Let there be light, ugly light

I went over today to let in the oil furnace technician so we could decide whether to keep the oil heating system or convert to gas. Fortunately, the furnace is in good working order so we'll stick with it for now. While there, I snapped a few more photos. As promised, here are some of the fun features this house has to offer.

As you enter the foyer, you can't help but be struck by the original light fixture that Rejuvenation only WISHES they could get their hands on. Behold....


The brownish branch-like design appears to be made of real leaves... or old discolored crepe paper. Hard to say. My husband actually wants to keep this fixture as an homage to the era.

Next up, the plastic panels between the stairway and hall. They were obviously designed to let in light, but they are so flimsy I can't believe nobody has fallen through them in the 43 years they've been there. We will be removing them and adding a railing. (If you want to let in light, why not just go all the way?)

This isn't the only place in the house that plastic panels were used as an architectural feature. The hall bath and master bath share a wall, but neither has a window. So in another obvious attempt to 'bring in the light,' a square of plastic with a design reminiscent of the foyer swag lamp was inserted between the two bathrooms. Awkward.