Karl Barry is shedding new light on Prairie-style home accessories.
Barry’s “light show” includes handcrafted table and floor lamps, ceiling fixtures and wall sconces made of brass bases with different patinas topped by pagoda- or lantern-shaped, stained-glass shades.
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“People tend to like the simplicity of Prairie style and, when we added color to the basic geometric shapes, it helped to bring Prairie into the ’90s,” the 55-year-old lampmaker says of the early 20th Century design movement that has deep roots in Chicago and was led by Frank Lloyd Wright.
“When it comes to color what we do is kind of like weaving fabric,” says Barry, who works with a small staff in his Brooklyn, N.Y., studio. “We develop ribbons of color in the glass. We tend to go toward a standard, basic background pattern and then lace it with our own color selection.”
The unusual use of color is what attracted Paul Zurowski to the lamps.
“The people who are most attracted to his designs are those whose homes have a Prairie theme,” says Zurowski, co-owner of Sawbridge Studios in River North, which sells American-made handcrafted furniture and accessories. “They are looking for a lamp that is simple, but is a beautiful piece of sculpture.”
Barry’s lights sell for between $800 and $2,500 at Sawbridge Studios, 406 N. Clark St.; 312-828-0055.