You do a double-take as you enter an aisle of your favorite thrift store: Is that a circa 1970 psychedelic-patterned umbrella? You snap it up, not caring if it's functional. Even if its canopy is held ...

OK, I admit it. I am a hoarder of light fixtures. Old lamps, ceiling fixtures, chandeliers—they all lend themselves beautifully to reinvention, and I simply can’t resist their promises. In this case, ...