The surface of a piece is essential to its character. The material and the way it is worked shape its appearance from the start, and time continues the process.

Standard Finishes

Remains lighting and accessories are available in fifteen standard finishes. Applied to solid brass and bronze, our finishes are unlacquered and intended to live and change with time. Rather than sealing the surface against age, we allow the character of the metal to continue to develop through use and exposure.

We call these “living finishes.” Their appearance will naturally evolve in response to handling, humidity, sunlight, and other environmental conditions, developing a patina that is particular to each piece and its surroundings.

Close-up of the Table Lantern design from The Commune for Remains Lighting Company collection featuring our Polished Brass finish.

Polished Brass

Close-up of a Remains Lighting Company Montgomery Twin wall sconce in our Burnished Brass finish

Burnished Brass

Close-up of the Nima Sconce from the The M.Fisher for Remains Lighting Company collection, showcasing our standard Antique Brass finish.

Antique Brass

Close-up of a Remains Lighting Company linear chandelier with cast bronze torchieres featuring our Dark Waxed Bronze finish.

Dark Waxed Bronze

Close-up of a gothic brass and milk glass pendant light with an acanthus leaf border featuring Remains Lighting Company’s Oil Rubbed Bronze finish.

Oil Rubbed Bronze

Close-up view of the Sutro Lantern designed by Hart Howerton for Remains Lighting Company, displaying our standard Weathered Brass finish.

Weathered Brass

A Globe Flush Mount fixture by Commune Design for Remains Lighting Company in our Polished Nickel finish.

Polished Nickel

A single wall sconce featuring Remains Lighting Company’s Burnished Nickel finish.

Burnished Nickel

Close-up of a double wall sconce by Remains Lighting Company showcasing our standard Satin Nickel finish.

Satin Nickel

A vintage nickel and cast bronze flush mount light fixture with Remains Lighting Company’s German Silver finish hand applied.

German Silver

Close-up of a restored vintage wrought iron andiron featuring Remains Lighting Company’s Light Pewter finish.

Light Pewter

Close-up of a light fixture with Remains Lighting Company’s Dark Pewter finish applied to it.

Dark Pewter

The Presidio Table Lamp designed by Hart Howerton for Remains Lighting Company in our standard Dark Iron finish.

Dark Iron

A row of Narcissus candlesticks designed by Remains Lighting Company in our Silverplate finish, displayed on a nicely set dining room table.

Silverplate

Close-up of a vintage bronze Louis XV andiron in Remains Lighting Company’s Verdigris finish.

Verdigris

Custom Finishes

Our custom finishes can be developed from a written description or photograph, or matched to a physical sample. All finishing is done in our Brooklyn factory, where our capabilities include filing, hand chasing, polishing, electroplating, patination, gilding, and painting.

Keeping this work in-house allows our craftspeople to develop nuanced finishes and maintain consistency across complex and multi-phase projects. Whether conserving and restoring historic fixtures or creating new work, each finish can be considered in relation to the material, design, and requirements of the project.

Close-up of a lighting design featuring a custom darkened bronze finish.

Darkened Bronze

Close-up of a light fixture with a custom black enamel finish by Remains Lighting Company.

Black Enamel

Close-up of a luxury light fixture with a high-quality satin antique brass finish applied by Remains Lighting Company.

Satin Antique Brass

Close-up of an antique 16-arm baroque chandelier in a warm aged bronze finish restored by Remains Lighting Company.

Warm Aged Bronze

A light fixture featuring a custom dark waxed bronze with gold leaf finish by Remains Lighting Company.

Dark Waxed Bronze with Gold Leaf

Close-up of a light fixture with a custom darkened burnished aluminum finish by Remains Lighting Company.

Darkened Burnished Aluminum

Close-up of a flat mount lighting design featuring a polished chrome finish custom made by Remains Lighting Company.

Polished Chrome

Close-up of a light fixture custom finished in medium antique bronze with verdigris.

Medium Antique Bronze with Verdigris

A flush mount light fixture featuring a custom rose tinted brass finish by Remains Lighting Company.

Rose Tinted Brass

Our LEED Gold-certified Brooklyn factory brings designers, engineers, metalworkers, and finishers under one roof. The character of each piece develops through the many hands and processes involved in making it.

The bronze frame of a Philip Hexagonal Flush Mount being polished in the finishing department at Remains Lighting Company in Brooklyn, New York.

Hand Finished

Many of our pieces begin as raw brass, which is cut, formed, and fabricated before reaching our mechanical finishing department. There, craftspeople work each surface by hand, whether bringing the brass to a near-mirror polish, creating a matte texture, or preparing the metal to receive a patina. This preparation is an important part of the finished appearance: the way the metal is worked affects how it takes color, reflects light, and reveals the character of the material. Each piece is handled individually, allowing the surface to be considered in relation to the form and the finish it will ultimately receive.

Thoughtful Practice

Working by hand with natural materials leaves its trace. Subtle variations in color, texture, and surface are inherent to our metalwork. The processes of forming, finishing, and patination can produce small distinctions from one piece to the next, even when they are made together. These nuances are part of the process, bearing evidence of the hands and tools involved in their making. With age and use, its surface will continue to develop individually, reflecting its particular environment.

An antique octagonal brass flush mount ceiling fixture in the patina bath.
A Remains Lighting Company light fixture being polished during fabrication.

Made to Age

Our living finishes are left unlacquered and protected with wax. Unlike a hard surface coating, wax gradually wears and diminishes with handling and exposure, rather than revealing abrupt areas of change where a coating has chipped or failed. As this protective layer recedes, the surface responds naturally to air, moisture, touch, and its surroundings. Areas that are frequently handled may develop differently from those that are not, and variations in color and tone will emerge over time. This gradual evolution is an intended part of the finish, allowing the metal and patina to gain depth and character with age.

A Study in Patina

In 2023, Remains recreated a c. 1920 exterior lantern for a Palm Beach estate. The original had acquired a distinctive verdigris surface over nearly a century of exposure, which became the reference for a custom patina developed by our artisans. The goal was not simply to approximate its color, but to capture the depth, variation, and character of a naturally aged surface.

The project received the 12th Annual Addison Mizner Award for Craftsmanship, recognizing the work involved in recreating the historic lantern and its finish.

One of the brass lantern bodies created for the Palm Beach lantern reproduction project.
A black exterior lantern body drying in towels during the manufacturing process.
A Remains Lighting Company craftsman meticulously working on an exterior lantern with a verdigris finish for the Palm Beach lantern reproduction project.
Close-up of the finished replication of a c. 1929 exterior lantern with a verdigris finish.
Finished replications of the original black and verdigris lanterns appear lit.