There’s no shortage of charm when it comes to a well-placed barn light.Also known as the gooseneck light, the classic and timeless barn light has a wide variety of applications that are appropriate for just about every environment. These fixtures are so popular because they offer an all too rare combination: not only are gooseneck lights charming, but they’re also extremely functional. A variety of goosenecks are available today, including models harnessing the latest in LED technology. The result is a revolutionary twist on a widely-celebrated classic.
A Historical Look at Goosenecks
Sure, they look a bit old-world, but how old are they and where is it they come from? As the name barn light implies, gooseneck lights stem from the late 19th century, where they adorned barns across the U.S. and could also be found on other, similar structures, such as warehouses. In fact, anywhere that required a solid, weather-resistant source of light saw use of the precursor to today’s gooseneck lighting.
While barns are no longer as common a sight as they were a little over a century ago, the practicality of the design combined with its timeless appeal have made it a winner in many settings far beyond its original origins. The modern version of the barn light can be found in settings as diverse as suburban homes, store fronts, and industrial facilities.
Design and Placement Flexibility
Outside of their effortless charm, a barn light offers a huge benefit over many other types of illumination solutions in that they are extremely flexible in both design and placement. The widespread employment of goosenecks has ushered in a large amount of variations on that initial series of designs. The result is that if there’s an illumination need today, chances are there’s a gooseneck solution for it.
This comes back to the functionality of the early gooseneck designs. As the name gooseneck implies, these devices feature a craning neck that can be adjusted as needed, making illumination just an adjustment away, providing unprecedented flexibility in a wide variety of spaces, and allowing business and home owners to make adjustments rather quickly versus installing additional illumination sources or having to move the fixture.
Modern Technology Meets Classic Charm
Today’s goosenecks feature a revolutionary benefit that leaves all previous illumination technology in the dust: LED technology. With LEDs, goosenecks gain the many benefits that LED technology offers. This means considerably lower electricity bills (LEDs use only a fraction of the electricity of incandescent bulbs), longer-lasting hardware (quality LEDs last for decades), less temperature sensitivity (unlike for example florescent lights, LEDs are tolerant of temperature extremes), and LEDs run cool without producing notable heat, just as a few examples. And unlike the early days of the technology, LEDs are available in a variety of models and don’t need time to warm up before producing brilliant illumination. If home or business owners are considering adding a barn light, LED models will produce the best results across the board, adding charm and sophistication as well as ample illumination.