I don't use this word often, but there is some seriously wonderful stuff over at Portland-based Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., which just launched their new website earlier this month. The company made their name when founder Brian Faherty uncovered a cache of forgotten cast-iron molds for glass shades in a warehouse and realized they were for making old-school--literally "old school" hanging lamps that many an American public student will recognize (above, center). They were at their most popular in the first half of the 20th Century, but the NYC public school I attended in the '70s had them. Faherty restored the molds and started making them again.

That was back in 2002, and now the company has branched out not only into all sorts of lighting fixtures...

...but is also distributing a complete line of home furnishings and accessories, all with that same bulletproof aesthetic embodied in the original school lamp. The depth of what's on offer is pretty staggering and will take you a while to wade through.Look out for supercool revivals of other classics, like the beautiful mid-century IBM wall clock, below, which SES is now reproducing with the same spun steel case, domed glass cover and font from 1947. My school had those too, and through years of conditioning my heart will burst with joy every time the thing hits 3:00pm.