styling w/ lighters

Some of you are going to think I’ve lost my mind, a lighter as a styling item? Forget the disposable ones you find in a pack of 3 and instead think of vintage desk lighters. Look at that beautiful green glass lighter at the top. I found it today while looking at local estate sales and yes I placed a bid on it. Do I have a place in mind for it? No, absolutely not. But it’s a tried and true styling item for me. 

I use them to light candles and they’re refillable so can be used indefinitely. Best of all this utilitarian item is too pretty to stash in a drawer. Most often I place them on cocktail tables or in hostess trays, trays I set up for a homeowner to stash things they need to quickly find if a guest comes over. They’ll of course work on a bedside chest, near your bathtub candles, in the kitchen, or on a bar cart.

While there are collectible brands and artists, I don’t buy these as investment pieces and concentrate on what I like and generally keep a $50 budget when buying for future use. Be sure to check out the smaller handheld versions too as some of them are quite handsome as well. My favorite sources are estate sales, vintage malls, and eBay. 

Here are a few that recently caught my attention. Do you have a favorite or use one yourself?