Dawn Such nostalgia! We had those in my grandparents house until the 60's, and one remained in the bathroom until the house was torn down in 1998. Thank you.

melanieeden I would love to make the switch, as our budget allows of course! :)

ikwewe I have two early 60s houses. The 1964 colonial has bone plastic oblong push button switches, just one switch does both on and off. They fit in the same kind of covers as regular flip switches. The 1963 ranch has round ivory push buttons about an inch in diameter, just one switch for both on and off. I like both. I need a couple of new ones for the 1964 house and would love to find this style.

madeleinejs I grew up in a house with these switches. Some of them were for four. The house was built in 1901 by a family that had a metal-plating business and the switches were silver plated, which was beautiful. Chores were obligatory in our family, but was allowed to choose which ones we wanted to do. The least abhorrent for me was unscrewing the switch plates and polishing them. What satisfaction when they glowed!

groveraxle Wow. I have some original push-button switches in my 1910 Craftsman bungalow. If I'd known these were available, I'd have used one when I changed out the dining room switch about a month ago. In fact, I think I'll go look for one now.

Becky Harris As a kid, I was always fascinated by these switches in my grandparents' circa 1900 tudor. My brother put them in my house when he renovated it 10 years ago and I just love the nostalgia they bring. Guests always ask about them too.

tsudhonimh Do they make dimmer switches that look like these?

jhcampolongo Our 1906 Free Classic Queen Anne still has many of the original push-button switches, and I just love them. Modern style switches were used in some places that were "upgraded" but we definitely plan to change them back, as we tackle projects.

cynthialaluna They're beautiful, but I'd have to say I prefer regular switches. You can turn the light on with a shoulder or an elbow with your arms full.

arabesque142 I used these when we built our "new old" house in 1998. They even make a dimmer switch, two, three and four way switches. People always assume we renovated an old carriage house because of these light switches.

normpo My grandmothers house had push button switches when I was a child. I have one in my house that turns on the celler lights. zzzztttttt, it's old, I hope it's ok to leave there?

amazingbob We had to rewire our 1931 Tudor Revival house. The price included new switches and outlets. We specced new push button switches. We got tons of compliments on them! People would just stand there, pushing the buttons back and forth. These are well worth the price.

grcz I was fascinated by these as a child. We replaced most of the "modern" switches in our 1920s Tudor with these pushbuttons shortly after we moved in. We have a dimmer in the dining room and also a number of three-way switches in hallways. I love the "click" the buttons make!

alwaysdesigning oh yes, our new house is having pushbutton switches. I remember them from my grandmother's cottage bungalow when I was very young. I am excited to have them go in our new arts and crafts styled country home.

Frogpuddle, In the remodeling business, I've torn out and thrown away hundreds of these push buttons. I can't say that I regret doing so. Normal toggles have it over the push buttons for utility. "Just because you're quaint, don't mean you're great!" The buttons will be regretted soon enough... something like the olive green refrigerator! ;-)

ikwewe Frogpuddle, did you ever think of passing along usable but "dated" items to a place like REStore, so people who still want these things can get them, and the proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity?

riconsd Ikwewe, I found 8 of the toggle sized push buttons, brown NIB, at Restore in Oxnard, CA. Also the architectural salvage cos. are starting to save MidCenMod, and I found NOS at older electrical supply houses. Look for the ones that were founded before 1950. The round single buttons were expensive in their time so either an electrician lived there or it is a very nice house. Best of luck in your search.

amazingbob I would have replaced the 80 YO push button switches if they were still there. I was able to get newly made push button switches from House of Antique Hardware. They also have the switch plates for them. I bought 2 dimmers to match from Amazon. The top button is on/off and the bottom is the dimmer dial.
Remember, switches can wear out. Don't just save them because they're old. It's a headache you don't need...

ikwewe Thank you, nconsd. I will check on line to see if I can find those. As for the house with the round buttons, it is an ordinary little ranch house with lots of high end details. Somebody had champagne taste. I love those round buttons! If I could find more I could replace some ordinary switches that were added after the original build.

danmatlkn You really should look at the more modern devices and wall plates at Lowes called Adorne from Legrand.
www.legrand.us

Doc Rushing As a retiree of age 72, I'm in the process of renovating my seventh old house. My present one is a 1923 Sears catalog house, a Craftsman foursquare with Prairie, Mission, and A&C details. In this pad I've replaced all the switches with push-button ones. [I've replaced also the original knob-and-tube wiring.] This is one of the coolest tricks I've ever done with any of my old houses. When I bought this pad, in 2008, about half the switches were the original push-button ones, although in various states of clunkiness and undependability. The new switches retain the absolutely correct style, yet the innards are safer than the original ones, and they meet the code and UL requirements. To maintain period and style correctness, I use the forged (rather than stamped) cover plates -- satin nickel in the kitchen, pantry, and bathrooms and antique brass in the rest of the house. I've bought all my plates and switches directly from the importer, Classic Accents (CA), in Southgate, Michigan, which supplies the other retailers around the US. CA's prices, predictably, are the lowest, and the service is superb. CA is reachable at 800.245.7742 and at classicaccents.net. [That's net, not com.] Good luck!

Alan Brookman The reproduction switches are made by Classic Accents, and are really nice. They don't have quite the same feel as the originals, however, which have a most satisfying 'thunk' as you throw the switch. I've haunted swap meets and garage sales to find the old porcelain switches, but they're quite hard to find now. You can get brass switch plates in many finishes for the push-button switches, some with a space for a Decora-style outlet. Get a black outlet to match, and you're in business for a vintage bathroom or kitchen!

perbagirl Our house is form the 1920's and loaded with them. I love the pearl inlay as it almost glows in the dark.

Francesca Oh, definitely. I am moving into a house built in the late 1800s and this would be AWESOME!

Seriously, I saw this in my email and I got jittery excited. I had these in my home that was built in 1896 (the one I grew up in). It will not only remind me of my childhood (no, I'm not that old), it will seriously belong in the home.

queencleo I am looking to buy very fancy silver or nickle wall plates. I have a single double and a triple light switches. They are not flip ups but large push buttons with dimmer/slide bar. I looked on line and couldn't find anything I like. Can anyone recommend a web site or store? Thanks on advance...Pam

riconsd Cleo, try Baldwin 5 finishes 1 to 4 openings they call them "GFCI switch plates" also search on "rocker switch plates" for more affordable alternatives.

ariel I am building an Arts and Crafts style home and am using push button switches on most of the first floor. Finding wall plates became something of a problem, as one of them needed to be 5 gang and everything I had was oil rubbed bronze or copper in various states of age/patina.

I found a raw brass 5 gang plate at Classic Accents for a reasonable price as well as a few singles and dual function plates I needed and refinished them. Quite a project! Ammonia fumed - copper salts formed using pennies in the ammonia bath, vinegar, and sea salt. Designs are done with ink stamps and then sealed with a sculptor's wax made for metal.

Here's a couple of pics - I lightened them up a bit so you could see detail. In reality, they are darker and the patterns more subtle.

ariel tsudhonimh - Yes, they make dimmers as well as low voltage. You can find them at kyledesigns.com . Keep in mind that if you are fitting a dimmer switch into a box with multiple gangs, you're not going to have room. Get the narrow (trimmed) version.

queencleo Thanks Ariel for the tip on the wall plates...Pam

brunettebohemian Grew up with these in a 1945 Spanish revival in CA. The switches were for the heater not the lights. I was told to never push the buttons because the heater might blow up! I wanted to push them but my fear prevailed. Kind of wished I'd pushed them now.

queencleo Wow Ariel, that sounds like a big project, good luck with that

mylike I don't have to switch, the original push button light switches are still in my 1920's bungalow.

ariel Thanks, queencleo. It's been... an adventure. :o)

Rachel Grace I'm so glad that everyone enjoyed this piece! @tsudhonimh they sure do make push button/dimmer switches! http://www.rejuvenation.com/catalog/products/single-push-button-dimmer-600w

Mackenzie Austin Design One of my favourite memories from the house we had when I was little...these and the crystal doorknobs :)

fredericklc I've never seen these, but find myself intrigued.

jsksss I grew up with is style & consider them old fashion which is not a good thing to me. Some styles are not for everyone, will keep my more modern switches.

jlholt Check out 'The Decorative Switch and Lighting Company' for U.K. fittings, very nice shades range & crystal light switches.

Alicia Gordon I just bought 12 from Classic Accents to put in our Master Suite! They include three-way and dimmers as well. People ask if our house is old now. Once these are in, we'll really confuse them! ;-) One thing we found is that the dimmer knob is a smidge bigger than than the on-ff knob so they don't fit in the plates sent. We'll have to drill or sand the bottom hole before painting or staining them....still can't decide if we should finish the plates like the floor (husband's choice) or paint them to match the walls (my choice).