Using Stained Glass Windows in Your Home

Recently while browsing through the inventory in my barn, a client commented on a large stained glass window I have for sale. “It’s beautiful”, she said, ‘but what do people do with them?” If you’ve ever wondered the same thing, the answer is simple: hang them! I have stained glass windows all around my house. - At last count, I think there were eight. Old stained glass windows can be hung from almost anywhere using eye hooks and a length of chain, purchased at your local hardware store. You can hang them, as I do, in their distressed state, exactly as they came, salvaged from an old building. Or, like my friend Cindy, you can strip and repaint their frames so that they look like new. Either way works, it’s up to you!



This large window hangs in our bedroom.  I love its gracefully curved bottom.

 When hung in a window, they create wonderful patterns of colored light as the sun shines through them. If you’re living in condo or home that lacks crown molding, chair rail moldings, built-in cabinetry, or other architectural details, stained glass windows can provide instant interest to otherwise plain walls. They make a great statement as architectural art.

This large window is from an old church.  It hangs in our kitchen year-round. I love that it has a Christmas wreath motif since our property is named "Christmas Tree Farm".

Larger windows, or two or three small ones chained together, hung from the ceiling can even create a room divider in an open space that you wish wasn’t quite so open. Another option is to do what my sister Jenna did: she had a contractor build a stained glass window into an interior wall of a small bathroom in her house. Her contractor built a light box behind it, giving the illusion of a window, where a real one wasn’t possible. My daughter’s bedroom has three windows, and for her, I was able to find three matching stained glass windows, one to hang in the upper sash of each window. The possibilities are endless, So, the next time you see a beautiful old stained glass window for sale, give it a thought!