The city of Denver is 163 years old and is home to a number of historic buildings. Throughout the Mile High City, you can find beautiful old churches, historic homes, and a number of buildings constructed in the late 1800’s. Many of these old structures contain stunning examples of stained glass that come to life in the sunlight and cast dazzling rays of color throughout the room. They are a beautiful tribute to Denver’s culture and history, helping to illuminate the past and connect it to the present. Below, we’ve shared some of our favorite stained glass installations in Denver. Read More

Stained glass is a lovely artform as anyone who goes to church or lives in a Fort Collins home that has it knows. The way it refracts the light is simply gorgeous and for believers, it can be downright ethereal.  In ways that have what contributed to the success of stained glass from the very start. It was beautiful but significant on a spiritual level as well.  This goes for the colors on stained glass as well. While these colors, of course, made up the overall artistic look in a stained glass window–they also meant something spiritually to those viewing.  For the poor this often meant understanding the text of the gospel they couldn’t read. For the rich–these colors reflected a way to live a better life. Read below to find out what each color stood for to both.

Stained glass colors symbolism

Red: As a representation of the blood of Christ this color often indicated strong emotions.  Things like love or hate were commonly associated with this color in stained glass. Also suffering and sacrifice from both Jesus and the martyred saints.

Blue: This color often symbolized heaven.  As such it also translated to representing hope, sincerity, and piety. The Virgin Mary is often seen wearing blue as a result.

Green: As the color of grass and nature green is an indication of spring and growth.  It accordingly represents rebirth, life and life over death in stained glass. It can also be a symbol of faith, immortality, and contemplation.

Yellow: Sometimes this color symbolizes treachery like that of Judas.  However, it is more common to see it used as the halo of saints and the Gates of Heaven.  In this context, it symbolizes divinity, power, and glory.

These are the colors most seen and stained glass in churches.  Next time you see a stained glass window hopefully you will have more insight into what the artwork means below the surface.  For more information on church stained glass contact us Scottish Stained Glass in Fort Collins today!

There is perhaps no type of stained glass more well-known than Medieval Stained Glass. The Medieval period was not only when stained glass reached its highest popularity, but also when it evolved the most.

Artists of this time developed valuable solutions that became forever important to the future of glassmaking. Without these crucial developments, stained glass windows as they are today would not exist. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Medieval Stained Glass and its evolution.

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If you’re looking for fine architecture, look no further than historic hotels. Though decades old, these buildings are home to some of the most beautiful artwork, furniture, and architectural designs in the world. And they’re the perfect place to find examples of historic stained glass to inspire your remodeling project in Salt Lake City!

Stained glass is the easiest way to create an instant vintage look for any room. Whether you’re remodeling your kitchen, bathroom, or church, it’s definitely an addition you should consider.

Here area few of our favorite examples of historic hotels with stained glass from around the world.
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Everyone knows about the beautiful stained glass windows in historic churches like Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, and the Chartres Cathedral. But hardly any attention at all is given to historic hotels with stained glass. This is an unfortunate oversight, since some historic hotels contain stained glass windows extraordinary enough to be considered masterpieces.

Stained glass is a natural choice for hotels. (Even here in Houston, we have more than a few hotels with stained glass.) It instantly elevates the look of any room, and its crystalline appearance is reminiscent of precious metals, jewels, and diamonds. It’s no wonder that it’s found its way into so many hotels over time. Still, nonetheless, these hotels have gone above and beyond to make their stained glass extra special.

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As an owner of a historic storefront property here in Fort Worth and want to update it while maintaining its original character, the department of the interior has some sage advice.

According to the NPS website you should

1. Become familiar with the style

2. Preserve the storefront’s character 

3. Avoid the use of materials that were unavailable when the storefront was constructed

4. Choose paint colors based on the building’s historical appearance.

Along this vein is the adding stained glass to your storefront window is a way to accomplish a number of things–beauty and authenticity.  This is because commercial establishments in the 18th and early 19th centuries were typically on the ground floor of buildings.  This made it difficult for retail establishments to stand out from their residential neighbors. Commercial spaces began implementing large bay or oriel windows made up of numerous small panes of glass set the shops apart from their residential neighbors.  In the early 20th century the use of decorative stained glass transom windows set off a trend of displaying the presence of a commercial/retail space. Therefore, using this same glass today in your historic storefront is about as authentic as it gets. 

Stained Glass Styles That Work Well For Historic Storefronts

Which style of stained glass you use for you Fort Worth historic storefront is really up to you–and there are a lot of styles to choose from.  However, in order to preserve the authenticity of your store’s appearance you may want to go with a stained glass style that was popular around the time your historic structure.  Below are some suggestions

For stores built in the 1800s:  Victorian Style Stained Glass, Gothic Style Stained Glass, Mackintosh Style Stained Glass

For stores built in the early 1900s:  Greene and Greene Style Stained Glass,  Art Nouveau Style Stained Glass,

For historic buildings built in the early-mid 1900s: Prairie Style Stained Glass, Art Deco Style Stained Glass.

Of course, this all depends on the look of your entire building and the theme of your store but keeping things as close to they may have been back in the day is always a wonderful touch.

To learn more about a stained glass style that may work wonderfully on your historic Fort Worth building–retail or otherwise– contact us at Scottish Stained Glass in Fort Worth today!