Monday, November 4, 2024

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 5


So having looked at some of the bigger ways that you can use your coat of arms inside your home, we're going to continue today with a look at some of the smaller, less obvious things that you can put your heraldry on.

One form that has been popular for literally centuries, and which can still be done today, is the armorial portrait.



Notice that the second, modern one has only the crest rather than the coat of arms like the first one.

Armorial tiles, both small single tiles and larger panels made up of several individual tiles, and which can be worked into a backsplash in the kitchen or a tub or shower surround in the bathroom have been popular forms:




These may also be done as round (rather than square or rectangular) wall plaques:


And in a similar vein, decorative "wall pockets" which can hold flowers or other decorative items may also serve as a display of heraldry:


Or, of course, there is the ever-popular heraldic banner, hung against a wall or (if your ceilings are high enough) on a banner pole mounted perpendicularly to the wall:



And heraldic embroideries have always been in style:



And a next logical step, embroidered or painted or even just carved fireplace screens:




Next time, some even smaller examples of how you can use your coat of arms in your home.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 4


Having looked at some "grand" ways to display your coat of arms inside your home last time, today we're going to look at other displays that are a little less "in your face", as it were. Examples may include something as large as furniture, say, a carved armorial bench, or even a chair (or set of chairs) with painted coats of arms on the backs:



Upon which you may wish to place one or more heraldically decorated pillows or cushions:




Or to help light up a room, an armorial chandelier:


or other lamp:


Of course, you also need to be able to turn on such lights, and a wall switch plate can also be a display of your heraldry:


And as back up, should the power go out temporarily, candlesticks:


And of course, a well-placed mirror can help light up a room by reflecting natural or artificial light, in addition to creating a display of heraldry:


Are you seeing any ideas that you might utilize for displaying your own coat of arms in your home? In our next post, we'll add some more recommendations for you.

Monday, October 28, 2024

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 3


So, having decorated the exterior of your home, and the entrance to it, with your coat of arms, what are some of the options for displaying your heraldry inside the home?

Well, there are so many ways to do that in the interior that it's going to take more than one post to cover even a portion of them!

One display of heraldry seen in many homes is a stained glass window, containing either a single coat of arms ...


... or, if you have sufficiently large windows, several, displaying heraldically marriages into the family over generations.


Additionally, a coat of arms painted on a wall or as part of a mural (though this one was done about 1300-1325, and so is not in the latest fashion for such things) ...


... or, if your ceilings are high enough (alas, most of the ones in my house are not), painted on the ceiling can really make a statement! Not to mention the impression it will have on your visitors.


There is also the opportunity to hang a coat of arms on the wall of just about any room, like this one here ...


... or as an overdoor armorial decoration on the way to another room ...


... or elsewhere, say, in the space over a fireplace mantel.


And such carved heraldry doesn't even have to be in full color; you can certainly choose to have one gilded:


or cast in something inexpensive, like aluminum:


or just carved in a plain wood tone:


Don't care to make quite that big a statement in your home? Come back next time and we'll offer some other ways to display your heraldry in your home in some more understated ways.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 2


Looking at other ways that people have used to mark their homes with their coats of arms, we find these welcoming examples, like this yard sign:


Or what is called a "barn quilt" seen in Canada:


Or a banner, or even an enameled sign:



either of which can help lead people up to your doorway:



Over which, of course, you might place a welcoming heraldic light:


With an armorial welcome mat beneath:


And, of course, an armorial door plaque, just in case the haven't quite figured out who lives here yet:



And, of course, you should have some flowers or foliage in a decorative armorial planter nearby:


All this, and we haven't even gotten inside yet!

Have you gotten any ideas for your own little abode yet? Stay tuned, we've got more!

Monday, October 21, 2024

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 1


My house is a very, very, very nice house,
With my heraldry in my yard ....

And one of the ways that we have seen many times as a way for people to use their coats of arms is to mark the exterior of their homes.

Now, this can vary because, frankly, not everyone has a classical pediment on their abode which would support a display of heraldry like this one:


Or even perhaps something a little less ostentatious:


Or


Still, there are some more contemporary embellishments that can be added to the exterior without spending a fortune on stone carvers. Something like this modern family has done, which certainly nods to tradition while also modernizes the concept:


Or a gateway out by the street:


Next time, we'll look at some more intimate ways of decorating the exterior of your home with your coat of arms.