Installing an Historic Stained-Glass Piece in Asheville

Much of our work comes from people who are moving to Asheville and need help installing their art collection, but occasionally we get a long-time local who needs something special done in their home.

I don't have many pictures of this one, but it's an interesting story.

Once upon a time in London, Ontario (not to be confused with London, England) our client's great-great-grandfather lived in a big Queen-Anne style home. The house was notable for its wonderful architecture which included double arches over the doors and windows.

Here's a printout from the local conservation society which shows the house, and gives some background on the interesting design. Notice the arch over the bay window on the ground floor.

As time went by, the grandfather's descendants dispersed, and the home changed hands. However, the stained-glass window which had once graced the downstairs parlor remained in the family, and it was handed down from one person to another until at last, it reached our client in Asheville.

Merely shipping this window was a big project; it was super heavy and very awkward to handle. They had to order a purpose-built crate just to protect it during its travels.

​So when the piece arrived, the homeowner knew she wanted help hanging it up in her dining room, especially because she was nervous about installing such large art on her plaster walls.

We worked closely with her to place this piece at just the right height on the wall. In fact, we took a little extra time to make a big paper template beforehand so that she could preview its location.

The window looks a little high in the photo, but that's on purpose. The homeowner wanted room to add vases below. We didn't get to see the sideboard after it was styled, but I picture something like this, using large vases that overlap the bottom of the piece:

In the end, she was very happy (and relieved) to see this big, heavy family heirloom finally hung safely in her home.

If you have a cherished-but-very-awkward piece of art you need to install, we'll be happy to help.

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