(ARA) -From square-shaped vases to glass cones, wall glass is being used to bring botanicals back into the home. Uniquely crafted to house everything from fresh cut florals to aromatherapy candles, these hanging glass ornaments can be mounted on the wall, suspended from the ceiling (ideally in front of a window or over a table) or placed on a windowsill.

Victorian influence

The idea of wall glass can be traced back to the 1800s and the days of horse-drawn wagons and indoor terrariums. Wealthier homeowners, in particular, used hanging glass vessels throughout the home; collecting and displaying botanicals from regions afar was fashionable home décor at the time. With the emergence of personal greenhouses, many homeowners started harvesting their own florals, and then hanging glass vases were used to force new bulbs and grow roots on new cuttings.

“This love of botanicals brought about the emergence of wall glass,” says Gary Babcock, vice president of fashion and merchandising for Arhaus Furniture. “The trend is purely Victorian, adding warmth to the home with a bit of the outdoors.”

Similar vases were also used to decorate many horse-drawn wagons in processions – sometimes even funerals. They were fastened to the sides of the procession wagon. “This tradition carried over to modern day as these ornaments came be to called hearse vases,” says Babcock. Today, hanging vases are used in similar ceremonial fashions – hung from church pews during weddings and used to adorn the home with everything from tulips to assorted greenery.

Different shapes

and sizes

From waffle cones to perfect squares, wall glass is available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Arhaus’ 25 store locations carry the company’s beautifully crafted chunky and rustic-looking hanging glass collections including Hang Squares, Jug Vases and Wall Cones. “Each of our glass ornaments is extremely versatile and can be hung on the wall, from the ceiling or left freestanding,” says Babcock.

Freestanding vases are modeled after rooting vessels, which were used to start bulbs in the off-season.

Hand-crafted from recycled glass

Arhaus’ wall glass is a top-selling accessory across the country for the retailer. “It is the newest concept to emerge in the accessories market and has consumers scrambling to get their hands on every piece,” says Stephanie Voss, director of marketing at Arhaus Furniture. The retailer’s Hang Square Vases have been the retailer’s most popular accessory for some time.

Wall glass from Arhaus is hand-blown – each with its own unique characteristics – exclusively for the retailer by glass artisans. Because they are mouth blown, every piece in the company’s collection is different. “Some of our glass pieces have more bubbles than others, and it’s all because they’re hand- or mouth-blown and cooled differently,” says Babcock. “Our collection is characteristically chunky and rustic. This adds to the overall uniqueness of each piece.”

Babcock also points out that the retailer’s glass products are typically clear, but sometimes have color variations because Arhaus uses recycled glass to create its wall glass product line. Therefore, each product may take on different hues during the process. “Sometimes pieces have an aqua, gray or even pink tone,” says Babcock. “It simply depends on the glass used in the production process, but this allows each piece to be unique and capture and reflect light differently.”

For more information about Arhaus’ wall glass collections and other home furnishings and accessory items, visit the company’s Web site at www.arhaus.com.