Showing posts with label weathervanes and cupolas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weathervanes and cupolas. Show all posts

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Horse Weathervane Gallops in Popularity



Even before we had thermometers, barometers, and anemometers; and long before we had weathermen to rely on weather reports, weathervanes are already there to help in measuring the weather condition. Although weathervanes offer a simple way of seeing where the wind is blowing, it was as helpful as it can be, especially for farmers who need to know which direction their crops would most likely fluorish.

Today, we can find weathervanes everywhere. They do not just serve as weather instruments, they also take the form of decorations that give more depth and tradition to a home. They can be normally found atop cupolas, as centerpiece in gardens, and as tabletops that give personality to your interior.

Weathervanes are not just the rooster weathervanes we see on top of our roofs. They can be of other designs such as pigs, arrows, and baseball players. Horse weathervane can also be found in different forms, sizes, and materials. The most popular, however is the prancing or running horse.

The silhouettes of horse weathervane were copied from race horses with their own running styles. The Blackhawk horse weathervane is one of the most popular weathervanes in the market today. There are also other weathervane manufacturers that make their own horse weathervane variations like the horse through hoops, leaping, running, and leaping horse.

Reasons vary why this type of weathervane is popular. The most popular reason though is that there are lots of horse lovers out there; and if they will purchase weathervanes, then they will get them with horses on top. As horse lovers, it would be something that is an addition to their collection.

Apart from using them as weathervanes, you can also use them as a finishing touch to your wall. They also go well as lamp fixtures.

If you want to have one of these horse weathervanes, you can check out Prairie Rose Country. They make the best handcrafted horse weathervane that will look perfectly on any location that you wish to put it. They also make 3D weathervanes that look better than 2D.

Monday, November 8, 2010

A Pagoda-top, Victorian, or a Traditional American?



Your cupola has a “personality”, as cupolas are deeply steeped with tradition and history throughout their forms and styles. Cupolas can be anything, such as a pagoda-top cupola from the Far East, a Victorian cupola from The Isles, or a countryside cupola from the Continent. Such styles could be a great complement for your rooftop, which could be catwalks, belvederes, domes, or even miniature lighthouses or belfries mounted on the top of you house. Material to be used for building a cupola on your roof can vary on the style of the cupola that you plan to construct.

It was in the early part of the eighth century when the first cupolas are stipulated as an architectural structure and design. Islam incorporated cupolas on mosques and other religious buildings, adorning the top of the towers. As Islam reaches Europe, churches soon integrated cupolas into their architectural designs. A striking example is the Saint Basil’s Cathedral at the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. When the cupolas were adopted by the Englishmen, it was soon shipped out to the Americas and was later attributed to the country life.

Even though the cupola appears to be mostly ornamental, it does not limit itself on being a decorative structure on the rooftop and at the garden. It also provide practical uses, such as it can offer additional ventilation for house that allows excess heat to escape, natural source of lighting to reduce power consumption, and if possible, it can be used as an additional room or storage space.

In order to find the right style of cupola for you, first, you have to determine the overall motif of your house. This will set the style for your cupola to be put on your roof top. If you live in an English-style house, a Victorian cupola will fit best on your rooftop; if you have a traditional American home, then country cupola would be ideal; or if you own a Chinese-inspired residence, a pagoda-top cupola is perfect to adorn your roof.

Then, settle on the materials that you will use for the structure, depending on the style of the cupola you have in mind. But mostly, each Victorian, American, or pagoda-top cupola uses a common material, which is wood. Thus, you will automatically have wood in your shopping list.

Lastly, if you look forward for your cupola to be installed properly, you could opt for Prairie Rose Country to have your Victorian, American, or pagoda-top cupola well-built and mounted on your rooftop or on your gazebo. This will give you a home makeover with a much more than satisfactory result.