How to Display Glass

Light shining through glass creates beautiful patterns.

Anyone can display glass. The glass can be any kind of glass, clear or colored, plain or decorative, in any shape or size. The best displays allow sunlight to hit the glass and refract colorful rainbows on the walls and across table and countertops. I have successfully displayed glass plates from the Depression Era. Some of the plates were very simple and others were more decorative. The plates were placed on a shelf inserted into the base of an arched window. The shelf had a groove for the plates to rest in. The colors in the plates would look different throughout the day depending on the sunlight and shadows.

Things You'll Need

• Things You'll Need To Display
• Glass Plates
• o Collection of different sizes, colors, and shapes of plates, for example, Depression plates, cut-glass plates or pressed plates.
• o Place to display plates, such as a hutch, table or shelf.
• o Lighting, either sunlight or artificial light.
• o Plate stands or hangers, if hanging on a wall.
• Glass Bottles
• o Collection of different sizes, colors and shapes of bottles, for example, perfume bottles or apothecary bottles.
• o Place to display bottles, such as a hutch, table or shelf.

Instructions

How to Display Glass Bottles or Plates

1. Clean the glass in soapy water, rinse well, and dry with a lint-free cloth. Soaking the glass in vinegar can help remove any stubborn calcium or mineral deposits.

2. Clear off the area for your display. Remove clutter and any items that are not part of the display. The glass should be the focal point.

3. Decide if you want to see the table or shelf or if you want to use a tablecloth or runner under the display. The tablecloth or runner should be a solid color with little or no design to detract from the display.

4. If displaying on a table against a wall, place the tallest bottles or plates in the rear and arrange the remainder of the bottles or plates by working out to the sides from the center and to the front. The shortest bottles should be near the front of the display and at the ends of the table. If displaying on a round table, you may want to work from the center of the table to the outer edges with the tallest bottles or plates in the center.

5. Stagger the arrangement of bottles or plates slightly so it doesn't look too formal and stiff. Exchange similarly sized bottles or plates until the color arrangement is pleasing. You may prefer to group similar colors together or mix them so as not to have any two bottles or plates of the same color together.

6. Check the lighting. Will natural sunlight shine on your display or will you need to use artificial track lighting or museum lighting?

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be in a hurry. Have fun with this project. Give yourself time to collect vintage glass bottles or Depression Glass plates when you go to flea markets or when you are on vacation.

• The Ebay Internet site is a great place to find unusual, colorful glass bottles and plates.

• If you know you will have any children running around, it might be best to display your glass on a shelf or in a hutch out of the reach of tiny hands and so it will not be bumped accidentally. That way your glass collection will remain intact and no one will get hurt.

References

• A Closer Look at Depression Glass
• An Interview With Antique Bottle Collector Bill Lindsey