The popularity of Pinterest, the Home and Garden Network and the waterfall of design magazines at nearly every check-out counter seems to indicate that we enjoy decorating our home living spaces. Since the first caveman (perhaps a woman) painted on the walls of the cave, we have been adorning our homes with artwork that says something about who we are and where we’ve been.
This seems pretty natural. Your home is your space. It should mirror things that are important to you. For example, a family we know spent many years in Latin America where silver and pewter are popular. Since they are also believing Christians they enjoyed giving and collecting the ornate metal crosses they discovered there. Now that they live back in the United States, those silver crosses are a reminder of some very precious years, but they are also a mute testimony to others that the Cross of Jesus plays a significant role in their lives.
Here in the United States wood is a popular material for crosses. In the same way that the silver crosses are a beautiful expression of faith, wooden crosses can achieve quite the same effect. They are attractive in themselves and what they declare about your values is equally appealing.
There are many ways to use wooden crosses to make your home beautiful. If you have a stairwell, this is always an interesting place to arrange a montage of any artwork. A collection of wooden crosses of varying size could work especially well in this space.
If you have only a couple of crosses, then you might use them to flank another larger art piece. The crosses could be placed on either side of the piece or, if the piece was not too large, they might work nicely above and below it.
If you have a small, offset wall then this is an interesting space begging for an interesting display. Such walls, when filled with unique objects, become veritable hidden treasures. Visitors feel that they have discovered a secret gem when they come upon it.
But if you are looking for something a bit bolder, then mount your wooden cross on a dark background and surround it with a wide and ornate frame. The juxtaposition of the simple wood of the cross with the highly embellished frame will create something truly eye-catching. You can get a similar, though perhaps less dramatic, effect by painting the wall a striking hue before hanging your cross.
One last idea. If you happen to own a glass topped coffee table with a display shelf, this too can be a terrific place to display your cross. There are really all kinds of possibilities – limited only by the scope of your own imagination. And when someone mentions that your cross looks beautiful, it is the perfect opening to explain how the one who went to the cross makes all things beautiful.
If you are looking for a wooden cross or any kind of Christian wall art, check out The Printery House.