A blue shed with a house in the background. There are windows in the wall of the shed, two of which are similar stained glass windows. There are a tree and plants in front of the shed,

Stained glass outdoors and in gardens – inspiration

Stained glass windows can often be seen on the outside of buildings, as an integral part of homes. In talking about outdoors, I’m referring to examples of this antique being used to extend a house, or for buildings in gardens. Look on for examples of my customers’ use of their reclaimed purchases in a barn, a chicken coop, porches, sheds and a pet hutch.

Barn

I sent this to Steve in Massachusetts, USA…

tulip like art noveau leaded stained glass top light bay window in a white frame

He installed it above his barn door…

A "wine red" barn with white trim. Above a double door, in the top half of the barn, is a pear shaped tulip like art nouveau leaded stained glass window on the top half of a "wine red" barn with white highlights

Chicken coop

Carolyn bought a set of clear leaded toplight windows from me in 2022. She’s used them in quite an original way…

A small wooden building, painted white with black roofs, doo and window frames. Lights on inside, including through leaded glass windows. A porch with chairs is to the left of the chicken coup building. Tall green trees in the background, gravel path and grass in front, white picket fence to the side
Carolyn – Georgia, USA – 2024

In response to me asking whether chicken coops like this are an American thing, Carolyn said ‘…yeah, we went a bit over the top when building the coop. Not everyone does it like we do (and yes, it’s just for the chickens.)

To see clear windows currently for sale that are similar to those used in Carolyn’s chicken coop, see my colourless category.

Porches and verandas

A white wooden porch, with stone steps leading up to it. The reis a sunburst stained glass window hanging behind a swinging bench.
Laura – South Carolina, USA (A1369b), 2022

I have more amazing porch and veranda pictures on a Porches page.

Sheds

A blue shed with a house in the background. There are windows in the wall of the shed, two of which are similar stained glass windows. There are a tree and plants in front of the shed,
Mary – Ealing, UK (R007b), 2016

Sheds are a really popular way to use old stained glass. There are lots of before and after pictures of sheds and summer houses on the Sheds with stained glass page.

Animal hutch

If anyone else creates a rabbit hutch with a stained glass door (or a home for any other pets) I would love to add to this section!

A rabbit hutch, with wire netting walls and and vertical sunburst stained glass window, surrounded by plants and ornaments.
Liz’s – Bedfordshire, UK (A1371e), 2022

Exploring further

For outside use, such as an ornament in your flowerbed, you might want a more rustic piece of glass. Check out my rustic category for current options.

This is one of many pages with examples of stained glass that I have sold, now in a new home. To see them all, explore Customer reuse ideas.

I add new treasure to my website regularly, in various categories. Explore the categories on the homepage and sign up to my mailing list for occasional curated updates.

Return to top