KAREN WIGHT -- No Place Like Home

Maybe it’s our fascination with the weather, or maybe it’s just the

ornamentation we like, but weather vanes and cupolas are a natural

combination that add interest to the exterior of your home.

Weather vanes have been around for hundreds of years. As far back as

1300, weather vanes have been adorned with family crests and used as

identification symbols as much as they were used as weather indicators.

Cupolas, the small, box-like structure that many weather vanes nest on,

are functional as well as decorative. They also provide attic

ventilation, keep air circulation flowing and reduce high temperatures in

the summer months.

This combination of cupola and weather vane was very popular in the 13

original colonies. The pilgrims brought this tradition from Great

Britain, where the first weather vanes bore depictions of their ancestral

heraldry.

They became part and parcel of the “colonial” style. By 1740, the

colonists began manufacturing weather vanes in metals and copper, which

replaced their wooden counterparts and added longevity.

The Boston area was, and is, the center of coppersmithing -- it’s no

wonder weather vanes have had a traditional flavor: eagles, whales,

sailboats and fish. As the centuries rolled on, weather vanes and cupolas

have been added to homes more for their architectural interest than for

ventilation and weather-watching, but these structures add plenty of

impact for their size.

Shapes, sizes and materials for cupolas are as varied as the many home

styles they grace. For a traditional home, the favored materials are wood

sidings with a wood shake, shingle or fabricated copper roof. A

Mediterranean home may have a cupola made of smooth stucco with a tile

roof. You can have a cupola custom-made to accent your home or purchase a

pre-manufactured cupola. The most popular style of cupola is a square

with side vents and a hipped roof line.

Walpole Woodworkers, a company specializing in all types of exterior

wooden products, offers cupolas in square shapes and hexagons in several

sizes. The varieties for roof designs include a bell shape, a sloping

flare and a traditional four-sided peak.

Your choice of weather vane sits on top of the cupola roof line. The

ornamentation for weather vanes runs the gamut, from historic to wacky

special interests. Pigs, golfers, firemen and running dogs have joined

the traditional boats, fish and pineapples.

The Tinkham family has been manufacturing premium weather vanes for more

than 35 years. Their outstanding craftsmanship and variety have made them

one of the leading sources of weather vanes in the United States.

Some of their most popular styles include the Mount Vernon Dove -- a dove

with an olive branch -- the traditional symbol of peace.

The Tinkhams patterned this dove after the weather vane on George

Washington’s home. Another of their most popular styles is the Angel

Gabriel, a swell-bodied adaptation of an angel with a trumpet.

Artist Barry Norling’s designs add a sense of humor to the traditional

choices. His designs include a Flying Pig Angel, a Fat Dog Chasing Ball,

and Noble Swan, a majestic swan that glides through waves of brass while

a copper lily pad catches the wind. Metal artist John Thew has a dory and

fisherman design that seems particularly appropriate for our stretch of

the beach.

Most of these vanes are made out of copper and can be sealed to preserve

the metallic finish or left naturally to take the weather and take on an

oxidized gray-green patina.

Most weather vanes sit on top of “directionals,” the North, South, East,

and West letters and include copper globes that complete the weather

vane’s artistry.

When placed on top of a cupola that complements the design of your home,

this architectural detail adds plenty of charm and character to your

home. The sky is the limit.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Saturdays.