The three-petal lily, also known as the fleur de lis, represents faith, hope and charity and lilies of all sorts are tied to symbolism associated with religion, purity, new life. My maternal grandmother’s name was Lily but I never met her, but in small ways across the entirety of my life, I’ve felt her presence and I’m only now beginning to understand.
No one in my family knew until recently that we had French ancestry, tied to his parents. My dad, had he known, would’ve been gobsmacked for sure! I begged and pleaded with him so that I could study abroad in France – not once, but twice – and I was entranced by old stone, scrollwork and images of fleur de lis wherever I found them in my travels. Years later, I realized how strongly the imagery of three lilies – no matter how abstract or scrolly – figured into my home and hearth sensibilities.
I appreciate all types of interior design, but I’ve always been drawn to representations of lilies in traditional home decor. To test my theory about their pervasiveness, I stepped away from writing this piece to snap a few random photos of things in our home which conjure “lily-like” designs. Here’s the photo collage I created of the pics:
What’s the point? I had no idea how near my grandmother’s been – for years – in my head, heart…and it turns out, in my home. Whenever I tried to explain the appeal of lilies to friends and family, I just gave some version of a “I dunno, it feels like home when I look at it lilies, fleur de lis or scrollwork” and that was that.
When the hubs and I tackled a big design conundrum involving the relocation of three lead glass panels in our house, I was struck, once again, by the reminders of lilies and Grandma Lily. Not because I’m a gardener (oh my, no – I’m not at all) but because lily imagery brings a sense of calm, and perhaps, a little smidgen of the grandmother I never met, sweet Lily.
If you have a minute to read about the lead glass “Lily” windows, take a peek at my post on Heart of the Matter today.
Vicki 💗
Victoria Ponders 
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