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As a designer for Scottish Stained Glass, I occasionally get to work on church stained glass projects. In fact church windows are one of the most common things that people relate to when it comes to stained glass. These traditional projects are different from residential leaded glass work as the pieces tend to be much larger and often incorporate colored glass. These projects are fun to work on as they often lead to beautiful, detailed windows that truly have charm and grandeur.
The Applewood United Methodist Church was established over 50 years ago. They began with a very small sanctuary and have grown into a large congregation with a new building as well as a new, larger sanctuary. The older chapel has needed a facelift for years.
Meeting with one of the board members, we looked at the new construction and how they wanted to incorporate stained glass into their new design. The board members took me into the newer section of the church and asked if I could use the look and colors of this area and transform into the new design for the old sanctuary.
I worked with the board members to create 4 new stained glass panels. We mimicked the new church design by using all different geometric shapes from circles to squares to semi-circles, and triangles to create a more modern look, without losing the original charm of this facility.
All of the stained glass panels are uniquely different, but still look fantastic together. The colors they choose were jewel tones, colors ranging from dark reds, oranges, purples, blues, golds and greens. We used a combination of different glass textures to both enhance the colors and allow for the outside light to shine into the sanctuary.
The members were elated with the results of the new stained glass windows once installed. Along with new carpet and paint, the 50 year old sanctuary has been given a fresh new look, while still maintaining the traditional feel that the congregation loves.
I am continuing to work with this beautiful church to add other windows in the original sanctuary as memorials for the Applwood United Methodist Church. The church is excited to add more pieces of unique glasswork, and so am I!
Terri Jenney, Scottish Stained Glass Designer.
At Scottish Stained Glass, one of our most popular options for homeowners is colorless glass. This offers a classic look that will flow with any style of décor, and our colorless designs are something that you will always love in your home, no matter how your tastes change over time.
By choosing textured and beveled glass, you can create privacy for a window in your home with high visibility. However, one of the best parts about choosing textured glass is that it still allows natural light into your home, and with it, the colors of the seasons outside your home.
Most neighborhoods have beautiful trees surrounding each home, and while the leaves change, so do the colors that reflect through your stained glass window. Take a look at the picture below sent in by one of our recent customers, Carolyn.
Carolyn had her stained glass window installed in the summer this year. “I did not expect the surprising color changes created by the maple tree just outside the window. I look forward to experiencing my window in all seasons,” she said. Her beautiful window will likely change in color through each season, offering an interesting new look often!
While you may not have any color in your clear leaded glass piece, by doing so you’ll be able to better enjoy the natural colors surrounding your home. These pieces offer unique character for any home, and natural light allows our windows to adapt to each season beautifully. Because our leaded glass gives you privacy without the need for blinds or curtains, you enjoy the light and colors around your home in a completely new way.
We give you the ability to create something completely custom to fit your style and your home. Our designers will help you through the possibilities of leaded designs to find your perfect window that will look great and give you privacy.
If you have any questions about how stained glass can enhance the beauty of your home, or to set up a consultation with one of our talented designers, feel free to give us a call or send an email today. We can’t wait to show you how great leaded glass can be throughout the seasons!
The entry into your home is the first impression, and who doesn’t like a great first impression? So you have a stunning wood door, maybe some sidelights (tall narrow windows next to the door), nice plants on your patio, and then… the transom window above your entry.
Transoms are great because they allow natural light into the home. They can pose a few problems though. One common complaint is the window faces the stairway or open 2nd floor game room which exposes you, your family, and personal belongings to any solicitors and worse the neighbors at night when the light is on. The other common issue is that the window only shows the ugly patio light from the interior side. Usually if you can see the patio light, you also see dirt, bugs, and any other typical exterior elements that like to nest on covered patios.
There are solutions to this previously perceived awesome window. Most people automatically jump to custom blinds because they block the view. The only problem with blinds are they block the natural light, which ruins the whole purpose of having a transom window. A better option is stained glass. Stained glass windows are a great alternative as they are custom to your design style, provide privacy, block the unwanted views, and most importantly allow the natural light to fill your home.
I know that most hear stained glass and think, eeewwh all the colors and it is so traditional and old looking. Not anymore! Yes, even in your modern Austin home, stained glass can look contemporary. Stained glass has come a long way since what you find at antique stores and churches. Although stained glass can still be made to look like an art deco piece, to even your family crest, more commonly stained glass panels are now made contemporary by simple designs and uncolored glass. Over 70 percent of today’s leaded glass panels are constructed with a serious of different clear textured glass to create the desired design. All stained glass panels are custom made to fit your windows making design options endless.
So the next time you walk down the stairs with your towel on, wave at your neighbor and then realize your half naked, consider a stained glass window to hide your troubles.
Basements may not be the first place you would think about installing stained glass windows, but I recently had a client who faced a not-so-uncommon dilemma. Windows in basements are an imperative part of the space. They allow for natural light to fill the room; otherwise there would be none. However, they also allow for an unattractive view, typically looking directly at a metal sheet, rocks, and eventually a collection of spider webs.
Some people resort to curtains, which defeats the purpose of these windows. My clients, on the other hand, thought outside of the box. They decided to install leaded glass on their basement well windows. One of the most important parts about the design process for basement stained glass windows was choosing the colors and textures. We needed to use glass that would eliminate the view while not blocking or reducing too much of the natural light.
This immediately eliminated the option of colored glass, as they thought that would deduct from the light provided. That left us with leaded glass to choose from. The texture we chose also had to create a high level of distortion, as the rocks and metal wall in the window well were in close proximity and a glass with a low level would still allow you to see what was there. The final glass choices in the basement leaded glass windows was a hammered glass alongside bevels and vecchio.
By utilizing stained glass, they were able to eliminate the undesirable view while maintaining the element of natural light. They also got to add a custom piece of art glass and a focal point to the basement entertainment room, creating a more beautiful space for themselves and guests to enjoy.
If you’re interested in enhancing the style of your basement windows, contact Scottish Stained Glass for a free consultation today!
If you ever find yourself visiting England, one “off the beaten track” attraction that we cannot recommend too highly is The Stained Glass Museum. Their wonderful galleries show the evolution of over eight hundred years of stained glass windows, collected from all over Europe.
The Stained Glass Museum opened back in the seventies, when many stained glass windows were in danger of being lost. Their mission is to rescue these treasures and exhibit them in a way that allows the public to learn about them and appreciate them. Located inside the spectacular Ely Cathedral, the museum features more than one hundred stained glass panels, dating back as far as the year 1200. These artworks come from both religious institutions and secular buildings.
With many stained glass windows, particularly in cathedrals with huge heights, the windows are very high off the ground, but the museum carefully displays their collection at eye level. It is a stunning sight, not to be missed if you are an art lover, a history lover, or of course, a stained glass lover.
Located north of Cambridge, the Stained Glass Museum can be reached by train from London in a little over an hour.
If you have no plans to get to the UK any time soon, don’t be disappointed. The museum has a website where you can tour their galleries “virtually” and see many of these gorgeous stained glass masterpieces.
By the way, Scottish Stained Glass also has some extensive galleries you might like to take a look at. In our gallery we have many of the stained glass window designs that we have custom made for our 15,000+ customers over the past twenty years.
You might like to check out their “brief history of stained glass” page for its amazing glimpse through history, complete with photos of some of the most ancient yet masterful stained glass pieces.
If you are considering adding some stained glass windows, doors or hanging panels to your home or commercial space, learning about the history and evolution of this well-loved art form can be a lot of fun. But perhaps ancient medieval artwork is not your idea of a good time? Or perhaps you love looking at it and admiring the skill, artistry and craftsmanship that went into it, but want something more modern for your home?
Here at Scottish Stained Glass, we offer the best combination of ancient and modern techniques, still hand crafting our custom designed stained glass pieces, but using modern materials and installation procedures. Because of our great love and respect for the stained glass masters of old, we bring that same skill, artistry and craftsmanship to every window or door panel.
And our designs can be anything you’d like. From geometric to floral, from vividly colored to clear and textured, your imagination is the only limit! We hope you’ll visit The Stained Glass Museum if you ever have the chance, but even if you have no intention of leaving home, contact us for a free in-home consultation with a stained glass designer today!
I first met Shirley at the Fall Colorado Home Show in September. She stopped in our Scottish Stained Glass house to admire our beautiful windows and to visit. At that time she shared with me that she has always wanted to have some stained glass in her home but thought that it would be out of her price range. Shirley is a wonderful lady and has always gone “without” giving all of her time, energy and money to a daughter with many disabilities. During our visit at the home show and she mentioned a window she has going down to her basement and from her dining room you could view the house next door. Shirley always has wanted to have stained glass put in this window and in her home. I suggested a free in home consultation and that I would come up with a design that she would both love and be able to afford.
We met a week after the show and she showed me the window in question. Shirley also shared with me how much she loves color, especially the color orange. We looked at all the different designs, bevels and glass choices. Shirley chose a very simple diamond design with a border. The most fun was going through all the many colors and textures of glass for her design. We selected a very heavy texture for the main glass to hide the view of her neighbor’s home and used a very different texture of glass with multiple colors for her border as well as her main diamond piece. Of course there was her favorite color orange within the glass!
I went to visit with Shirley again after her stained glass window was installed and she is so thrilled with her new stained glass. She wanted me to mention that she has waited 26 years to finally have some stained glass in her home!
If you love stained glass and have been perusing our sites looking at all the lovely photos of our work, then you already know that every stained glass window we produce is custom made, and built to last for generations. But there is another kind of stained glass we are excited to tell you about – the kind that already has successfully withstood the test of time – antique stained glass!
On June 21st, Scottish Stained Glass will be hosting a benefit for Project C.U.R.E, a highly regarded charity that takes in donations of used, new or reusable medical equipment and supplies, and ships it off to needy clinics in third world countries around the globe.
To date, they have collected around $1,000,000 worth of supplies for the recently finished pediatric ICU in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. This is one of that nation’s primary health care facilities, located in Belize City, Belize. But although these much needed supplies have been donated free of charge, shipping that amount of tonnage to Belize is another matter entirely.
And that’s where we come in! Scottish Stained Glass founder, Martin Faith, has collected over 150 antique stained glass windows from his native Glasgow. They were “rescued” when many homeowners modernized their windows in the seventies and eighties, perhaps not realizing the worth of these lovely antiques. And although Martin dearly loves this stunning collection of 100+ year old windows, when he realized that selling it could potentially save hundreds of lives – his decision to sell them was easy.
During the 19th century, Glasgow Scotland was a mecca of stained glass art, the city filled with master craftsman plying their ancient trade and outfitting the Victorian homes and castles of the day with their amazing artworks. Stained glass has a long history across Europe, and particularly in Glasgow, home of master architect and stained glass artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The windows in Martin Faith’s personal collection are one of-a-kind treasures of all sizes, colors and types of glass. In fact, many of them are made out of types of glass that are no longer possible to produce today, so not only are they beautiful, they are a tangible chunk of history. If you’d like to add one of these treasures to your home, it can be hung in a larger existing window via hooks, so you can let the sun shine through it, always the best way to view stained glass windows.
To see what these antique windows look like please view our stained glass samples.
Please visit Project C.U.R.E to make a donation or learn more about this wonderful cause.
The bulk of them will be viewed and then sold at our cocktail party fundraiser, to be held at our main Centennial, CO showroom on the evening of the summer solstice. We chose that particular evening so our guests would have the longest possible amount of daylight to admire their beauty, and choose the one they love the most to purchase. We’re expecting a great evening, complete with Glass, Grapes and Gruyere! The prices range from $500 to $20,000 for these beauties.
Please contact us for more information!
How do you design the perfect stained glass windows for your home, windows you will never grow tired of admiring? How do you design windows so special and unique that you will insist on taking them with you if you ever move? Where do you get stained glass windows that are valuable pieces of art, adding real value to your home? Who can create stained glass windows that your kids will fight over after you’re gone, that will become treasured family heirlooms?
The answer to all of these, is of course, Scottish Stained Glass. However, for us to create exactly the stained glass design you want, you first must think through what the perfect stained glass piece means to you and your home.
- Your personal tastes – modern, traditional, abstract, geometric, floral, Aspen, Deco, etc.
- The architecture, period or style of your home – from Victorian to a suburban ranch home
- Your existing décor and color scheme – do you love vivid colors, neutrals, or completely clear so it will match with any current décor and any remodeling in the future as well
- Your specific needs, such as more privacy
- Location – do you want stained glass sidelights or transoms, or stained glass panels in the kitchen cabinet doors or above your bar?
- You can have hanging panels, instead of installed window panes (easier to move!)
- Clear, colored, beveled, painted, etched, textured, or any combination
- Caming is an important part of the design as well. (That refers to the metal strips between the pieces of glass.) Caming can be lead, copper, brass and come in a variety of widths, from1/4” up to 1”, each adding a very different feel to your design
- Whether or not you foresee yourself moving at some point in the future
- And last, but hardly least, your budget.
So how do you decide on what you want? It’s pretty easy, in fact. Our Scottish Stained Glass design team is highly experienced and very familiar with many different styles of stained glass throughout history. Contact us for a free in-home consultation with one of our talented design pros. They’ll show up with photos, ideas, samples, and all the know-how and experience to answer all your questions and point you in the right direction.
Many of our clients consider the design process to be the most exciting part, other than actually enjoying their finished stained glass windows for years to come, of course! If you have an idea of what you’d want, our designers will sketch it out freehand on graph paper, to show you exactly what it would look like in your space and create the pattern.
One of the main factors in the cost of custom, hand crafted stained glass is the intricacy of the design. So, if your original idea turns out too costly, our designers can adapt the design right in front of your eyes, simplifying it to get it into your budget.
Why not have fun with the design process? Check out our galleries of the many stained glass designs we have constructed for previous clients and see what inspires you. Then contact us and get the ball rolling on those amazingly perfect stained glass windows for your home or commercial space.
In our 20+ years of experience designing, building and installing stained glass windows in peoples’ homes and offices, many of the same questions arise. People are concerned about the installation of stained glass windows, or how to care for them once they’ve been installed.
Do I have to pick one of your stained glass designs or can I have one custom designed?
People are surprised to hear that all our stained glass windows and doors are custom designed with your input. You can pick an existing design as a starting point, work with one of our designers from a completely unique idea of your own – or anything in between.
If I am on a tight budget, is there any way I can still have stained glass in my home?
There are various ways we can work within your budget. One of the main costs is square footage. If our estimate is way beyond your budget, consider adding stained glass to a smaller window or perhaps a door panel instead of an entire door. The intricacy of the pattern is the other main factor. Once our designers get a sense of what you want, they can adjust the pattern, perhaps using fewer pieces, to bring it within your budget but still create the look you want.
How long does stained glass last?
Your stained glass windows or doors should last for generations. We use the most modern and technologically advanced methods of construction and installation. However, even before modern times, stained glass was pretty durable. Panels have been found intact dating back hundreds of years. We suspect your stained glass panels will outlive you, looking as beautiful as the day they were installed.
Do my stained glass windows need any special care?
Usually, our windows are installed on the inside of the existing window. The original pane acts to protect the stained glass from the elements. Dusting or cleaning with a mild cleanser is all the maintenance these windows require.
What happens if I invest all this money in stained glass and then decide to sell my home?
Many realtors believe that stained glass is a terrific investment, adding to the overall value of the home. The unique beauty of this investment might be what sells your home! Furthermore, you can always take your stained glass panels with you when you move.
My home is filled with antiques. Is it possible to purchase genuine, antique stained glass?
Yes, we have a lovely selection imported from Scotland that will be available on our website soon. And if you come across an antique stained glass window or other type of panel that needs repair, we also provide restoration services. The work we do will be indistinguishable from the original, preserving the weather, antique appearance. Contact us for more information!
We are here to answer every question and allay any concern. If your stained glass window question isn’t on this list, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions for even more information!
The comprehensive design and art style known as the American Arts and Crafts Movement began in the last years of the 19th century and continued rising in popularity until the 1930s. Brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene were two influential American architects, who are considered the “best of the best” of this movement, also known as the American Craftsman Movement. Greene and Greene left an amazing legacy of stained glass artwork in the houses they designed, some of which are considered icons of modern design even to this day.
Along with their stained glass windows and doors, they also designed numerous stained glass chandeliers, light fixtures and lanterns which survive to this day.
This is one of their most well-known stained glass pieces, from one of their most famous architectural masterpieces, The Gamble House. This huge tourist attraction sees upwards of 30,000 visitors each year coming from every corner of the globe.
Although Greene and Greene did most of their work in California, that work is today included in museums across the U.S. and in Europe. The American Institute of Architects recognized them in 1952 for creating and contributing to a “new and native architecture”. Here’s another of their most well-known stained glass pieces, courtesy of the Smithsonian.
To see more of Greene and Greene architecture, furniture and stained glass, take a look on Pinterest.
If you are a long time Greene and Greene aficionado, or are just learning about them now, you might be salivating over the idea of having a piece of Greene and Greene style stained glass in your entryway, your bay window, or perhaps your wine cellar door, but never imagined it was possible.
Well, it is! Scottish Stained Glass does not do reproductions. In other words, we don’t copy existing Greene and Greene designs directly. However, our designers are well versed in their style and use it as inspiration and a springboard to custom make something in the Greene and Greene vein – yet completely original at the same time. Show us your favorite Greene and Greene stained glass, so we can discuss exactly what it is that so appeals to your aesthetic. Is it the rich, deep colors, or the elegant and graceful flow of the natural shapes? Whatever it is, we would be delighted to work with you and design some stunning Arts and Crafts Movement style stained glass for your home or commercial space.
Intrigued? Contact us today. Our designers come to you, for a no cost consultation. They are experts at creating the exact look and style you want.
Although most of our clients’ usually focus on the design and production of their new stained glass windows, in fact, the installation process is equally important. Our stained glass is hand built with the highest quality materials and the most efficient techniques, but installation is another area in which Scottish Stained Glass excels.
Over the years, we have developed our own methods to meet the needs of our clients and their homes. Our most popular method of installation is a process whereby the new stained glass window panel is actually bonded to the inside of the existing pane of glass. This method provides superior insulation, effectively providing a single paned window with the thermal efficiency of a double. By keeping the existing window in place, we also protect the stained glass from the elements, the wind, hail, or even flying debris that could otherwise damage it.
Our bonding process assures you that your stained glass windows can be installed very cleanly and quickly. We use a specially developed bonding tape, and finish it off with a tiny amount of caulk around the edge of the stained glass panel. This has two purposes – it matches the color of the window trim, so no separation between the panel and the window frame is seen, and it prevents any dust or debris from somehow finding its way behind the stained glass and dulling its beauty.
However, this method is not appropriate 100% of the time. In some cases, the existing windows are not in good enough condition, so they need to be replaced before the stained glass windows can be installed.
For other uses, such as shower doors or bathroom windows where there is constant exposure to moisture, we prefer to sandwich the stained glass in between two panels of clear glass, effectively creating a factory sealed, triple paned unit that is easy to clean, and protects the stained glass art from the damaging effects of moisture over time. For this type of installation we use tempered glass, and always comply with all local building codes and new construction safety regulations.
It’s not the glass itself that is negatively impacted by moisture, it’s the metal strips that hold it together which could become corroded or weakened over time.
There’s another method of stained glass installation which most people have never considered. This is actually less of an installation, than simply hanging the panel in the window from hooks, as if you were hanging a painting. For this method, we could construct a metal or wooden frame around the stained glass panel, and attach the hooks.
If you’re wondering why anyone would prefer this method, there are a few good reasons. Many people move over the course of their lives, and you might be very sorry to have to leave your gorgeous stained glass windows behind if that becomes your situation! Simply unhooking the panel and taking it with you to your new home is a lot easier than having to uninstall the entire window pane. (Although this is a service we offer as well!)
When you work with Scottish Stained Glass to custom design a window or door, our designers will discuss the installation options with you. Contact us today for more information.
Traditional stained glass windows in Europe’s churches and cathedrals reached their heyday in the middle ages, as gothic architecture used massive vertical windows to provide more light. These early stained glass windows portrayed biblical history and church dogma in the form of gorgeous glass mosaics, many of which remain in situ today, to the delight of art connoisseurs and tourists alike. It is a testament to the craftsmanship and methods of these early stained glass artisans that their work has lasted, admired and respected through the centuries, although their names have been long forgotten.
One of the most impressive examples is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, in Chartres, France, where almost all of the 176 windows contains awe inspiring stained glass “paintings.” Another amazing architectural masterpiece is Sainte-Chapelle, (The Holy Chapel) the only building left of the Capetian royal palace in Paris, France. This chapel is famous specifically for its stained glass windows, which give the illusion of entire walls made of superbly crafted stained glass.
Given Europe’s tumultuous history, it’s amazing that any of these stained glass window masterpieces are still intact! Indeed, only two thirds of the stained glass in Sainte-Chapelle is still the original work, with the rest having been restored and replicated over the years.
Scottish Stained Glass follows this ancient tradition of glass crafting when we make our thoroughly modern stained glass windows, panels and doors for our clients, whether churches, residential or commercial. The custom design and hand crafting of each piece have not changed at all!
Several things about the art of stained glass have changed though, most notably in terms of the tools and equipment used to make it.
Medeival glaziers followed a sketched “cartoon” (pattern) for their stained glass window design, as do our builders. But the cartoons we use today, although started by hand, are perfected on the computer, down to the millimeter.
In medieval times, a re-hot iron of some sort was used to cut the glass into the necessary shapes. Sounds unappealing and a bit dangerous, doesn’t it? Today, we use a hand held glass cutter that scores the glass, and the perfect shaped piece can simply be “snapped off.”
When the pieces of glass were ready to be assembled by medieval artists, they were fitted into caming, lead strips with channels that held them into place, then they were soldered together at the junction points. This has not changed very much to this day, although the solder and caming are much more modern versions.
There has been much advancement in the production of colored glass itself. However, the roughness of the surface and uneven thickness of medieval glass afforded a stunning array of refracted light when the sunlight passed through them. Many types of ancient stained glass are simply not made today… however, when we do a stained glass restoration, we do our best to match the exact color and look of the original glass.
If you’d like some thoroughly modern stained glass windows to grace your home, why not give us a call today? Our designers are ready to work with you, and we think you’ll be surprised at just how affordable stained glass windows can be!
If you are a gardener, a horticulturalist or just a nature and flower lover (and aren’t we all?) then an exciting choice for stained glass windows might just incorporate floral or foliage designs. Although this is one of the oldest and most traditional styles of stained glass work, it can also look thoroughly modern as well.
Here at Scottish Stained Glass, we’ve developed our own unique and elegant floral designs, including our wildly popular, vividly colored morning glories. Because we are based out of Colorado, we’ve also designed stained glass windows and doors using some of the flowers that are local to our area, including the dramatic Rocky Mountain Columbine, which is the state flower of Colorado, and the brightly colored Castilleja, also known as Indian Paintbrush or Prairie Fire.
Our own, unique signature collection incorporates modern images of the tree Colorado is most famed for – the lovely Aspen with its distinctive white bark, graceful limbs and fluttering leaves.
As we all know, real flowers don’t last very long once you’ve brought them home. But our floral stained glass designs are built to last for generations, using modern materials and techniques for durability and ongoing beauty.
After all, the appeal of floral art is timeless and eternal, from the vivid masterpieces of Georgia O’Keefe to the famed Glasgow Rose made popular by Scottish artist, architect and stained glass designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Flowers simply beautify any space, and yet, a floral stained glass window can have various practical purposes as well. Many of our clients decide to add stained glass to their homes to solve a privacy problem. They might not want anyone to see into their home from their entryway, yet they don’t want to block the light with curtains or shades. The same holds true for bathroom windows. Stained glass is a perfect solution, offering beauty, added value to the home and enhanced privacy, all the while letting the sun still shine through.
Bring the beauty of nature into your home or office with a floral stained glass window or door panel. Floral designs can be literal or more stylized, using a more graphic design approach that offers a floral feel without actual flowers in the design.
Did you know that every Scottish Stained Glass window or panel is custom designed to your needs, your tastes and your specifications? Not only that, our stained glass installation process uses only the most modern, up to code methods and includes a certificate of authenticity and valuation.
Why not contact us today for a consultation about floral stained glass? A member from our talented design team will work with you to create the perfect composition to complement and enhance the beauty of your home. Whether you prefer clear, colored, floral, geometric or a unique combination of styles, floral stained glass is a wonderful way to bring elegance and beauty into your home.
By now you’ve probably guessed that these are comments from our clients, talking about their new, custom designed and hand built stained glass windows from Scottish Stained Glass. With over twenty years in business and over 40,000 windows installed to more than 15,000 delighted customers, we’ve started to notice something – a trend, you might say.
Many of our customers love their stained glass so much that they can’t wait to order more. They want it in the entryway… in the bedroom… in their kitchen cabinet doors… even in the basement to hide those ugly well windows while still letting in every precious bit of light!
They want new stained glass and sometimes they even want antique stained glass. They want floral stained glass and they want Mission Style stained glass. They want Deco stained glass and they want Art Nouveau stained glass. They want vividly colored stained glass and they want earth toned, neutral stained glass.
They want clear leaded glass, textured glass, beveled glass and some of them even want etched or painted stained glass!
What is going on here?
Of course we like to toot our own horn, and pride ourselves on our exquisite craftsmanship, professional installation, and top-notch customer service, but why believe us? Take it from your peers, our clients, who are continually thrilled with what we offer, how we do it, and what it does to their home or commercial space.
We wish we had a nickel for each time we’ve heard the word “perfect” about one of our stained glass window or door installations – we could go on vacation!
But since we are not on vacation, perhaps now is the time to order the stained glass windows you’ve been dreaming of? Our professional designers come to your home, showing you a stunning array of styles, patterns and colors of glass to choose from. Or help you design your own original pattern. Imagine the fun of participating in the design of a unique piece of art that will likely be in your family for generations.
If you’ve always wanted stained glass windows but were afraid you could never afford them, why not give us a call for an estimate? We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. We look forward to earning your business, and promise not to say “I told you so” when it’s all said and done and you’re gushing over how much you love your new windows.
Every piece that we build at Scottish Stained Glass is custom, which means you can create a completely unique gift for a birthday, anniversary or as a present this holiday season. We’ll pair you with one of our expert designers to work through the process of composing your stained glass gift until we find the perfect leaded design and style you want to give.
Whether you choose to have a piece of stained glass installed, or want to create a hanging piece, we can create your perfect stained glass gift. We often build hanging pieces or family crests for gifts because they can be hung anywhere, and they can move with the owner if they ever leave their current home. These pieces can also be mounted inside of window to achieve the same effect of installed stained glass windows.
Of course, we also offer stained glass gifts that are installed into a window. Giving our beautiful stained glass as a gift will look fantastic and serve as a functional piece by adding privacy throughout a home. Some of the most popular applications of stained glass include sidelights, entryways, bathrooms, transoms, and kitchens, so matter where you would like to give this amazing gift, we can work with your needs.
At Scottish Stained Glass, we work with only the highest quality stained glass to create the most beautiful and longest lasting pieces available. Because every piece we build is custom, you can give a stained glass gift that is one of kind, and something that fits the style of the person you give it to. As the gift-giver, being involved in the creation of the piece adds a personal touch that’s unique to stained glass gifts.
At Scottish Stained Glass, we’ve worked with many clients looking to give stained glass gifts. Recently one of our designers, Terri, worked with a woman who surprised her husband with a stained glass piece in his study. Terri said that helping someone create a stained glass gift is particularly fun because of how exciting it can be to give this type of gift. If you’ve got a friend or family member that you always have trouble thinking of a gift to give them, this year consider a stained glass gift that will be treasured for years to come!
If you have any questions about our products, our process, or to set up a consultation for your stained glass gift, feel free to give us a call today. We can’t wait to help you give someone you love a piece of beautiful stained glass!
The general assumption of stained glass is that it must replace a window, or at least be fully attached to a window. However, stained glass panels are a great option that often goes unnoticed by many homeowners today.
If you’re interested in stained glass windows, but worried that you may not live in your current home forever, a custom designed stained glass window panel is a great solution. This is a modification of traditional stained glass, and stained glass panels are usually hanging stained glass pieces that either hang inside of a window, or are attached to a window with removable brackets.
One of the most popular options for this type of stained glass is to get a family crest. We can help you research your family name, and come up with a beautiful design that represents the history of your family. This crest can be pasted on from generation to generation to your loved ones.
Stained glass can be an investment, and no matter where your life takes you, it may be important to take that investment with you. Since our normal installation process involves bonding the stained glass to the inside of an existing, clear glass window, you can still achieve a similar look with a panel. If you end up moving, you can add the same stained glass panel to a window in your new home.
One of the most amazing things about stained glass panels is that, if properly cared for, they can essentially last forever. This means that you pass your unique work of glass art through your family for years to come. Of course, if your panel is damaged, you can always contact us to have it repaired.
We often frame our leaded glass panels, and since we usually frame with wood, you can have it stained to match the look of your home. When it comes to our custom stained glass, in fact, every aspect will personalized to the look of your home, and your own personal styles. We’ll pair you with one of our expert designers to work through this process, and ensure that you end up with stained glass panels that you truly love.
If you have any questions about stained glass panels, or to set up a consultation with a designer in your area today, feel free to give us a call or send an email. We can’t wait to help you add a beautiful, long lasting, family heirloom to your home today!
Is your kitchen your favorite room in the house? Is it warm and cheery, beckoning guests, family and party goers to wander in and never leave? Or do you desperately wish you could update it, buy new granite counters, the most modern appliances, or even completely replace your old wood kitchen cabinets, the ones that have been stripped, finished, refinished, painted, stenciled – but still don’t give you the high end look you want?
Stained glass kitchen cabinets from Scottish Stained Glass are a fantastic way to completely upgrade the look of your kitchen, without replacing the cabinets entirely. While most people thing windows when they think stained glass, we actually design and install it into kitchen cabinet doors on a regular basis.
Take a look at some of the stained glass kitchen cabinet doors we’ve done. And then imagine any of them in your kitchen! And then grab a napkin and wipe away that drool…
Why not call us for an estimate today? We think you’ll be surprised at the stunning, high quality stained glass you can have for an affordable price. And if antiques are your thing, we have an amazing selection of antique stained glass windows imported from Scotland. One of them might be just the perfect touch to hang in a kitchen window – or anywhere else.
Of course, if you are renovating the kitchen and adding new cabinets, we can work with your contractor to ensure the perfect match of colors and style. But we can also usually remove your existing cabinet doors and insert the stained glass, or build new doors that might work better for what you have in mind.
As far as kitchen renovations go, this one gives you a lot of visual bang for your buck. It will definitely make the kitchen the focal point of your home, if it wasn’t already. And no guest or potential buyer will ever forget your beautiful, eye-catching, mouth watering stained glass cabinet doors. Along with beauty, stained glass adds real value to your home.
Clear or colored, etched or beveled, Celtic or floral, Deco or Art Nouveau, Prairie Style or Greene and Greene, your imagination is the only limit for our custom stained glass pieces. Imagine a design that “travels” across your cabinets, like a mural in glass! And if you have beautiful china or antique crystal, we can design the cabinet doors to show them off.
And if you want to take this a bit further, how about stained glass for your curio cabinet, your wine cellar door, dull pantry door, your plain sliding glass patio door, or that window above the kitchen sink, you know, the one you can never reach to open, if it opens at all. That is the perfect place for some glowing glass art to tie in those cabinets.
Contact Scottish Stained Glass to make an in-home appointment with one of our designers. Let us show you our designs – or you show us yours. We guarantee, your kitchen will never be the same!
Wandering through an outdoor art show in Denver the other day, I enjoyed seeing the pastels, the mixed media and the oil paintings. Then, unexpectedly, in one booth I came across a lovely, detailed stained glass window that had been installed into an old wooden frame. It took me by surprise, and I stopped to admire it.
And just like my favorite paintings, I found that the more I looked at it, the more beautiful it became. The more I studied it, the more amazed I was by the workmanship and talent involved. And the more I admired it, the more I lusted for it!
I must admit that I’ve always thought stained glass was pretty, and some pieces even gorgeous, but I never really stopped and looked at it in the same way that I’ve looked at other “fine art” such as the masters’ paintings hanging in museums. Although I myself am an artist, and have the greatest respect for other artists and all kinds of art expressions, I am embarrassed now to admit that I seem to have taken stained glass for granted! Have you?
Since I’ve been working for Scottish Stained Glass, the largest custom stained glass studio of its kind in the country, I’ve developed a new appreciation for this ancient art form that dates back to medieval times. The design, talent and craftsmanship that goes into making a “painting” out of tiny pieces of colored glass held together by equally tiny strips of metal is truly extraordinary!
The design must fit into a specified set of dimensions—that of the window frame—and yet must be balanced, composed, and use a color palate that complements the existing décor. In fact, stained glass windows or doors are a double threat, because they provide functional beauty that enhances your home not just visually but in its actual value as well.
Imagine the skill and precise attention to detail that must be followed to cut those tiny pieces of glass into the precise shapes that form the precise pattern, and have the entire thing come together as one seamless whole, a finished, polished and sophisticated piece of art!
Some of the artists who’ve worked in stained glass are quite famous, including the Scottish water colorist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and the famed California duo of Greene and Greene. They saw stained glass windows not as a separate art form, but as an organic and vital part of the overall design and aesthetic value of the buildings they designed.
Are you a casual admirer of stained glass, or have you ever stopped and really taken a close look at a stained glass window the same way you might look at an oil painting done by a master? Stained glass window designs run the gamut from floral to geometric to abstract. Indeed, just as with any art form, the only limit is the imagination, talent and skill of the artist!
Intrigued? Want to hear more? Please contact us about having this beautiful art form added to your fine art collection in the form of stained glass windows or doors in your home!
Does your home have a glass panel in the front door? Or how about two sidelights on either side of the front door, or a transom window at the top of the door? These are one of the most popular places for people to add stained glass windows, for a wide variety of reasons.
Your home’s entryway is the first thing a visitor sees when coming to your home. It is their first impression of you and the way you live. In fact, it is also the first thing you see when you get home, so you’d like it to be warm and inviting. You want it to “welcome” you home. Many homeowners jazz up that area with flowers, interestingly sculpted bushes, or even painting their front door a brighter, more dramatic contrasting color than the rest of the house, such as cherry red or forest green.
Another option which will really make your home stand out is the addition of either colored stained glass, or clear leaded glass.
Here are the top 5 benefits of having custom stained glass in your home’s entryway:
We have a wide variety of options for entryways, including traditional colored stained glass patterns in many different styles, as well as beveled and textured glass with varying degrees of transparency. If your front door is solid wood, we can even create a new, custom door with a cutout for a stained glass panel in the center.
And speaking of custom, all of our stained glass windows and doors are custom made, to your tastes and specific needs. You’ll be working with one of our designers to get the exact look and style for your entryway that will complement your décor and delight your aesthetic senses.
Take a look at some of the entryways we have already designed for our clients and see if you can imagine them in your home. Or perhaps you are imagining something completely different? Many of our most stunning designs come from clients’ ideas, so we’d love to hear yours!
Is your kitchen your favorite room in the house? Is it warm and cheery, beckoning guests, family and party goers to wander in and never leave? Or do you desperately wish you could update it, buy new granite counters, the most modern appliances, or even completely replace your old wood kitchen cabinets, the ones that have been stripped, finished, refinished, painted, stenciled – but still don’t give you the high end look you want?
Stained glass kitchen cabinets from Scottish Stained Glass are a fantastic way to completely upgrade the look of your kitchen, without replacing the cabinets entirely. While most people thing windows when they think stained glass, we actually design and install it into kitchen cabinet doors on a regular basis.
Take a look at some of the stained glass kitchen cabinet doors we’ve done. And then imagine any of them in your kitchen! And then grab a napkin and wipe away that drool…
Why not call Scottish Stained Glass for an estimate today? We think you’ll be surprised at the stunning, high quality kitchen stained glass you can have for an affordable price. And if antiques are your thing, we have an amazing selection of antique stained glass windows imported from Scotland. One of them might be just the perfect touch to hang in a kitchen window – or anywhere else.
Of course, if you are renovating the kitchen and adding new cabinets, we can work with your contractor to ensure the perfect match of colors and style. But we can also usually remove your existing cabinet doors and insert the stained glass, or build new doors that might work better for what you have in mind.
As far as kitchen renovations go, this one gives you a lot of visual bang for your buck. It will definitely make the kitchen the focal point of your home, if it wasn’t already. And no guest or potential buyer will ever forget your beautiful, eye-catching, mouth watering stained glass cabinet doors. Along with beauty, stained glass adds real value to your home.
Clear or colored, etched or beveled, Celtic or floral, Deco or Art Nouveau, Prairie Style, or Greene and Greene, your imagination is the only limit for our custom stained glass pieces. Imagine a design that “travels” across your cabinets, like a mural in glass! And if you have beautiful china or antique crystal, we can design the cabinet doors to show them off.
And if you want to take this a bit further, how about stained glass for your curio cabinet, your wine cellar door, dull pantry door, your plain sliding glass patio door, or that window above the kitchen sink, you know, the one you can never reach to open, if it opens at all. That is the perfect place for some glowing glass art to tie in those cabinets.
Contact Scottish Stained Glass to make an in-home appointment with one of our designers. Let us show you our designs – or you show us yours. We guarantee, your kitchen will never be the same!
At Scottish Stained Glass, we work with innumerous tastes and styles for our home stained glass options. While the most common type of stained glass is our colorless, textured privacy glass choices, occasionally we come across an uncommon request.
Recently, we had the pleasure of working with a client to add a unique, hand painted piece of stained glass to her entryway. As you can see from the photos here, this piece depicts a beautiful young woman, actually an angel, with red wings behind her.
For this particular piece, we drew inspiration from a painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti called “La Bella Mano,” which depicts many angels together. Our client came across this painting and loved it.
“I wanted to subdue some of the harsh sunlight that was coming through the transom windows above my front door, but I wanted to do something creative with it,” said our client. By using this beautiful painting in the center, and surrounding it with textured glass, she was able to create the perfect look for her home; both fine art and functional glass.
The process of painting glass is a delicate art, and our expert painter, Nancy, is skilled in this process. Painting glass is a layering process in which the glass is painted, then fired, then painted again, and so on. This particular piece was fired in a 1200 degree kiln at least 15 times, cooling for about 24 hours after each fire.
“Just the hair used three colors to create the right depth,” Nancy said. This process actually melts the paint into the glass, making the artwork permanent. If properly taken care of, a piece of this kind of glass can be passed on for generations and last forever.
Nancy actually restarted the process after her first few steps. “I was using a technique commonly used in painted glass for churches, but it creates more solid lines. After I saw how this would look on the angel piece, I decided I wanted something softer looking. I really wanted it to look perfect,” she said.
Our piece of this beautiful glass artwork is finished, but our client is getting one more addition. She’s having wrought iron installed to the outside of the window to match the exterior look of her front door. “I’m very happy with all of the glasswork. Everyone did such a great job, and I love the way it looks,” she said.
This project is a beautiful example of fine art stained glass. Since every piece we build is custom, you’ll be able to actually choose a piece that you’ll truly love. One of our most popular choices for hand-painted glass is to get a beautiful family crest to honor your family name and heritage.
If you’re interested in getting a painted piece of glass artwork in your home, feel free to give us a call or send an email. Our designers and painter will help you find the right piece for your unique home, that you will love for years to come!
Stained glass windows and designs have an ancient and distinguished history. Examples of this time honored craft have been found in Europe’s ancient churches dating back centuries. In fact, when U.S. citizens go abroad, one of Europe’s main attractions are those imposing and venerated churches with their jaw-dropping stained glass windows.
Tourists everywhere are stunned by the colors, still so vivid despite the passing of hundreds of years, as well as the intricate detail and the moving depictions of religious symbolism. It’s likely that more photos are snapped of stained glass masterpieces than of any other architectural wonder throughout Europe.
Take a look at some of these stained glass marvels and see for yourself!
If you love the work of Vincent van Gogh or Monet, you might have a reproduction or tastefully framed poster in your home. You might have even purchased original work painted in that style as an heirloom to treasure for generations to come.
With stained glass, there’s no need to get a reproduction or work that pays homage to the greats. Stained glass window designs are affordable treasures that allow you to actually have an original masterpiece! Made with a combination of both ancient and thoroughly modern methodologies, stained glass art work is guaranteed to add beauty to your home.
Perhaps you’ve always loved and admired ancient stained glass, but never considered that you could have modern stained glass in your home. Think about it… is it really such a far-fetched idea that you could add an artistic glass treasure to your home’s decor?
One of the missions of Scottish Stained Glass is to bring the art form we are so passionate about into American homes. (And offices, and churches, and just about anywhere else, of course!) All of our pieces are indeed custom made and hand built, by experienced and highly trained American artisans.
You are likely wondering “if stained glass windows are all custom made and hand-built, with today’s labor prices, how can I afford it?”
Let’s take a look at the main factors that influence the cost of an original stained glass panel, whether for a window or a door.
Interestingly, the type of glass, texture, or color does not really impact the price at all.
If you have never imagined that you could afford original stained glass in your home, we invite you to contact us. One of our designers will call on you at your home or office, and work up a sketch and an estimate on the spot. We think you will be surprised and delighted by the outcome!
Our clients are delighted when we tell them that our custom stained glass windows will last for generations, and probably become much loved family heirlooms over time. And in fact, time doesn’t cause glass to deteriorate to any significant degree, (okay, perhaps over thousands of years!) but of course anything can happen over the years that might chip, break or even shatter it completely. That is one of the reasons we’ve developed our special stained glass installation methods, where we will place the stained glass panel on the inside of an existing pane of glass.
However, the lead strips which are generally used to hold the individual pieces of glass together can and does deteriorate. These strips are called “caming,” and can be made out of lead, brass, or even copper—the preferred metal used by the famed glass designer, Tiffany.
In the case of lead caming, the lead reacts with humidity or other weather conditions which cause oxidation, and over time the metal becomes brittle, losing any flexibility and making it ineffective at its primary job—holding the stained glass pattern together. The good news is that this doesn’t happen right away, it can take anywhere from 60 years to double that length of time.
By the time the lead does need to be replaced in a stained glass window—that window is usually an antique, with great value. It is usually worth it to do a full restoration of that piece, and here at Scottish Stained Glass, we take restoration of antique stained glass very seriously. We are honored to restore the pieces created by the stained glass masters who came before.
Whether an antique stained glass panel has been broken due to the elements, or is in danger of breaking because the lead has deteriorated over the passage of time, restoration involves taking the entire panel apart. Each piece of glass must be removed, and if they have been broken or are missing, we do our best to match the exact color or texture. Of course, in many cases the type of glass that was used is not even produced any more, but our restoration experts know exactly what glass to use so that no one would ever know it’s been replaced.
The glass pieces are cleaned and polished, and then reassembled into the exact same pattern with brand new lead caming. If it sounds like a time consuming process, it is. However, once the restoration is finished, the panel is restored to its former glory and if installed behind another pane of clear glass, it will last at least another 100 years and probably much more.
The largest restoration we’ve done to date was the famous stained glass lobby ceiling in the Boulderado Hotel, which took us approximately six to seven months to complete.
If you have a stained glass piece that needs restoration work, how do you know whether it’s worth the money and effort? Perhaps you’d be better off if we simply made a new piece, with the same pattern and design as the older one? The fact is that restoration of an antique is much more costly than commissioning a brand new window. And yet, after a good, high quality restoration job, that original window would be 2 to 3 times more valuable than the new one.
How do you decide? Contact us for a free consultation about a stained glass window restoration.
Stained glass in churches is one of the most well-known applications of our product. Churches have actually been using stained glass for over 400 years, and many all over the world are filled with these beautiful pieces.
Scottish Stained Glass Denver has extensive experience with both new religious stained glass, and replacing damaged or worn pieces. Whatever addition you are looking for in your building, we can accommodate your needs, and since each piece is custom, no two churches will look the same.
We have created many different styles for numerous denominations in Denver. Our team can design beautiful floral windows, biblical depictions, or whatever compliments your congregation. The options are endless, and our designers will work with you to create exactly what you’re looking for.
This process begins with an on-site consultation for your building. From there, our designers will begin creating a piece that fits your needs. For smaller windows along the sides of your church, we can create a simple yet beautiful design, while adding more intricate larger pieces as focal points. Our experienced designers can help you make key decisions on your windows.
Our glass is the best quality in the industry, so you can rest easy with the knowledge that you’ve invested in a great work of art that will last. We have over 20 years of experience in Denver, and we are the leading religious stained glass providers in the nation.
Many churches in Colorado are old, and while they may have been built with stained glass, it might have been damaged over the years. Our designers and builders are experts at replicating antique pieces as exactly as possible, and we have over 600 colors to choose from. This gives us the ability to match even the colors of your original windows very closely.
Restoring and replacing old stained glass is a delicate process. Founder Martin Faith learned this subtle craft in his home of Scotland, and his experience reflects in all our builders and designers, who take the time to make sure each piece is created with care.
Contact us today to get started on your religious stained glass piece in Denver. Adding stained glass to your church will create a new-found charm that will be cherished for ages to come.
Here at Scottish Stained Glass, all of our windows are custom designed to your exact specifications, hand crafted using traditional techniques combined with modern materials, and installed in the most durable and efficient manner.
If you are considering stained glass windows for your entryway, your sliding patio door, your transoms, or anywhere else in your home, here are some things to consider:
1. Design: Our custom design process allows you to choose from the many hundreds of stained glass window styles we have already created, or imagine something entirely new and see that come to life. You can choose from Art Deco, floral, Aspen, Prairie Style inspired designs and many more — and we have 600 colors of glass to choose from! Depending on your tastes, your current décor, or the architecture of your home, you could choose between colored stained glass, clear textured stained glass, beveled or etched glass, or any combination of these beautiful styles. If you can dream it, we can first sketch it and then build it!
See the various different styles we offer here. We also offer in-home consultation if you live near any of our showrooms, so give us a call for an appointment. If you don’t live near one of our studios, no problem! We have extensive experience working with out-of-town clients via phone, computer and mail.
2. Quality: Of course you want stained glass windows of the highest quality, ones that will last for generations and add to the value of your home. The fact is, not all stained glass is created equal. At Scottish Stained Glass, we pride ourselves on use the highest quality materials available. Our builders are artists with special training and experience in using our unique methods.
Over our twenty years in business, we’ve incorporated CAD computer technology to make sure each and every pattern is perfect, we’ve perfected precise soldering temperatures and specialized polishing methods – and we even have developed our own installation techniques. For instance, our stained glass windows are bonded to the inside of an existing window. This allows you to keep your windows (assuming they are in good enough condition) and makes the installation process quick and clean. It also protects the stained glass panel from the elements, and as an added bonus increases the thermal efficiency of the window!
All of these factors ensure that you will find no higher quality stained glass windows made anywhere.
3. Cost: It is our mission to make stained glass affordable, and our prices start as low as $150 per square foot. If you wonder if you can actually afford the stained glass project you have in mind, remember that along with the square footage, it’s the detail or intricacy of the pattern that adds to the cost. A simple pattern will always be less expensive than one using many tiny pieces, but that doesn’t mean it has to be any less beautiful.
Contact us so one of our stained glass designers can give you an estimate for what you have in mind, and work with you to create something you will be thrilled with at a price you can afford.
For more stained glass information, check out our FAQ or give us a call today.
Most people think windows immediately when they think stained glass, but there are many beautiful uses for stained glass in the interior or a home or commercial space.
For homes, one of the most popular is stained glass panels installed into the kitchen cabinet doors. You can imagine just how this “classes” up a kitchen, giving it an elegant designer look. The stained glass can be designed to look antique or contemporary, depending on whether you are trying to complement an older, Victorian style home, or thoroughly modernize your kitchen, perhaps along with the purchase of brand new appliances. Stained glass kitchen cabinets can be the beginning of a theme in the home. How about stained glass in your curio cabinet doors, or in your wine cellar door? Or for a stunning and unique lighting fixture?
Stained glass is beautiful in an interior doorway, or even to create privacy or separation of different spaces as a room divider. This affords a barrier, yet it still keeps a spacious feel because the translucent glass allows the sunshine or room lighting to pass right through. It’s a wonderful choice as a divider in an office or workspace as well.
And for retail establishments such as bars, hotels, restaurants, stained glass has a long tradition. It’s frequently used as a back splash behind a bar, or to create a distinctive sign with the establishment’s name displayed in a way that patrons will not miss. Another popular interior use for stained glass is in a family crest or a plaque commemorating some special event or achievement. Scottish Stained Glass has done many plaques for golf courses and other establishments.
Another idea is a beautiful antique stained glass window or panel, hung either in a window or on a wall as a piece of art. Although if you hang a piece of stained glass on a wall, the sunlight cannot pass through it, it can still be placed where the sun will hit it and bring it to life! We import some lovely antique stained glass pieces out of Scotland. They are masterfully crafted and made with types of glass that are no longer made today. These wonderful slices of history all but command your attention and are guaranteed to add a unique “flavor” to a home or office.
Although most of our customers do wind up installing stained glass in exterior windows or doors, as you can see, there are many other creative and fabulous uses for this medium. Skylights, fireplace screens (just imagine the firelight dancing through a piece of stained glass, casting it’s rainbow colors and dancing lights all about your room), ceilings, wall hangings… where would you like to see stained glass?
Where ever you put stained glass, it will add life, energy, light and beauty and value to your space.
If this article has gotten your creative juices flowing, why not contact usand set up an appointment with one of our highly experienced and talented design staff? During your consultation, you can choose from any of our different styles and patterns and work with a designer to create a custom piece of stained glass, for anywhere in your home. Any style, any pattern, any size… all our work is custom designed and hand crafted exactly for you.
Working in solid, non-bendable but highly breakable glass would not seem like a very versatile craft. But through the ages, master craftsman have done an absolutely astounding array of styles and forms using glass as their medium. Many of these stained glass windows rank right up there with the world’s most famed paintings in terms of timeless beauty and artistic mastery.
On the popular social site Quora, we came across someone asking,“What and where are the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world?” Different people offered photos of their choices, and others voted on their favorites. As stained glass artists and historians, we were frankly delighted to see this amount of interest in stained glass art.
Many of the “nominated” stained glass works are truly classics, masterpieces even, so we are thrilled to see the interest and respect for these works of fine art.
We were not surprised that the windows which received the most votes from viewers were that of Sainte Chapelle, in Paris. This mid-13th century gothic chapel is the only building remaining of the Capetian royal palace. It was designed and constructed to give the appearance of walls of stained glass, and the photos of it are quite spectacular. Here are some more photos of this architectural wonder.
Although in olden times, churches used stained glass windows to tell biblical tales, today modern stained glass artists are using stained glass to tell modern tales of equal importance to their culture, such as the striking “Windows of Hope” at the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda.
The photos people posted on this page are quite amazing, showcasing both ancient and modern stained glass of a wide array of styles. One that we particularly liked was a stunning glass portrait of a horse, done by the artist Marc Chagall. This piece is currently on display at the MuséesNationaux duXXe Siècle des Alpes-Maritimes in France. There is also a spectacular Prairie Style piece, Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers, loaded withvivid color and intricate detail. This stained glass window was part of Wright’s organic design of the famed Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. See another photo of this panel, a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanenglish/6717554375/” target=”_blank”>here.
If you like the look of Prairie Style stained glass, or any other style, you can work with a Scottish Stained Glass designer to have a custom stained glass window done in that style. Over the years we have done hundreds of Wright inspired stained glass, along with pieces inspired by Greene and Greene and many other influences.
We hope looking at all these lovely photos has opened up your idea of what stained glass can be. If you can imagine it, we can build it! Contact us today for more information or to get an estimate on stained glass art for your home, church or commercial space.
Do you love beveled stained glass windows? For many of our clients, it’s the beveling on their glass that they love the most, because that is what creates those gorgeous prisms of rainbow light dancing across their room, that sparkle and magic that they just never get tired of.
“We are extremely pleased with the custom glass windows that you designed and installed in our home. They are a delightful topic of conversation… They truly give our home a sense of individuality. We enjoy the refracted “play of light” from the beveled pieces.”
-The Roy family
Here at Scottish Stained Glass, all of our artisans are specially trained in the art of beveling and creating gorgeous patterns from this type of glass. But what exactly are we talking about when we say beveling?
Beveled glass refers to a fairly thick piece of clear glass that has had an angle cut around its entire edge, which is then polished to the smoothest imaginable finish. The glass we use is usually 1/8″ thick. This angled edge is the bevel and it acts as a prism, refracting sunlight or any other kind of light that strikes it. This creates interesting effects both on the glass itself and throughout the room it is installed in.
At one point in history, all beveled stained glass windows were made by hand, using different rotating wheels which ground down and polished these slanted edges. Today, the process is sometimes still done the old fashioned way, but semi-automated machines have also been developed to produce beautiful beveling for much less cost.
We’d bet your grandma had a mirror made out of beveled glass that you might remember from your childhood. Beveled glass evokes a wonderful feeling of bygone elegance; it’s classy, classic and completely timeless.
Many prospective customers are surprised to hear that clear glass designs account for the bulk of our stained glass window installations. Also known as leaded glass, these clear windows are popular because they provide privacy while letting the light through, and also have no colors which might clash with your current décor, or any new décor you might decide upon in the future. And if you put your home up for sale at some point, they aren’t any colors which might turn off prospective buyers. If you are considering a clear leaded glass window, talk to us about adding the sophisticated and graceful touch of beveled glass.
Beveled glass can stand on its own as the focal point of a stained glass window or door design, but it can also be combined with textured glass or the traditional colored glass in an infinite number of stunning designs and patterns.
Contact Scottish Stained Glass today to learn more about the art of beveled stained glass windows or to have a piece custom built.
Did you know that our “builders,” the craftsmen who actually cut and assemble each piece of glass for stained glass windows, train for up to ten years? Our methods are somewhat different than those used for “plain old stained glass” so we like to train and certify our artists, ensuring their work meets our standards.
Once a stained glass artisan has mastered our specific methods, they produce precise, stunning, highly detailed, pieces of stained glass, including beveling and etching as well as both clear, texured leaded glass and the traditional colored panels you think of when you think “stained glass windows.” These dedicated and talented artists may take weeks building one stained glass panel!
If you know anything about the history of stained glass windows, you might think that its production has not changed much over the centuries — and you would be correct! Scottish Stained Glass founder Martin Faith was trained in the traditional methods in his native Scotland. However, although each piece of Scottish Stained Glass is still custom designed and built by hand as it was centuries ago, Martin has spent the past twenty years refining and improving this process.
In this way, Scottish Stained Glass incorporates the age old tradition of stained glass making with the most modern computer technologies and improved materials, to bring clients modern, yet classic stained glass windows that are both a works of art and a practical home improvements adding value to your home.
We’ve seen many pieces that look mass produced, with lines that don’t match up and the solder in the joints a completely different color than the “caming” or lead strips. Much of this stained glass looks great from afar, but when you see it up close, to be perfectly frank, it looks cheap. It doesn’t give the sense of being lovingly made by a master craftsman. And we have to wonder it its construction would stand the test of time.
Some of the Scottish Stained Glass differences include:
Because of our certification process, our attention to detail, our use of computer technologies and best available materials, our clients are ensured of receiving beautiful, high quality and long lasting pieces of art.
Scottish Stained Glass might take longer to produce, indeed it might cost a bit more, but our mission has always been to make stained glass windows of the highest quality that are affordable to everyone – not just the monarchy, the uber-wealthy, or churches whose congregations have deep pockets. So why not contact us today about custom stained glass windows for your home, and experience the Scottish difference for yourself?
Over the years Scottish Stained Glass has imported upwards of one thousand antique stained glass windows from Scotland, the homeland of founder Martin Faith. These pieces can be more than 100 years old, but we pick them based on the beauty of their designs and the mastery of the craftsmanship. They are extraordinarily well built, in fact the work of master craftsmen for whom we have the utmost respect.
The fact is that these antique stained glass windows cannot be duplicated because much of the glass used is of a type no longer made. But this makes these lovely antiques all the more valuable.
Why might you want antique stained glass windows in your home instead of having a brand new, custom made stained glass window made to your exact specifications? For the same reason that many people seek out and highly value antiques of any kind, whether cars, furniture or artwork – an intense love and appreciation for history, artifacts from a different era, and craftsmanship that is rarely seen in the modern world.
However, here at Scottish Stained Glass we pride ourselves on our craftsmanship, even going so far as to specially train and certify our stained glass artisans.
If you’re an antique stained glass connoisseur or aficionado, take a look at some of these stained glass beauties.
Now, perhaps you are wondering, “but what are the chances that one of these antique stained glass windows would fit precisely into my modern windows?” Although each antique window is custom made and one of a kind, the fact is that the windows in modern homes are usually bigger than the windows of old. However, this can work to your advantage, as we can install the smaller antique with hooks, to hang in the middle of an existing window.
It’s possible that you might find one of our antiques to be the same size as the window you’d like to see it in – but even if not, we can install it in a different way. And there’s yet another option… if you fall in love with an antique pattern, we can copy that for you, custom made to the exact specifications of your windows. You can have the look of antique stained glass, although by necessity it will be made with all modern materials. (We do not build with antique glass.)
By the way, if you are already in possession of any antique stained glass, from a window panel to an heirloom lamp, we would love to restore it to any degree necessary. We’ve restored many broken or damaged antique stained glass windows to their original glory, including several months work on the famous lobby’s stained glass ceiling at the Boulderado Hotel in Colorado. We take care to match the colors exactly, and will go so far as to remove every single piece of the glass, redo all the lead strips, and clean and polish the piece till it glows!
Please contact us today for more information about our antique stained glass windows, any restoration projects, or of course, any new stained glass windows or doors.
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