From front door panels to glass ceilings and from bathroom windows to kitchen cabinets, there are numerous ways to add stained glass to your home.  

Beautiful stained glass is typically associated with churches and cathedrals. But stained-glass designs were a popular feature on front doors and hall windows from the 1860s through to the 1930s.  Today, stained glass is enjoying something of a revival. It adds colour and character to a home.

“There was a time when people ripped out stained glass in front doors because it was considered old-fashioned but now they want to put it back in again,” said Helen Thomson, founder of Fantasia Stained Glass in Hampshire, who has created hundreds of bespoke stained-glass panels for homes, big and small. The glass artist restores stained glass panels in period properties and creates unique, contemporary designs.  Helen uses traditional techniques and materials. She cuts the glass by hand, sets them into leaded sections and solders them to secure.  She also makes fused glass, joining two or more pieces of glass by firing in a kiln.

History of stained glass

Stained glass windows and leaded lights were a regular feature of medieval churches. Like a picture book, the illuminated windows often told Bible stories. The art form flourished again in the Victorian era and was embraced by the arts and crafts movement, including architect Charles Rennie MacInotosh. Today, there are more and more applications of stained glass in a home.

Stained glass is extremely versatile. When most people think of stained-glass they think of multiple colours but it can also can be made of clear beveled glass and textured in varying degrees of translucency. The patterns can be traditional, modern, art deco, abstract – or any style you like. Stained glass can be custom designed to fit almost any window or opening.

First impressions – front door

 “Traditionally, it was the front door that had stained glass. In larger houses, there were often also feature windows maybe up the main staircase,” said Helen. In some Victorian or Edwardian streets there will be a set design for all the houses.  In one commission to replace missing panes, Helen used the pattern on the original hallway floor tiles to come up with a sympathetic style. “Quite often customers want a design in keeping with the house and there is a place for that if they are refurbishing a period property. I think it is also okay to do something that suits the house but is contemporary. It doesn’t spoil a house but adds a bit of history from the century we are living in now.”

Stained glass front door and side lights (Fantasia Stained Glass) 

The stained glass can be fitted to your door as traditional single glazing or it can be encased between two panes of clear glass to make up a triple glazed unit for extra security.

Leaded panels for windows

 “People associate stained glass with traditional properties but quite often you can do so much more with a contemporary house because the design and colour choice can be much more modern,” said Helen. Her commissions have included installing a 20ft-wide, 6ft high contemporary stained-glass window inspired by the River Meon in a water mill in Alton and several in coastal properties and converted barns, including one which portrays the front and rear end of a pig complete with curly tail made of fused glass.  “The owners turned the barn into an entertainment space and linked it to the old pig sty which became a snug. The old pig sty doorway was filled with the stained-glass window.”

Big picture window inspired by Van Gough's Sunflower (Fantasia Stained Glass) 

Glass ceilings and roofs

There is something magical about the way light diffuses through a stained-glass window, creating rainbow patterns of colour on surrounding structures. It is even more magical being in room with a glass ceiling. Stained glass is never static. During the day stained glass is animated by changing light, casting its patterns around the room.

Sky light (Fantasia Stained Glass) 

“It’s dynamic. On a very bright day, the colours are different to a dull day,” said Helen who has made several stained-glass ceilings, including one for a modern mansion in Andover to hide a rather ugly skylight. Other commissions include an elegant cupola of clear bent glass over the light-filled hallway of a Victorian home in Birmingham.  

Kitchen splashbacks and cabinet doors.

But installations need not always be so large or architectural. Handmade bespoke fused glass kitchen splashbacks are popular – often featuring strikingly modern designs. “Stained glass suits parts of the house like the kitchen, bathroom or conservatory where it’s difficult to hang artwork because steam would ruin it, or sunlight fade it whereas glass art won’t get damaged,” said Helen. Stained-glass panels and leaded lights can be fitted into a variety of areas, including fanlights, kitchen door panels and cabinet doors.

Stained glass panel for internal kitchen door, inspired by plates (Fantasia Stained Glass) 

Bathroom privacy

A practical use of stained glass is to provide privacy, for example if there is an internal bathroom window leading off the hall or landing. Helen’s bathroom commissions include a brightly coloured ‘funky faces’ bathroom window for a cottage in Bishop’s Waltham. “When I went to see the clients, they wanted a Victorian style design, but I saw they liked African masks and art. I suggested doing something in keeping with that design.  That’s one of the reasons I like to go to client’s house when I work on a commission to get an idea of their taste and furnishings.”

Funky Faces bathroom window (Fantasia Stained Glass)

How much does it cost?

“It is more affordable than people think,” said Helen who charges about £1,250 per sq m. This works out about £650 for a simple stained-glass door panel (1m x 0.5m.) The cost will depend on complexity of design and quality of glass. Helen doesn’t have a catalogue as all her designs are custom created for individual homes.  The glass artist keeps costs down as she works on her own from a studio in her back garden and doesn’t charge VAT. Expect to pay more with a bigger company that has more staff on its payroll and expensive premises.

Does it add value?

Stained glass can add real value to your home – make it stand out from similar properties on the street. Stained glass panels can upgrade your front door and entrance hall - adding kerb appeal. “Buyers make decisions quickly about a house and the entrance way makes the first impression,” said Helen. “A lot of people say they will take a stained-glass window with them when they move but I ask them why? It was made to fit in a space and becomes part of the history of the house, so leave it behind and commission another for your new home!”

Bathroom panel inspired by rowers (Fantasia Stained Glass)

Fantasia Glass
www.fantasiaglass.com
t:01489 878123