Arts & Crafts

Long Beach, CA Dining Room Windows for Bungalow

The owner of this Long Beach, CA bungalow was renovating his home adding unique and artful elements, all the while preserving the good “bones” of the house. In the Dining Room, one wall had a window with twelve panes with simple clear glass above a bench seat. The view out the window was of the neighbor’s backyard and his own driveway. Rather than see that, he preferred having a stained-glass window which would still allow light to enter but would block the unattractive view.

The twelve mission-style stained-glass windows are triple-glazed with clear tempered glass. Since there is a bench seat at the base of the windows, the owner did not want to have guests lean back and potentially damage the art glass. The triple-glazing protects the interior from damage but also protects the panels from potential exterior threats.

The detail in the design begins with a light purple line which wraps around the perimeter of the overall opening. This simple element ties all the panels together as a single design. The owner also wanted to highlight the look vertically so dark green rectangles were added for each four panels. The details of the center chevrons drive energy upwards accentuating the vertical design.

Lafayette Arts & Crafts – Tree Motif Entrance and Dining Room Windows

The clients for these commissions in Lafayette had a keen eye for design composition, detail and wanted the overall effect of the glass to make a dramatic statement. For both the Main Entrance and the wall between the Dining Room and Family Room of this unique craftsman house, these stained-glass windows demonstrate the detail, precision and technical expertise that can be achieved with glass.

The spectacular woodwork and structure of the entrance is designed to resemble the Gamble House with a tree motif. Unlike the entrance at the Gamble House, the background glass for this commission was cut contiguously. This bold approach gives the appearance that the tree is behind the framework. The background glass gives the impression that a slight breeze is blowing clouds softly along. There are no extraneous lines in the design. In fact, to add a little element of realism, a couple of leaves “hang” down from small twigs with no other attachment lines used. Some have commented that, “The tree in the yard was placed strategically to be viewed through the Entrance.” They had not recognized that the tree was part of the glass of the Entrance. The Foyer of this grand home includes four interior leaded glass panels opposite the Entry Doors. Two of the windows allow light to pass through the Entry to light a stairway on the other side of the wall. Between the two windows a mirror faces the Entry. Two other windows were added to the side of the wet bar in the room adjacent to the Foyer. The resulting effect is that as one enters the Foyer through the front doors, one is greeted by a view of branches descending from the large tree. Standing in the Foyer, one can “feel” the canopy of the tree all around to great effect.

The stained glass window in the Dining Room wall was inspired by the Mackintosh watercolor painting, “The Tree of Effort”. It is a masterful example demonstrating how six individual panels are constructed such that all the horizontal and vertical elements align perfectly the others in the adjacent panels and the circle aligns perfectly through four separate panels. These panels were also cut contiguously—this detail can be seen with great effect in the circle itself, which feels like the dark green glass is in front of a large sphere. Another important reason for having the glass cut contiguously is that this is a two-sided stained-glass panel. It must show just as beautifully from the Dining Room as from the Family Room on the other side of the wall. Since the amber glass is modeled, if the back of the glass is not contiguous, the effect would leave the panel looking very much like a patchwork rather than seamlessly flowing from one side to the other. Looking closely at the details of the panels one notes the extreme 90-degree angles cut at the base of each “candle” and the effect this gives to soften the lines of the composition. The art glass perfectly compliments the fine woodwork of the built-in cabinetry.

Altadena – Entry Sidelight Tulip Leaf Tree Window

Cascading realistic leaves and branches provide a stunning welcome.

The client wanted a feeling of calm, beauty and color in the sidelight window at the entrance. Tulip tree leaves were used as the inspiration for the composition. The window of this Arts and Crafts home in Altadena makes a bold statement of fine workmanship. The many leaves in the window are all cut from a single sheet of glass. Since the glass color varies within the full sheet of glass, the leaf patterns were cut from different sections of the glass to achieve dimension for the leaves. Because the leaf glass is all from the same sheet, when seen up close, the amber and orange-colored leaves have small bits of the green and the green leaves have small bits of the amber and orange. This effect makes the leaves look more realistic.

Special care was taken to cut the background glass contiguously. Although the window size made it not possible to use a single sheet for the background, two very similar sheets were cut contiguously and “spliced” such that one cannot distinguish where one sheet stops and the other starts. The result is that the branches and leaves appear to be in front of a breezy cloudy day. One other note is that there are no extraneous lines in the design. The branches and leaves of this composition have all the lines one would expect if seeing it in real life. This detail further enhances the effect of the branches and leaves.

For purposes of safety, the panel has a sheet of clear tempered glass on the exterior side of the building, protecting the panel from possible damage as well as giving the panel an extra bit of support. The photo was taken from the interior side. As the window faces east, the light in the morning illuminates the leaves brightly and casts a warm glow into the Entry. This photo was taken later in the day of installation and the dark leaves are such only due to the limited light entering the space.