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Stained glass dates back more than 1,400 years, to the ancient Romans and Egyptians, and has been cycling through visual culture ever since. And though you might mainly think of it as the medium for church windows, right now it’s also a major residential design flex. We’re seeing stained glass pop up in projects ranging from traditional to modernist, in new construction and older homes alike. Ahead, see how a mix of designers and homeowners are putting these colorful panes into practice.
Spice Up Small Spaces
This image, captured by Georgia Hopkins, features a narrow galley-style kitchen that opens onto the deck and backyard. The colored glass is mixed with textured opaque panes that allow light to filter in, as well as clear ones that allow for a peek outdoors.
Pull A Palette Together
There are no shortage of standout moments in this eclectic Chicago home, which is, shockingly, a new build. Perhaps our fave: The custom stained glass pantry door, which was intended to bridge the color story between the soft, dusky shades in the kitchen and pale mint foyer beyond. Clearly, it’s working as planned.
Max Out Natural Light
One major challenge of renovating in an apartment building: You can’t always move walls exactly where you want them. Jess and Jonathan Nahon—the residents as well as the couple behind the NYC-based design and architecture studio Sugarhouse—solved their natural light challenge by adding a custom stained glass panel in the hallway between their galley kitchen and home office, no structural changes required.
Establish A Repeat Pattern
Rather than use stained glass in just one spot, the interior designer behind this narrow apartment in Almaty, Kazakhstan employed it throughout the space—specifically, on paneled doors. The primary colors and textural glass are at once sophisticated and playful; the fact that they show up in multiple rooms adds to the feeling that they “belong” there, despite being new additions.
Try Out A Triptych
This custom picture window, which is technically a triad, was created by Theodore Ellison to provide privacy in the den of a client’s home while still allowing for light to stream through. It’s a smart swap for drapery or blinds in a space that already features a density of textiles; the blossoming tree design is always at the height of its season.
Lean Into An Iconic Era
This midcentury stunner features hallmarks of Chinese American architect Gilbert Leong, including a large amber-colored window that dominates the upstairs landing. Removing it was never a consideration, but interior designer Sarah Zachary-Jones did freshen up its context: Monochrome, desert-themed wallpaper defines the window by creating contrast in the foyer, while, on the dining room side of the glass, marigold drapery echoes the golden hue.
Play With The Blues
This stained glass window between the bathroom vanity and shower is manifold in function: it allows light to pass through, breaks up what might otherwise just have been a wood-paneled wall, and allowed the designer to incorporate her color scheme in another aspect of the bathroom. Win, win, win.
Fancy Up A Farmhouse Stairwell
When Domino’s former design director Brit Ashcraft and her husband redid their Victorian farmhouse in Hudson, New York, they wanted to give it an edge while still maintaining its period details. One of their tweaks that fits in perfectly: adding stained glass to the double hung windows in the twisting stairwell between the first and second floors, which creates a rainbow of dappled light in the foyer.
Build Art Into The Basics
These double doors, from a project by Ome Dezin, are doing a lot. The Mondrian-style stained glass is opaque enough to obscure the interior of this beautifully styled “closet.” At the same time, the doors themselves function as artwork viewable from both the hallway and kitchen; they also allow light to filter softly into the space.
Revive Architectural Roots
This 1920s house in Los Angeles had been stripped of period details when its residents—a young family—embarked on their own renovation. While it’s not original, the stained glass picture window installed over the kitchen sink hearkens to the home’s history. Craftsman and Arts & Crafts architecture often featured stained glass, and this semi-transparent application is a lovely way to let sunlight in while still limiting exposure.
Style The Sunlight
Located in the primary bedroom of a modern adobe bungalow, this exterior window makes the most of the Santa Fe’s high desert light, coloring and softening the sun’s rays as they enters the room. The palette draws from the colors of sunset but makes for a beautiful view all day long.