Stained Glass: It's not just for windows anymore

Wagon Wheel. Instead of hanging in a window, this piece is mounted on a narrow light box above a fireplace mantle. Much as one would hang a painting. The light box provides perfect illumination.

Rising Sun. Two panels - the designs mirror each other. Used in a set of cafe doors.

When most people think of stained glass, it's usually a panel that's been installed in door or window. Traditional.

However, used creatively, a stained glass panel can bring light and color into a dim room -- transforming it completely.

One of the most beautiful examples of this is Wagon Wheel (right). This large (8-square foot) panel is hung in a house in one of Columbia's older neighborhoods. The area is heavily wooded and not much light comes through the living room's front window. The owners built a narrow (2-3" deep) light box above their fireplace along a dark wall, and then mounted the framed panel directly in front of it. Absolutely stunning.

In the example on the right, two panels (mirrors of each other) were set in a pair of cafe doors, letting light into an otherwise dark room. But maintaining some privacy.

One of our favorite uses is for " interior windows." For example, a homeowner builds an addition (such as an enclosed porch) -- on the back of house -- boxing the kitchen in. Instead of removing any (previously) exterior windows, a nice alternative is to hang a stained glass panel in the window. Alternatively, you can install shutters that contain stained glass panels.