Across the country, homeowners who have spent all winter cooped up inside, staring at the same paint color, wallpaper and furniture, are plotting spring home improvement projects. From a fresh coat of paint to rearranging the furniture to completely redoing the kitchen, these projects all revolve around making the home more inviting.
For a unique finishing touch, more and more homeowners are using stained glass designs as a beautiful way to make windows, doorways and even shower stalls more appealing. "Thanks to technology, it is possible to use stained glass in nontraditional ways," notes Michael Cassidy, president of Stained Glass Overlay (SGO), a company specializing in custom stained glass pieces. "Stained glass design let's people make a big change in their environment without the big cost," he says. "For about the same investment as hiring a professional to paint or wallpaper a room, homeowners can add a fabulous design element to their home."
Cassidy's company uses a process that is lighter in weight and more structurally sound than traditional stained glass, while still being indistinguishable in appearance. "In the case of the traditional stained glass method, many individual pieces of colored glass are cut and then bonded together with lead strips," Cassidy explains. "The overlay method utilizes colored mylar film that is used to bond a design directly to the glass, while outlining the pattern of the design by lead stripping that is bonded to both sides of the glass," he continues.
This process allows customers to personalize their designs to match the colors of their wallpaper, tile patterns and other elements in a room's décor. Homeowners can install one piece of stained glass to serve as a focal point of a room, or incorporate stained glass designs into larger renovation projects. "Any room and any home can be made more personal and more beautiful with the addition of decorative glass," says Cassidy.
Stained Glass Overlay can be used in a variety of ways, from the obvious to the unexpected. "The possibilities are endless," says Cassidy. For example, Stained Glass Overlay can add privacy to front door sidelights; it can function as ceiling light panels, mirrors, sliding glass doors and room dividers -- just use your imagination. Stained glass is also an excellent way to handle uniquely shaped windows that are hard to accessorize. An added benefit is that the panels block out UV rays that can fade furniture and carpets.
A decorative glass panel can be swapped out for existing glass, which is the case with smaller pieces, such as cabinet windows, or it can be installed up against the existing glass, creating a seamless appearance. The process used to apply the stained glass pattern to the glass makes it extremely strong and allows for versatility of installation.
The artisans at SGO work closely with homeowners to achieve the look they desire, and create a design that is customized to the room's overall appearance. Each project is handcrafted. SGO's designers have an extensive library of custom work the company has completed for clients over the years, and are pleased to offer suggestions and provide valuable tips on which design and colors are best suited to various uses.
Stained Glass Overlay serves customers across North America and in over 30 countries around the world. For more information on finding the designer nearest you, or to find out about franchise opportunities, visit www.stainedglassoverlay.com, or call (800) 944-4746.
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