Contributed by Korina Rossi, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru
Installing a unique glass panel in a window of your home is a wonderful way to transform the look and feel of your entire home. But that’s not the only way to bring the sparkle, artistry and and magic of glass art to your home.
Choosing the right glass art designs to add to your home is the key to getting the impact you want. Not sure where to start? Here are ten very different kinds of glass art for the inside or outside of your house.
10. Art Deco
Skyscrapers, Egyptian motifs, and etches glass are the hallmarks of Art Deco design. Like the architecture of South Beach, Deco glass art favors lively colors, long rectangular shapes, and eye-catching bronze metalwork. You can add this look to your decor with a reproduction Art Deco lamp or a sculpture that includes the glass elements so popular during the Deco period.
9. Art Nouveau
The iconic turn of the century art design, Art Nouveau most marked aspects are the lines, curves, and patterns. And the style is still popular for jewelry with flair. It’s also a wonderful choice for a feature stained glass window, or even unique sidelights for the right architectural style (have a modern ranch or 1970’s Colonial? Skip the Art Nouveau accents! Please)
8. Murano
Festive and colorful, Murano glass displays its famous swirls because of the techniques of dipping the piece in layers of molten colored glass and then slicing them to reveal the patterns. Murano glass can enliven a staid office or perfectly complement a child’s bedroom.
Murano glass was originally developed on a island near Venice as early as the 7th century, C.E. Today, authentic murano glass is marked, to protect collectors from imitations made elsewhere, but sold with the murano name.
7. Tiffany
Perhaps the most famous type of glass design, Tiffany glass uses a quality of glass with an iridescent sheen. Rippled and fractured glasses were invented by the Tiffany Studio to make dome ceilings earlier in the century. Even today, a Tiffany style lamp brings a certain distinction to a room.
6. Cameo
If you have a room decorated with fine antique furniture, a cameo glass piece would look cozy with your brocade drapes. Cameo glass, invented in classical times, is made by carving into layers of fused glass. This is most commonly seen in vintage-style cameo jewelry today. Antique cameos made using traditional techniques remain popular with vintage jewelry lovers.
5. Bohemian
Created in the 13th century in the part of the Czech Republic called Bohemia, this glass design uses hand painted flower and stem figures usually on monochromatic transparent glass. Bohemian glass makes a strong statement when displayed against a black background, especially with art lighting installed above it.
4. Modern
Modern art glass design employs intricate, three-dimensional designs and a variety of materials. Blown glass has especially taken the art world by storm with artists designing life size pieces for outdoor scenes. Recent installations have included a Christmas tree and a palm tree, each about three stories in height. And yes, they are made 100% of glass!
3. Celtic
Celtic crosses, barbs, and knots are popular for stained glass pieces that incorporate a medieval theme. Look for these symbols on stained glass windows, wall artwork and decorative tableware.
2. Avant Garde
Experimentation is the buzzword of avant garde design, so art glass artists innovate with techniques of painting the glass or unusual depictions of well-worn themes.
1. Primitive
Primitive glass design is prominent in almost every cathedral in the world, and may be recognized by its simple scenes, primary colors, and flat textures. Features and objects are rendered with the soldered breaks in the glass.