Decorative & Art Glass

We come out and measure. Old door lites, transoms and cabinet frames are rarely square, so we take the real size of the opening or the rabbet the glass sits in, not the nominal size, and note how the existing glass is held: wood stops, glazing putty, a door's glass frame, or retainer strips. We also check where the glass sits relative to the door, the floor and any stairs, because that decides whether safety glazing comes into it.

We go over the options with you: a leaded or stained panel, a clear or beveled leaded design, a textured glass, or a decorative insulated unit. For a custom design, the studio usually works from a drawing that you approve before any glass is cut. If you are trying to echo glass that is already in the house, bring a clear photo of it or point it out when we visit.

The studio or fabricator makes the panel to our measurements: it cuts and assembles the glass, solders and cements the joints on a leaded panel, and builds it into an insulated or safety-glazed unit when the order calls for one. Because the piece is made for one opening, every dimension is fixed when the order goes in, which is why we take the final measurements ourselves.

When the glass arrives we check it against the order, then install it with the stops, setting blocks, glazing and sealant the opening needs. Our installation is covered by our 10-year transferable workmanship warranty.

Stained glass. Colored glass, sometimes painted and kiln-fired, cut into pieces and joined into a panel. It suits accent windows, stair and landing windows, transoms and other spots where the panel is mostly looked at rather than looked through. Color and design are the whole point, so this is where a studio drawing matters most.

Leaded clear and beveled glass. A leaded panel does not have to be colored. Clear, textured and beveled pieces in a geometric lead pattern are the classic look in Tudor, Craftsman and Colonial Revival entries, in sidelights, transoms and diamond-pane casements. Beveled pieces catch the light at the edges and give privacy through distortion rather than color.

Copper-foil work. Each piece is wrapped in copper foil and soldered, which gives thinner lines than lead came and suits smaller, more detailed panels such as cabinet inserts and small accent windows. Studios choose between lead came and copper foil based on the panel's size and design.

Textured and patterned glass. Reeded, seeded, rain and other patterns are made into the glass at the factory, not assembled from pieces. They suit kitchen cabinet doors, interior doors, shower-adjacent windows and sidelights where you want light and some privacy without a leaded design. Some patterns are available tempered and some are not, which matters in a door.

Decorative insulated units. A leaded or stained panel can be sealed between two panes of glass as an insulated unit, so the outside of the door or window is flat glass that cleans like any other window and the decorative panel is protected inside. This is the usual route for exterior entry doors, sidelights and windows where energy performance and weather matter. Ask whether the outer panes are tempered or laminated when the location needs safety glass.

Entry doors and sidelights. The glass has to handle weather, a door that slams, and the safety-glazing rules for doors. In most exterior doors that points to a decorative insulated unit with safety glass on the faces, set into the door's glass frame or the sidelight. We measure the existing lite and its frame so the new unit fits the opening rather than forcing a new door.

Transoms. A transom over an entry or interior door is a natural place for a stained or leaded panel, because it is above eye level and mostly decorative. An exterior transom still needs to shed water and seal at the stops, which is part of our installation.

Cabinet and interior-door inserts. Kitchen uppers, china cabinets, bookcases and interior French or pantry doors take a single-thickness panel or textured glass set into the frame's rabbet. We measure the rabbet and leave the clearance the glass needs, and hold it with stops or retainers that suit the cabinet.

Windows. A stained or leaded panel can go in place of the glass in an existing window or sash when the frame is sound, as a decorative insulated unit or as a single panel with protective glazing outside it. If the frame itself is failing, fixing or replacing the window comes first; the decorative glass goes into a sound opening.

A single leaded or stained panel in an exterior opening is exposed to wind, rain and the occasional ball or branch, and on its own it does little to stop heat loss. There are two common ways to deal with that.

Protective glazing is a separate pane of clear glass or plastic installed outside the decorative panel. It shields the panel and cuts drafts, but it has to be detailed with care: a sealed air space can trap heat and moisture against the panel. The National Park Service's preservation guidance on historic stained and leaded glass (Preservation Brief 33) discusses these risks and the venting that protective glazing usually needs. Protective glazing also changes how the window looks from the street, which matters on a house under historic-district review.

A decorative insulated unit seals the panel inside the glass instead. It behaves like any insulated window unit for cleaning and weather, and can be ordered with tempered or laminated outer panes. The trade-off is that the panel is sealed in, so it cannot be cleaned or reached from either side without replacing the unit. We go over which approach suits the opening when we measure.

If you have an original panel that is bowing, cracked, rattling or losing its cement, the repair itself is stained-glass studio work: re-soldering joints, replacing broken pieces and re-leading a whole panel all happen at a studio bench. We do not do that work, and we will not pretend to. A studio that does restoration can tell you whether the panel can be saved and what that involves.

Where we can help is with what surrounds it: a new custom panel ordered to replace one that cannot be saved, a decorative insulated unit for an opening that needs safety glass or better weather protection, protective glazing in general terms, and the window or door work around the glass.

New Jersey adopted the 2024 International Residential Code effective August 17, 2026, which moved the glazing rules to section R324. Glass in a door, glass close to a door, glass in walls at a tub or shower, and certain large, low panes and stair glass are hazardous locations that normally need safety glazing. A cabinet insert usually is not.

The residential code also carries an exception for decorative glazing in some of those locations, and whether a particular stained or leaded panel qualifies is the local construction official's call. When a panel is going into or beside a door, or anywhere else safety glass may apply, the cautious route is a decorative insulated unit with tempered or laminated glass on the faces. Your town's construction code office can tell you how the rule applies to a particular opening. This is general information, not legal advice.

Custom stained, leaded and decorative glass is made for one opening, so it is not stock and is rarely returnable. That is the reason for the measuring and the design sign-off before the order goes in.

Lead time depends on the studio or fabricator and on the piece, and we do not promise a number of days or weeks. What moves it: the studio's current schedule; how detailed the design is and how many pieces it has; whether a drawing has to be approved first; glass colors or textures that have to be sourced; building the panel into a safety-glazed or insulated unit, which adds a step; and the size of the panel. When we place the order we pass on the studio's or fabricator's estimate, and we schedule the installation once the glass is in and checked.

Cost follows the same factors: size, design complexity, the number of pieces, the type of glass, and whether the panel is built into an insulated or safety-glazed unit. We give you a written quote to approve before anything is ordered.

Dust leaded and stained panels with a soft, dry cloth or brush. When they need more, use a cloth barely damp with plain water and dry the glass right away. Skip abrasive pads, scouring powders and scrapers, do not spray cleaner straight onto the lead or the joints, and be especially gentle with any painted glass.

A decorative insulated unit cleans like any other window on its flat outer faces. Textured glass cleans with a normal non-abrasive glass cleaner and a soft cloth or brush to get into the texture. The studio's or fabricator's care instructions for your glass are the final word; when the glass comes with them, we pass them on at installation.