7 modern interpretations of stained glass that will add light and wonder to your home

This church hall in Islington, London has been standing since 1883. Tasked with turning it into a home studio, the Surman Weston team created a stained glass installation amid a soothing palette of creams and light wood. The stained glass privacy screen and suspended stairway evoke images of the property’s previous use, maintaining an air of serenity while adding visual interest to the space. 

Award-winning Belgian designers Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen are renowned for their playful approach to furniture design. Their home kitchen features an eclectic combination of different colours and textures, starting with the stained glass doorway. Perhaps the most traditional use of this material on the list, Muller Van Severen breathes modernity into this form, inspiring homeowners to consider using stained glass to liven up divisions between different rooms.   

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Key to the Keivani Architects’ design philosophy is a celebration of traditional Iranian architecture. For this seven-story home in Tehran, they presented a modernised version of the ‘orsi’ window. This sash window is designed with coloured glass and wood to minimise the daytime heat and protect the homeowners from insects. The result is a façade that is as useful as it is beautiful. 

Aside from stained glass’s ability to showcase a wide range of colours, its delicate structure contrasts well with sturdier materials. In a partnership between the Spanish designer Jaime Hayon and Caesarstone, Hayon created a pavilion that formed Caesarstone’s quartz material and stained glass into a pavilion featuring elements of global folklore. 

Quartz material is normally used for kitchen islands and bathroom countertops, but it took on a more mystical form in this space. The stained glass grounded the material, creating a whimsical wonderland that could inspire future installations in a home. 

World-famous conceptual artist, painter and sculptor Daniel Buren is known for his vibrant installations in architectural spaces. At the Belmond Hotel, he created a dynamic interplay of stained glass and stripes, transporting Villa San Michele into a dream world. Mundane moments at the hotel–from placing an order to chatting with other guests–take on a more surreal form in this space. The roof becomes a masterpiece of its own, letting the suffusion of sunlight imbue their existing pieces with new life. 

Balancing function and form, Dutch designer Marjan Van Aubel created a stained glass window that harvests enough sunlight to charge phones and other gadgets. Van Aubel cleverly dyed the panels with dye-sensitive solar cells, mimicking the process of photosynthesis. The playful triangles and squares are a nod to the electrical current that the panels produce, harnessing technology while still creating a tranquil atmosphere. 

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