How we created a bespoke etched glass design

A few months ago we helped some of our customers with some bespoke etched glass designs for new double glazed units going in some new timber doors. The project involved an extension and remodelling of an old stone house, in a conservation area, called Rose Villas. There is a feature name stone on the existing walls from over 100 years ago. The customers wanted a design for the glass that reflected the name of the house so they chose a rose flower motif and we helped translate that idea into a proper drawing that the joinery and glazing companies could use. 

We wanted to show you the process of getting this basic idea into a proper design and then into fabrication for these customised etched glass patterns.  

Making sure the customers were happy with the design, working closely with the joinery company and keeping the custom patterns crisp and neat were all important. Not straight forward, quick or easy but the results should hopefully speak for themselves. 

Here’s how we did it.  

The first step was to get the measurements of the double-glazed unit from the joinery sub-contractor. The client had sent us some crude sketches of their idea, but they were created in Microsoft Word using bitmapped* graphics, which are not as sharp as vector graphics. So, we downloaded a vector* graphics file of a rose flower from Shutterstock and opened it in Adobe Illustrator. 

We then exported the file as a DWG / CAD format file so that we could open it in Archicad [the architectural software we use]. In Archicad, we created a fresh vector drawing that was scaled to the actual size of the glass. We then painstakingly cut out the pattern shape bit by bit until we had the finished etched glass pattern. 

Once we were happy with the design, we mounted it on a sheet with dimensions and notes, converted it to PDF, and handed it back to the joinery sub-contractor. They then fabricated the etched glass and installed it in the new door. 

The finished door and feature artwork is a beautiful piece of custom work that perfectly reflects the name of the house. We were glad that we could help the client create their vision, and we were proud of the collaborative effort that went into this work. 

Hope you like the finished door. The customers sure do! 

You can watch a little video of the process here.   

*Bitmap graphics are images created from rows of different coloured pixels that together form an image. When zoomed in close there is a risk the image will become grainy [pixellated] and not crisp and sharp. 

*Vector graphics are images formed from mathematical equations. When zoomed in close the image will always appear crisp and sharp.