Developing the Music front door window.
Liz and John bought the Victorian house which was formerly the music rooms for the University of Reading. They have lovingly converted what was a tired set of practice rooms, in to a stunning family home.
As part of the renovation they wanted glass for the front door which would give a suitably striking welcome. Andrew had a first meeting with Liz and John to find out what ideas and themes they had for the design. Elements they suggested included a celebration of the building’s previous use, a bold design with strong colours, and a style reflecting the maturity of a Victorian building.
Andrew took their requirements and came up with the three sketches you see above, for windows that were markedly different; from kiln-formed fused glass panels in a jazz age style on the left, a leaded stained glass design interpreting music in a Futurist inspired style, through to a classic CR Mackintosh homage panel. When Andrew showed Liz and John the designs, they really liked both the left and centre sketches above, but finally chose the centre Music design for its sumptuous use of colour and strong leaded lines.
Andrew then proceeded to draw up the full-size design to fit their front door, and produced the panels using traditional glass painting and cutting techniques, together with soldered lead. Once the panels were completed, Andrew removed the old glass and fitted the new window. The photos below of the door before and after fitting, shows the huge improvement that the Music window made.
