Domestic Cupola

I was asked to replace a discoloured and plain cupola in a 1930’s bungalow.

It is lit from above both by a roof light and by internal lighting in the loft space.  This meant that a design could be employed that would be visible both by day and night.

The brief was to bring something of the Arts Nouveau into the design.  The design could have been the repetition of a design element in all eight parts, but I wanted to work with the whole as one piece.  After some discussion on the themes it was settled on a flower and leaves theme.

My first design was developed using a template of one of the triangles forming the cupola.

However, in my enthusiasm for the sinuous curves for the stems and buds, I forgot the need to include the roses that were discussed and agreed upon.

[Anderson 2^nd design web]

This one does include the roses.  And I do know that the roses in nature would be open after the other buds, but some artistic license was accepted. And the building of the panels began.

Installation required the removal of the old glass.  As the house had just been completely redecorated, lots of old carpet and dust sheets over them was required to protect against any glass falling and possibly puncturing the new wood flooring.

Already the simple removal of the nicotine stained amber glass transformed the light within the hallway.

The installation began by installing each numbered piece in order, as any misplaced panel would interrupt the flow of the design.  However, it would have been better if templates for each of the eight openings were taken.  The openings were not completely regular. 

When complete, it provided a new interest to the hallway as well as allowing much more light into the space. The straight lines running through the composition are the location of the support bars for the glass.

Best of all, the client was overjoyed at the result, bringing relatives around to see what had been achieved.

Domes

During the week I created a shaped top for a dome.

This is 550mm in diameter and is 90mm high. The rim will be cut to fit the opening on site.

This shows the great flexibility of glass. This was done in clear glass, but can be done in any coloured glass. The method used allows a completely unmarked dome to be made. When looking through it, there are no distortions.

I am now asked to make another in etched and painted glass for the same client. This will be for a much more decorative part of the house.

For those interested here is a bit on how this dome was made.

The specification was for a 550mm diameter dome shaped piece with a height of 90mm. To do this I cut the required diameter hole from 10mm ceramic fibre board of 700mm square. I lightly sanded the edges of the hole and fired the piece in the kiln to remove the binders.

I then suspended the board on an circle of kiln bricks, looking rather like Stonehenge, but without the lintels. I placed the board on top and centred the 3mm float glass over the hole. I then fired at 250C/hr to 620C. It took a little over two hours at 620C for it to complete its slump to 90mm. Had the glass been thicker, it would have achieved its drop more quickly.