Through good restoration and enlargement of a stained glass window a stained glass window can easily be moved to a new location and reinstalled.
Moving to a new house is an exciting moment, especially if you are starting out in a new country; but it’s not until you’ve unpacked your furniture and put the pictures on the walls, and found places for all those items that carry memories and sentimental value, that your new house feels like your new home. For one British family, who have recently moved to the region, one of the items that was needed to make their beautiful house in the Umbrian countryside, a home, was a stained glass window that once sat in their English dining room.
The stained glass window has a style reminiscent of Mackintosh but with a slightly more modern touch and is made of a collection of antique mouth blown glass, from the English firm, Sunderland which sadly has been closed for some years now. Unfortunately, during the move, a piece of transparent, mouth blown glass got broken, and the window frame which was to house their stained glass was just a little too big. They contacted IKO Studio to restore their stained glass and enlarge it.
To enlarge the window, they decided that they would like a boarder on two sides of the original which would compliment the original design. They opted for boarder made from a premium glass, choosing gold-pink mouth blown glass.
We discussed options for the housing of their stained glass window, and the they opted to replace the existent metal window frame with a hand made, chestnut frame. IKO Studio works in partnership with several artisans, and one of these in our network is La Madia, a carpenters also situated in Orvieto. IKO Studio liaised with them and arranged for a preferential quote. The wheels were set in motion.
The colour in this gold-pink glass is achieved by using gold oxide which gives it a vibrant pink colour. This is not a common glass to find, and unfortunately our Italian suppliers were not able to provide any, but as we also use suppliers throughout Europe, we soon found a manufacturer in Germany who was able to provide us with the colours and intensities we needed.
Whist we waited for the glass to be delivered, we began taking detailed measurements for the glass and the frame. The broken piece of glass was replaced with another piece of transparent mouth blown glass.
Once our order of gold-pink mouth blown glass had arrived, we began work on the boarder that enlarged the window. We using a mixture of different intensities of gold-pink and transparent seedy mouth blown glass.
Removal of the old window and installation of the new one required some teamwork between IKO Studio and La Madia. We arranged a convenient time to visit with the clients. The old window was removed, the new frame installed, and then the restored and enlarged stained glass was put in the new frame. IKO Studio and La Madia worked quickly, neatly and efficiently and with the minimum of disruption. Within a few short hours the window, which once brought colour and light to an English dinning room, now brought that touch of home to their beautiful Italian villa.
IKO Studio and La Madia, wish you a warm welcome to Umbria, and we hope your home will be full of happiness and your window will give you and your family many more years of enjoyment.