Can stained glass work in a modern or contemporary home?

Most of what I do is in Toronto's older homes Victorian, Edwardian, that era. But I've done work in modern homes too, and I find it genuinely interesting because the design approach is completely different.

The design has to change

In a heritage home I'm thinking about period details, what glass types were common at the time, what lead profiles look right for that era. In a modern home I'm throwing all of that out and working purely from the space itself. What are the materials? What's the light like? What's the overall tone of the home?

For a modern space I'm usually working with clean geometric lines, a very limited colour palette, and a lot of textured clear glass. Sometimes no colour at all. The lead network itself becomes the visual element. It's a quieter kind of window but it can be just as compelling.

Where it tends to work well

Interior windows are often the best fit between a kitchen and a living space, as a partition in an open-plan layout, anywhere a bit of texture and light can add something without closing off the space. Front door windows work well too. I did a piece for a loft space in Liberty Village with exposed concrete and industrial finishes and the leaded panel ended up being the most interesting thing in the room. The contrast was part of what made it work.

The one thing I won't compromise on

Whatever the home, the design has to actually fit. A pattern that belongs in a Victorian home looks wrong in a minimalist modern one. That's why I visit the space before I draw anything. I need to see it. The design comes from the home, not from a template I had in mind beforehand.