Statement in glass

People often seek to achieve a point of difference when considering design options for their home. In this desire to stand out from the crowd, homeowners can become more open to incorporating new ideas or innovations into a design.

Customized materials such as glasswork from Walter Gordinier Studios give homeowners the opportunity to express their individuality and add a personal touch to their home interior.

Walter Gordinier is an artist whose interest in the visual effect light produces in glass, spurned a desire to incorporate the material into his artworks and subsequently into architectural applications.

"A strong and versatile material like glass can be applied in any building situation. And its light-filtering quality gives glass a luminescence similar to precious gems," he says.

Glass from the studio is created using a cold casting technique in which glass pieces are arranged in a mold and then fired. Color patterns produced are determined by the mix and arrangement of glass fragments and other materials in the cast and the way it is fired. This method differs from molten glass, which is heated to liquid stage and then poured into the cast to set.

As a result, glass from the studio captures a variety of patterns and depths of color, which is then applied in a number of ways, from tables and countertops, to walls and stairs.

This method of casting also produces a glass that the company has had certified as a structurally integral building material.

Walter Gordinier Studios' glass ranges in thickness the most solid being 5in, and in length up to 5ft wide and 10ft long, and the list of uses continues to grow.

"Customized architectural glass is a niche item with only a small number of producers, and is a sought-after material for homes, corporate offices and public buildings," Gordinier says.

For more details, contact Walter Gordinier Studios, 3608 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97202, phone (503) 234 1083, fax (503) 234 2707 , or visit the website: www.waltergordinier.com.

Story by: Trendsideas