Three Panels, One Wall, and a Client Who Cried Happy Tears

May 7

A Custom Fused Glass Commission

From the Studio · Commission Work

Of all the things I do, commission work might be my favorite. There's something about working directly with someone, figuring out together what they're envisioning and how to get there, that I just love. When it comes together, the client ends up with custom fused glass art they couldn't have found anywhere else. And I end up having made something that exists because of that one conversation, that one space, that one person's life.

This is one of those stories.

The Space

A couple in a beautiful home across from the Intracoastal Waterway in South Florida had recently done some renovating. They'd removed a wall between their foyer and kitchen and dining area, and while opening that space up let in so much more light from their glass front doors and the large sliding doors at the back of the house, something was missing. The space needed a presence. Not something that would block the view or close things back up, but something that would define the space while letting the light do what light does.

They had seen my work and reached out. Could we do something with glass?

The First Conversation

When someone comes to me about a commission, I start by listening. What are they trying to achieve with the artwork? I'll ask to see a photo of the space, because a room tells me things words can't.

I want to know whether they're after something that stops people in their tracks, or something quieter, something that just makes a space feel complete. What I'm really after isn't dimensions and a color palette. It's their emotional blueprint.

With this couple, that blueprint came through immediately. Light. Movement. Something that felt organic and alive without competing with the views they'd just worked so hard to open up.

The Design Process

I went to their home, and the minute I saw the space I knew it would have to be a hanging piece. I got so excited, because I could already see it.

We went through several iterations together, sketching different shapes and styles on paper. I made templates and hung them in the actual space so they could see how different options would feel at scale. That part matters more than people realize. A dimension on paper and a physical form in your home are two completely different things.

We landed on three hanging panels of kiln-formed fused glass art in deep cobalt blue, each 36 inches tall by 18 inches wide, with an open, organic pattern that would let light pass through. The openwork was the whole point. The panels would define the space between the glass shelves on either side without closing it off, and the light coming through from both ends of the house would make the blue glass glow.

One practical detail I was proud of: the clients had recently installed hanging glass shelves in that same space using a specific hardware system. I used the exact same hardware for the commissioned glass artwork. The continuity of it just made everything feel intentional, like it had always been meant to be there.

In the Kiln

Each panel required two firings. Because I knew from the start that the pieces would be suspended from the top, I made sure to build a strong, solid bar of glass along the top edge of each one to carry the weight. The rest of the panel could be as open and light as they wanted. And light they were, both visually and literally.

Their husband installed a 2x4 in the attic above the space to anchor the hardware. It worked perfectly.

The Installation

I love keeping clients in the loop while I'm creating. Sharing photos of the process, letting them see the pieces come together in the kiln. People really enjoy being part of it, and honestly, so do I.

But my absolute favorite moment is always the installation. When the commissioned fused glass wall art goes up in the space it was made for, and the client sees it for the first time.

When this client walked in and saw all three panels hanging, she burst into tears.

"It's so beautiful," she said. "It's more beautiful than I dreamed."

That's it. That's the whole reason I do this.

The piece did exactly what they'd hoped. It separated the rooms without blocking them. It let the light through. It picked up the blue that was already running through their home. And it gave them something that will never exist anywhere else in the world, because it was made for that space, for them.

To this day it's one of my favorites. I still look at those photos and wish I had a wall of my own to do something like that.

Thinking About a Commission?

Every commission starts the same way: a conversation. You tell me about your space, what you're hoping to feel when you walk into it, and we figure out the rest together. From first conversation to installation, this project took five weeks.

If you have a space that's waiting for something, I'd love to hear about it. Reach out through the contact page and let's talk.