Famous Simple Stained-Glass Designs

Mondrian

• Contemporary glass doors often feature the geometric designs of Piet Mondrian. These designs consist of rectangles and squares separated by bold black lines. Mondrian's limited color palette of the primary colors -- red, blue and yellow -- along with white highlights the simplicity of the designs. His art is renowned for dynamically balancing the size of the angular geometric shapes with these colors. In stained glass, black leading takes the place of Mondrian's black lines to separate the shapes yet also to physically connect the pieces of brightly colored glass.

Frank Lloyd Wright

• Frank Lloyd Wright was part of the Modernist movement and one of the most famous architects of the 20th century. His "Tree of Life" pattern for stained glass features a relatively simple yet effective design of long, vertical, repetitive rectangles outlined in black on a semi-translucent white background. A few parts of the design are colored yellow and others are a muted brown, but the overall effect is of stark black and white. Just one panel of this design can be used for a small stained-glass decorative piece, or several panels can be combined together side by side for an entire stained-glass window.

Tiffany

• The name of the famed jeweler Louis Tiffany is synonymous with stained glass. At first sight, his stained-glass designs, often found in glass lampshades, appears to be complex. His floral designs are rich in color and detail, with highlights and shading created by different tones and shades of color. Pulling just one element from a Tiffany design, perhaps a single flower or a grouping of leaves, allows you to simplify his designs for your own use. By limiting your palette to just a few colors, you can produce your own simple stained-glass piece in the spirit of this master glass artist.

Rose Window at Notre Dame

• The South Rose window at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is one of the most famous stained-glass windows in a church or cathedral anywhere. In between the richly colored scenes of religious figures are simple designs primarily made up of squares. Use these patterns and the associated restrained color palette for your own simple stained-glass artwork. For a more ambitious project, use the inspiration of the figures of saints in the Rose Window to create your own stained-glass family portraits.