Is your home boring, and do you want to make it more vibrant? Are you ready to bring some drama to it? Get comfortable and prepare to drop your jaw with these astonishing stained glass window ideas around the world.
Stained glass is a term used for a glass colored by adding metallic salts while manufacturing and, after that, decorated in multiple ways. In the past, this type of glass was strictly used in churches, mosques, and other significant religious objects. They were usually used on a flat panel as a window.
However, in modern times, stained glass can be used at home to bring a lot of colorfulness and vibrance into the house. Their designs can be abstract, they can have narratives drawn from the bible, saints or patrons, or they can have everyday objects.
If you are an artistic person and want to bring excitement into your home, stay with me and enjoy these 40 stained glass ideas from all over the world.
1. Nasir Al-Mulk Mosque, Shiraz, Iran
Nasir Al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz, also known as the Pink Mosque, is a beautiful and colorful mosque in Iran. Sometimes, this mosque is called “Mosque of colors” and “The rainbow mosque” because of the multiple colors on it.
It has amazing stained-glass windows that are bursting with beautiful tones. This temple is most attractive at sunrise because the colors from the windows reflect on the walls, the ground, the towering spires, and the arches.
2. Central Congregational Church, Galesburg, Illinois
The Central Congregational Church is a historic church designed in Richardsonian Romanesque style. It has an amazing 6.7 meters wide stained glass rose window above the entrance and other 74 windows.
It has a lot of interesting floral motifs on each stained-glass window. They are currently gathering donations to save the trademarked stained glass, since it is slowly starting to break apart.
3. Virginia Museum of the civil war
The Virginia museum has the most popular mural stained-glass mural window, which is 8.5 meters long. It was created by the artist Ami Shamir from Israel. It's really impressive how a lot of elements are included in this glass window.
It represents the Shenandoah Valley and the river that goes by the same name. Also, flags and seals from the Virginia Military Institute, the Union, and the Confederacy are included. Amazing and breathtaking.
4. Church of Bouvines, France
French churches are known for the most beautiful stained-glass windows. The church of Bouvine has 21 unique stained-glass windows representing the main events of the battle of July 27, 1214.
Each glass window shows a different story with the most beautiful and vibrant colors. So stunning and pleasing to watch.
5. Amazing Gothic-style bathroom with stained-glass windows
Bathrooms can sometimes be boring and in need of making some dramatic changes. Stained-glass windows with gothic elements are always a good choice to bring extra excitement into your bathroom.
These beautiful pointy arched stained-glass windows complement the overall look and are a perfect addition to the pattern on the tiles. Do you want to bring some spa feel in your bathroom? This idea is the one for you.
6. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary MacGorman Chapel
While many stained-glass windows have an abstract form, the windows in the MacGorman Chapel are known for their unique look.
They are honoring some of the religious leaders who helped to shift the Southwestern Baptist Convention to a conservative stance. The blue color dominates along with some pink and red floral motifs.
7. Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois
Holy Name Cathedral is a catholic church in Chicago. It has really interesting and fascinating stained-glass windows.
They have abstract motifs with multiple colors that are reflecting magically on daylight. I think that this glass design is suitable for houses that have Victorian style.
8. Staircase to die for
It reminds me a little bit of a church, but in a weirdly good way. These stained-glass windows bring a lot of excitement into this space, but as you can see, they also allow a bit of natural light to pick through.
The red color on the glass goes really well with the railing caps on the stairs.
9. Printemps Haussman, Paris, France
This beautiful and colorful stained-glass ceiling in Printemps Haussman has such a unique look. Blue color prevails on this gorgeous ceiling, and when you look at it, it seems like a big water-dripping fountain.
This is definitely a department store with style. Beautiful, elegant, and magnificent.
10. Marc Chagall stained-glass windows
Marc Chagall was a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin. He was creating a lot of different artistic formats such as drawings, tapestries, stained glass, ceramics, etc.
These two beautiful stained-glass windows in the Metz Cathedral are his work, and he created them in the 20th century. A lot of beautiful and colorful motifs are on the glass, also including Adam and Eve.
11. Martin's Church, Ypres, Belgium
St. Martin was previously a cathedral, and it is among the tallest buildings in Belgium. These very pigmented stained-glass windows are part of this gorgeous church.
Multiple colors and striking motifs give this church that magical look. Hands down to the artists that created this masterpiece.
12. Aix Cathedral, Aix-en-Provence, France
Aix Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in southern France. It was built and rebuilt in the 12th and 19th centuries, and it has Romanesque-gothic and Neo-gothic styles.
The stained-glass windows were created in the 19th century and are a real beauty. Their motif is mosaic-like, and the color that stands out the most is blue.
13. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, Italy
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is the oldest shopping center in Italy, and it is one of the most prominent landmarks in Milan. The roof of this beautiful center is not really a stained-glass, but it's made from glass and iron, making it look as interesting as the stained-glass.
Imagine having this type of roof in your house, such an incredible idea if you want to make your living space out of the ordinary.
14. Luoyuan Protestant Church in China
The Luoyuan Protestant church was built to serve the Christian community of that particular area. The most impressive part of this building is the wall-to-ceiling windows made with 107,707 individual pieces of blue stained glass.
It looks so spectacular that I can't take my eyes off this photo.
15. Orinda Community Church
The three stained-glass windows in this vibrant church remind me of how the pyramids in Egypt would look like with colorful glass on them. I have to admit, I have a pretty impressive fantasy.
Blue and yellow are the colors that caught my eyes I first opened the photo. Each window has a different story, and they look remarkable.
16. Sainte-Chapelle, France
My oh my, isn't that magical? Sainte-Chapelle is a gorgeous royal chapel with an amazing interior in Gothic style. It was damaged during the French revolution but restored again in the 19th century.
Most of these stained-glass windows were placed between 1242 and 1248. They have thousands of tiny glass pieces with blue and red colors that change the intensity during the day.
17. Santuário Dom Bosco — Brasília, Brazil
Santuário Dom Bosco is a catholic church in Brasil known as one of the best religious temples in the city. Their famous stained-glass windows look stunning with the twelve shades of blue color.
These beautiful colorful windows were created by Belgian artist Huber Van Doome. They have never been restored and are heavily damaged, so the church started a fundraiser to repair them completely.
18. United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
The United Methodist Church of The Resurrection is located in Leawood, Kansas, and it is the largest United Methodist congregation in the world. In 2017 a new sanctuary was opened, and it was created a beautiful stained-glass window called The Resurrection Window.
It was designed by Judson studios to represent a biblical story with themes like creation, redemption, restoration, and sin.
19. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church & School
Elizabeth Ann Seton was a religious catholic sister in the United States. In the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church that was established after her canonization are the four unique stained-glass windows. On these windows is depicted the life of St. Elizabeth with the most vibrant colors.
Her marriage, commitment to God, the founding of the sisters of charity and the parochial school system, and holding the shield showing three crescents are the stories shown on the four panes of windows.
20. Church of St. Michael, Inkpen, England
St. Michael is a church in Inkpen, England, from the 13th century that was later restored. It has impressive wooden carvings and incredible stained-glass windows.
The interesting part of these windows is that a lot of daylight passes through them because most parts are left clear.
21. Reflection of a lifetime
I can't even take my eyes off this astounding view. Now, this is the magic that stained-glass windows can make. This photo will make you see these kinds of windows differently.
The reflection that sunlight through a stained-glass window can make is irreplaceable.
22. La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Sagrada Familia is a large Catholic Basilica in Barcelona, Spain. It was designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. The stained-glass windows are transparent on the upper side so that light can pass through, where on the lower side, they have illustrations and text so that people can read them.
They look like broken bits of colored glass one by one put back together. This is the kind of stained glass I would do at home; it's marvelous.
23. Floral sensation
Here in this picture, you can see multiple ideas on stained glass that you can use for your house or apartment. The blue color prevails on each of the windows, and so does the floral theme.
Oh, and I also found the four-leaf clover on one of them, lucky me.
24. The Church of the Holy Trinity, New York, United States
The magical interior is part of the Church of the holy trinity in New York. There are seventeen stained glass windows in the church designed by Henry Holiday, except for the west window, which was designed by his daughter after his death.
Currently, there is only one decorative window with colored glass representing saints.
25. Thanks-Giving Square Dallas, Texas
Thanks-giving Square is a public facility and private park in Dallas, Texas. This spiral stained-glass window is also called “Glory Window” and is one of the world's biggest horizontally mounted stained-glass windows.
From darker and bold colors to brightest and sheer at the very center of the spiral. I'd say that this is truly a design to be respected because of its uniqueness.
26. Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, Australia
Queen Victoria building is a late 19th-century building that is heritage-listed designed by the architect George McRae.
The stained-glass windows represent the arms of the city of Sydney with more sheer and bright colors, allowing the sun's rays to pick through.
27. Sue Wong's Los Feliz Home
Fashion designer Sue Wong is the happy owner of the Spanish-style hacienda that was built in 1928.
At the very center of the spacious living room is the stained-glass window called “The tree of life” with many pastel and sheer colors. She has stated that this masterpiece represents the spiritual center of the house.
28. Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona, Spain)
Palau de la Música Catalana is a concert hall in Barcelona boult between 1905 and 1908. The impressive three-dimensional stained-glass ceiling represents the sun and the sky.
It has a 3D design that looks like a bell, and it has very vibrant shades of gold and blue.
29. Mini stained-glass windows
If you are not the type of person who likes a lot of colors on the windows but is amazed by the stained-glass windows, this is a brilliant idea for you.
Why not make a mini version of colored windows that you like and use them as a decoration? They look so cute and refreshing and bring a lot of joy to the house.
30. Canterbury Cathedral, England
Canterbury Cathedral is a cathedral in England founded in 597 and later rebuilt between 1070 and 1077. The stained-glass windows in this building date back 900 years, and that makes them the oldest ones in Britain.
They have amazingly painted figures that represent four biblical characters with bold colors.
31. Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
What you are looking at is one of the stained-glass windows in the Basilica of Notre Dame in Montreal. What is very interesting about their stained-glass windows is that they are not representing biblical scenes but scenes from the religious history of Montreal.
With a lot of vivid colors, they look so real and make you feel that you are into their story.
32. Notre-Dame Paris, France
Notre Dame is a very famous Catholic cathedral in Paris, France. The three rose windows are the most beautiful things in this building.
They look stunning with a lot of beautiful colors and impressive drawings. Luckily, when the fire occurred in 2019, all three of these masterpieces survived.
33. Sterling Memorial library
Sterling Memorial Library is the main library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. 680 beautiful stained-glass panels are all over the offices, tower of the library, and reading rooms.
Some of them represent scenes from the history of Yale and New Haven. With their Gothic touch, they are bursting with style and grace.
34. Rector's Office of Lodz University of Technology
You are looking at the stunning stained-glass window that is the most beautiful decoration in the rector's office at the Lodz University of Technology.
This piece of art has a woman figure with a parrot in the center and angels and lions on the sides.
35. Stained beauty on a piece of glass
I know that when you hear the word “stained glass,” you immediately think of churches and other holy temples. But this photo will prove you wrong.
This type of stained glass window would look fabulous in a house that needs a little bit of drama. I can definitely drink my morning coffee watching these exciting patterns.
36. Simplicity sometimes is the key
If you are not a multicolor person, this is the right choice when it comes to adding some excitement into your house. This half-circle stained glass window gives an elegant touch with the curvy patterns on it.
The blurred center is for a bit of privacy, and the clear outer part will bring a lot of natural light to the room.
37. A unique staircase is my favorite place
Sometimes staircases can be boring, and to make them a little bit more charming, you can always add a stained-glass window. This window has little circles, and you can add different patterns in each circle to make it more unique.
It's all about the imagination and desire, and with a bit of effort, you can achieve what you have envisioned.
38. Custom-made stained-glass windows
These fun and colorful stained-glass windows are custom made and can be used as an idea on how to add some vivid touch to your bathroom.
For example, you can add a scene from your favorite book or a landscape you admire a lot, maybe even your favorite flowers.
39. Erawan Museum, Bangkok, Thailand
Erawan Museum is a well-known museum in Bangkok, Thailand. Despite the most famous three-headed elephant made of bronze, you also can't take your eyes off of the stained-glass giant ceiling.
With a lot of beautiful and vibrant blue, yellow and orange colors, this glass circle is the most breathtaking view in this building.
40. Gran Hotel Ciudad de México — CDMX, Mexico
Last but most definitely not the least is this hotel in Mexico, and it is the most fascinating object in that area. But the iconic element that will take your breath away is their Tiffany stained-glass ceiling window which is one of the four largest in the world.
An amazing pop of color and pattern so carefully assembled make this glass to be an incredible masterpiece.
