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Sans Soucie Etched & Carved Glass Signature Design: Rugged Retreat

December 8th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

Frameles Glass Shower Enclosure etched and carved with "Rugged Retreat" design by Sans Soucie.

Originally designed and created early on when we first began exploring the art of etched and carved glass many, many years ago, one of our most popular “signature designs” was birthed: The abstract design, “Rugged Retreat”. This abstract texture will compliment and coordinate with a very wide variety of design and architectural styles and is custom designed each and every time, for each individual piece of glass, whether it be for a window, an all glass frameless door, shower, or divider panel or partition, so it is constantly changed and adapted.

frameless door etched rugged retreat sans soucie

Frameless Entry of etched and carved glass Rugged Retreat design.

Etched, carved glass Sculputre in "Rugged Retreat" design.

The word “abstract” is defined as “nonrepresentational”, and that’s a very good description for this design. It does, however at times, and on some pieces, seem to take on the feel of hills or mountains with it’s various peaks and valleys within. The movement in the design is “contradictory’ … the top features waves that border or outline the top edges, with the bottom section showing wide wavy “swoops” that also climb and descend.

Tub window glass etched and carved with Rugged Retreat.

These are free standing shower partitions, that were crated and shipped out of state, so this photograph is taken at our Studio. The panels are chiseled irregular at the adjoining edges.

As with all our designs, Rugged Retreat is executed a number of different ways, depending on what it’s being applied to, and also at various levels of privacy, depending on the need.

Frameless Glass Entry, bronze glass etched and carved with Rugged Retreat design.

Door Glass etched and carved with Sans Soucie Rugged Retreat design.

Tags: abstract glass designs, carved glass, decorative glass, etched glass, frameless glass doors, freeform glass, glass patterns
Posted in Abstract Designs, Frameless Doors, Freeform Designs, Patterns & Textures | No Comments »

Decorative Colored Glass

November 24th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

Painted Glass Window, Pear Cactus in Bloom

Adding color to an etched glass design creates a brilliant effect and adds additional depth and highlights to the design details in the 3 dimensionally carved glass surfaces.

Painted Glass Sign

The color is applied through air brushing and any color can of course be used. Colors are blended over the glass surface to create even more of a 3 dimensional effect.

Decorative Glass, Carved & Painted Butterfly

Painted glass designs are very popular for door glass and window glass, as well as dividers. IF the glass is in direct sunlight, the colors will likely fade over time, but most entry doors have some degree of shade, so that’s not usually a big issue.

We can personally attest to this, with our front door glass installed back in 1989. That door glass is still in place today, and shows all the soft highlights of the pastel colors that were applied to the southwest adobe style design.

Of course direct sun not being an issue for indoor architectural glass, like showers and dividers, the color will never fade and is a fantastic addition, bringing in color from other decor items like wallpaper, throw pillows, floor tile, custom colors will

Painted Glass Tropical Fish, featured on an interior all glass door.

to help coordinate and compliment, really finishing off that “custom look.”

To view dozens of examples, visit our online Gallery of Carved & Painted Glass.

Tags: custom glass, decorative glass, Door Glass, etched glass, glass colored, glass etching, painted glass, window glass
Posted in Color in Glass, painted glass | No Comments »

Etched Glass Wall Art Portraying the History of Palm Desert

November 18th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

"The History of Palm Desert" depicted in etched, carved art glass wall pieces at Kaiser Medical Offices, Palm Desert.

Sans Soucie Art Glass Studios created a beautiful set of etched glass decorative wall art pieces, with a custom design that portrays the history of Palm Desert, California.

Panel 1: Open Desert and the beginning of settlers

Commissioned by JD Thompson Interior Design of San Diego, California, for the Kaiser Permanente, Palm Desert Medical Offices, the story flows across 5 glass panels, continuing from one to the next. Each panel is 30″ wide x 60″ tall, and is 3/8″ thick glass that is etched and 3-dimensionally sculpture carved on the front surface of the glass.

With the desert’s majestic mountain ranges as the backdrop on each panel, Chauncey W. Gannett of Sans Soucie Art Glass designed a beautiful “landscape” scene that begins by depicting the story from Palm Desert’s farm land beginnings to the beautiful resort destination that it is today.

The first panel begins by showing “open desert” with an ocotillo in the foreground and the first cart of a horse drawn carriage. The next shows the carriage and team of horses, carting in potable water for the original settlers, the Cahuilla indian farmers. Leading into the next panel are rows of crops in the ground, representing the “Old MacDonald Ranch“, the original name of the Palm Desert area.

The center panel features rows of crops with gorgeous date palms and an adobe home, all of

Panel 3: Crops, Date Palms & Adobe

which are beautifully sculpture carved into the glass. As we move into the fourth panel, the landscape changes and we see the 5 stone “Agave” City of Palm Desert monument sign by artist Michael Waiting, that marks the entrance into Palm Desert, with children in a local public park, playing on teeter-totter and hot air balloons, high in the sky, a popular sight-seeing desert cities activity.

In the forefront of the fifth and final panel, surrounded by the sprawling oasis and gorgeous fairways at JW Marriott’s Desert Springs Hotel we see a gondola motoring along a lake, with a carving of hotel’s atrium terrace hotel in the background. Also in the background, is a rendering of the desert’s first university, the California State University San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus.

View this piece on our web site to see larger photos that will better show the beautiful carved details! Visit our online Glass Wall Art Gallery to see more works of art in glass like these!

Panel 4: Palm Desert Monument Sign & Park

Panel 5: Gondola at Marriott's Desert Springs & the first university of Palm Desert

Tags: abstract wall art, contemporary wall art, custom glass art, decorative wall art, etched glass, Glass Wall Art, unique wall art, wall decoration, wall sculpture
Posted in Commercial Projects, Desert Designs, Glass Panels, Glass Wall Art, Landscapes, Murals, Sans Soucie Art Glass News | No Comments »

Door & Window Glass: Coordinated Designs

November 10th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

"Banana Leaves" Entry Glass

The entry into your home will take on a stunning and highly custom effect when both the door and window glass feature coordinated decorative, etched or stained glass designs that flow and continue across the whole entry, from sidelite to transom glass to the doors.

Whether it’s an all glass entry or door glass inserts, Sans Soucie Art Glass creates custom designs to your specifications that will compliment your architecture and decor .. and suit YOUR tastes.

Any design will be executed to the level of privacy desired, whether it’s a little or a lot.

"Golden Waves" coordinated door and sidelite window glass

I’ve selected a few of our beautiful entries featured in our web site Door Glass Gallery. You’ll see that all are very different in size, shape and configuration, and consist of completely different design themes and types of art glass. In our gallery, you’ll see that we create a number of types fo art glass from sandblast etched and carved glass, to stained and beveled glass, with countless variations of patterns and textures. Designs are created to compliment the configuration of your entry. See examplels of radius, arched and rectangle transom windows, and any imaginable design style, ranging from abstract to wildlife, and everything in between!

"Branch Out" 5 Panel Entry Glass. Tree branches are 3-dimensionally sculpture carved then painted and the background has been gluechipped for privacy.

Custom entry glass is one of the things we’re most famous for. Be sure to check out our online Custom Designs Gallery, and if you’re local, come visit our showroom where we have dozens of doors and window glass on display. Our showroom is open Monday thru Friday from 10am to 5pm, and Saturday by appointment.

Is there a particular design idea or style you have in mind? Give us a call at (760) 328-3399, OR submit a Quote Request, and we’ll give you an estimate. You can also visit our Pricing Page where we display dozens of pieces with sample pricing.

Let us turn your vision into a gorgeous work of art glass for your home! Glass for your home that is FUNCTIONAL ART!

Tags: custom doors, custom glass, custom window, decorative glass, Door Glass, entry glass, etched glass, etching, frosted glass, Glass Panels, leaded glass, painted glass, patterns glass
Posted in Door Glass, Foliage Designs, Patterns & Textures, Tree Designs, Tropical Designs, Windows | No Comments »

Custom Wrought Iron Gate Glass: Making an Entrance!

November 6th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (1)

"Leaf Gate", Frames by Smiley's Metal Craft, Inc.

Wrought iron gates transform into beautiful, illuminated works of art with decorative etched glass inserts by Sans Soucie Art Glass! Custom gate glass panels are inserted into metal, steel, iron gate frames, or wood frames, and are etched and carved with custom designs to compliment the exterior textures and architecture of the home.

The glass will be tempered for strength, and depending on whether we surface etch or sculpture carve the design into the glass, the glass thickness will typically range from 1/4″ thick up to 1/2″ thick. Glass inserts are made to custom fit any shape or form within the frame, whether it be an iron gate, or wood gate frame. The most popular glass color is still regular clear glass, but bronze or grey glass can also be used.

At Sans Soucie, “we do glass”, and so unless the gate is to be an all glass or frameless gate, we will be installing our glass into our clients’ pre-existing frame. If they’re starting from scratch and need to create an all new gate, we refer our clients to a custom metal craft or wrought iron fabrication company. If you’re in our area, one company we’ve worked with for years is Smiley’s Metal Craft, Inc. They do fantastic work, creating all sorts of custom metal products, and fabricated the Leaf Gate Frames shown here.

To learn more about the advantages between an iron gate or wood frame gate, you may want to check out a couple of articles I found online:

• Wrought Iron vs. Wood Gates on about.com

• Metal vs. Wood Electric Gates on doityourself.com

custom iron gate abstract etched glass sans soucie

"Triptic" Entry Gate & Accent Glass, with coordinated Entry Door Glass.

beveled glass entry gate and door sans soucie

"Z Bevels" Courtyard Doors, leading to Entry Doors

In addition to the standard full gate frame, there are limitless configurations like “L” shaped, where the glass sits in a frame supported on the bottom and outside edges, making it “frameless” on top and where the centers meet, as well as arched and radius top frames.

Everyone who visits your home may not notice the special picture or flower arrangement or other beautiful design element you’ve hand selected and placed inside your home, but make no mistake: Every person entering will of course “pass thru the gate” and front door, and will see the attention to detail and without question notice a custom glass design that’s been featured inside the entry gate, then continued and featured on the front doors!

See examples of coordinated gate and door glass on pieces our web site like Triptic Gate Glass, Z Bevels II, Sun Odyssey Angles and Reeds Entry. (Be sure to scroll down to “additional photos”).

From abstract designs to contemporary, and patterns to landscapes, come visit our etched, Gate Glass Gallery and see dozens of examples, custom designed for our individual clients.

Tags: custom gate glass, custom gates, decorative gates, entry gate, entry glass, etched glass, fences and gates, Gate Glass, iron doors, metal gate, ornamental gates, steel gate, wrought iron gates
Posted in Abstract Designs, Gate Glass, Wrought Iron Designs | 1 Comment »

Glass Panels Separate with Style!

October 27th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (1)

"Swan Song" Glass Panel Interior Partition

Glass Panels are a fantastic way to separate an area. Depending upon type of design applied to the glass, the panels can create privacy where needed, or simply add a beautiful custom look suitable to the decor where an open feel is desired, but privacy may not necessarily be needed.

"Galloping in the Vistas"

Different types of custom glass panels etched and carved by Sans Soucie would include free standing dividers, enclosed bath and shower partitions, glass handrails, narrow fixed partitions, accent glass and pony wall dividers. All of these are available in any custom size or configuration.

In some areas, the only thing that’s needed is a glass panel separation, to create sound privacy in areas such as an office or conference area. In those instances, simple etched or frosted bands with corporate logos are often applied to wall and partition glass, bringing in the company brand. Any size logo can be applied to any height level on the glass.

"Abstract Hills" Glass Panel Partitions

"Renaissance Waves" partitionglass at Long Beach Renaissance Hotel

For other areas where visual privacy is needed, we’ll apply frosting or glass etching over the majority of the glass surface. Again, any custom look is possible, so there’s no limit to what can be featured.

Another fantastic custom element for glass panels are chiseled irregular edges. The chiseling can follow the design elements, such as mountain peaks, as seen on the beautiful Mountains Panels installed inside the Companion Animal Clinic of Yucca Valley, California this past year.

"Rugged Retreat" Shower Divider Glass (photographed at our Studio)

Many times the irregular edge will just flow across the top and coordinate nicely with the design, like the Ocean Wave panels we did for the Marriott’s Long Beach Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, California.

Glass panels with abstract formation designs add a stunning look and are a great alternatives for things like shower and bath dividers.

Come visit our Glass Panels Gallery and view dozens of pieces like these! Sans Soucie can custom design a glass panel for your home or business that will be a “one of a kind: YOURS!”

"Fairway View" Carved Glass Panel

Tags: architectural glass, art glass, custom glass, custom glass panels, custom partitions, divider glass, etched glass, glass etching, Glass Panels, glass partitions
Posted in Abstract Designs, Commercial Projects, Custom Edges, Desert Designs, Freeform Designs, Glass Panels, Landscapes, Partitions & Dividers, Shower Dividers | 1 Comment »

Glass Doors Add a Level of Luxury

October 20th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

"Metamorphosis" all glass doors, one of our Signature Design Styles.

All glass doors, also known as frameless doors, are really our “signature piece” at Sans Soucie Art Glass.

Both glass door inserts and frameless, all glass doors are our most popular product, and while either one will create a stunning entry when the glass is etched, frosted or carved with one of our exquisite custom glass designs, there’s no doubt that an all glass door really does “take it up a few notches”, as far as a higher-end, more upscale look.

The thickness for an all glass entry is typically 1/2″, and more often than not, the glass color chosen is a “regular” clear glass (as opposed to the more clear “low iron glass” that has minimal green cast, with brand names such as “Starphire ®” or “Diamonte ®”, depending on the manufacturer). When looking “head on” at the glass, the green hue that’s present in regular clear glass is hardly noticeable. It’s not until you look at the edge of the glass, will you see the darker green hue. Since the edges of door glass inserts are hidden, installed inside the frame, and the edges of a frameless, all glass door are only seen when the door is opening or closing, the typical glass choice is “regular” clear.

: “Glacier’s End” is another Sans Soucie Signature Design. These all glass interior doors feature chiseled irregular edges, multi-layers, and open holes in the glass.

The basic cost of the glass and hardware for frameless, all glass doors will vary depending first on the size of the doors, but also the hardware finish and the type of locking system, the biggest variance is usually in the choice of door pulls. There are many selections of custom door pulls out there, with the most basic being a straight pull. Other popular choices are “S” or curved door pulls, “C” shape pulls, triangular door pulls, etc. all of which will be chosen to coordinate and compliment the carved design.

Since we need thicker glass for sculpture carving, all glass doors are perfect and ready to go for 3-dimensional sculpture carving the design in to!

As with all our etched or frosted glass products, our design styles are limitless, so we guarantee we can create something that will suit your decor! From abstract designs to contemporary, and glass patterns to landscapes, come visit our etched, frosted All Glass, Frameless Doors Gallery and see dozens of examples of both residential and commercial door glass, custom designed for our individual clients.

Quadrant Pulls

Tubular Straight Pulls

Cadence Pulls

Meridian Pulls

Lyra Pulls

Allegro Pulls

Tubular C Pulls

Tubular Triangle Pulls

Modular Triangular Pulls

Tags: all glass doors, architectural art glass, custom doors, custom glass, decorative glass, Door Glass, door pulls, etched glass, etching, frosted glass, glass designs, patterns glass
Posted in Frameless Doors | No Comments »

Glass Doors For Oakland Raiders’ Al Davis

October 19th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (2)

Glass Doors for Al Davis, Raiders Football Team Owner

Glass Doors, also called all glass or frameless doors undoubtedly create a very “high-end” or upscale look to any entry, whether it be for a home or place of business, and with the unlimited glass designs we create at Sans Soucie Art Glass, we believe that a number of the all glass doors we’ve been commissioned to create over the years have been some our most exquisite work.

Etched glass, carved glass Raiders logo on Glass Doors

One beautiful entry that comes to mind is the glass doors and all glass entry we were commissioned to create for the “The Raiders” football team owner, Mr. Al Davis. Custom designed for his home in the Coachella Valley, each door is a towering 10′ tall x 5′ wide and were etched and carved with a custom design to provide privacy, while at the same time, making a very personal statement!

The design features the Oakland Raiders football team logo front and center, and is bordered with two different etched and sculpture carved custom glass textures made up of wavy lines and a “glass chunks”. The background areas of the entire glass surface was solid frosted or etched, to obscure the glass and create privacy. There are two sets of sidelites, the first set butting up against each glass door, with the borders from the doors continuing all around. The second set of sidelite windows are about 18″ away from the doors on either side and feature a solid etched glass image of the infamous Super Bowl Trophy.

Visit our online Gallery of Glass Doors to view this and many other examples of framelsss, all glass doors. You can also visit our Custom Glass Logo Gallery to see dozens of custom corporate logos we’ve been commissioned to etch and carve in glass such as the U.S. Presidential Seal, The U.S. Marine Corp Seal, The Cheesecak Factory, all glass doors for Johnson & Johnson, Metropolitan Theatres, The Palm Springs International Airport, The Beer Hunter and The City of Palm Desert.

Etched Glass Super Bowl Trophy

Close up of textures in borders

Tags: architectural glass, art glass doors, custom doors, decorative glass, Door Glass, doors for al davis, etched glass, frosted glass, glass doors, glass etching, patterns glass, raiders logo in glass, window glass
Posted in Borders, Door Glass, Frameless Doors, Logos, Patterns & Textures | 2 Comments »

Etched Glass for your Pantry Door: From Classic to More Custom

October 14th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (1)

Etched glass pantry door inserts are a very popular item seen in many homes. Having an etched glass pantry door, rather than a plain solid door, will add a wonderful custom element and “open feel” to any kitchen.

At Sans Soucie Art Glass, we create a wide variety of designs, with a very broad price range. From the classic, very simple panel where the glass is solid frosted for obscurity, leaving a border of clear pinstripes and the word “Pantry” … to a more detailed, decorative design, such as a multi-stage carved and gluechipped design, such as our “Bundled Wheat Pantry”. As with all our glass, there are limitless design possibilities.

The frosted glass pantry door designs range in price

between $245 to $345, depending on the size of the glass and how many elements are featured (a border, the word “Pantry” and perhaps a whimsical “chef” or veggies). These designs are what’s called a negative, “single stage sandblast”. There are many various types of borders and type styles to choose, all of which can be seen in our Pantry Glass Production Designs Gallery our web site.

The more custom glass designs, (that are dimensionally CARVED and feature gluechipped backgrounds), will range in price from about $600 to $1400, again depending upon the size of the glass, the complexity of the design and whether we surface etch or sculpture carve it into the glass. (For more info., see our blog about “Etched vs. Carved Glass” and the page on our web site showing the differences).

Naturally, the goal with pantry door glass is to obscure the view into the pantry, which means the majority of the glass surface will need to have some sort of coverage, whether it’s a solid sandblast, a gluechip surface or carving and shading. Leaving some clear areas is fine, so long as they’re narrow, or small. These areas will appear “dark” the majority of the time, when the pantry light is turned off. When the lights are flipped on, the glass will of course beautifully illuminate and all the details will be even more visible.

Visit our Custom Pantry Door Glass and our Production Pantry Door Glass to see dozens of examples and a wide variety of designs. For sample pricing, visit our Pricing Page and scroll down to “Door Glass – Pantry”.

Tags: carved glass pantry door, custom glass, etched glass, etched glass pantry door, kitchen glass, pantry door, pantry door etched glass, pantry glass
Posted in Door Glass, Pantry Door Glass, Production Designs, Techniques & Effects | 1 Comment »

Etched Glass Windows: Tub Window Designs

October 1st, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

“Ondas” Tub Windows

Our second most popular type of item is our etched and carved glass windows. Both exterior and interior windows are very popular because our etched glass designs will provide privacy, while allowing the light to pass thru and enter the room. A great alternative to shades and blinds, that create privacy, but block light.

“Abstract Hills Smooth”, less private

“Abstract Hills Smooth”, more private

Designs for tub and shower windows can vary greatly, depending upon the amount of privacy needed, and of course design preference. A great option that is very often used, is to leave the top area of the glass clear, etching the design up to the height level needed for ample privacy, and then leaving the top clear which then allows you to see outside, creating a wonderful, open feel, as seen on the large, full surround “Onas” tub windows.

“Iris Perch”, solid etched and carved

I’ve included one example in this blog of our “Abstract Hills Smooth” design, shown executed two different ways. On the one, you’ll notice that the gluechipped areas are “obscured”, but may not be private enough for the area, as was the case for this particular window. We went back in, and later lightly sandblasted those gluechipped areas, creating more obscurity in those sections, so they would be more private.

On the “Iris Perch” window, you’ll notice that all areas of the glass have been sandblasted, with the design areas carved and the background areas etched or “frosted”, creating 100% privacy.

A very popular design for our custom desert homes in our area, the Coachella Valley, are mountain designs. Our valley is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges, (San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, Little San Bernardino and Chocolate Mountians), all of which having very different looks and textures, depending on where you are in the valley. Mountain ranges are a great design, because it makes natural “sense” within the design, to leave the top area above the peaks of the mountain ranges clear glass.

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains, Coachella Valley, California

“Mountains” surface etched glass (not carved) window, less detail.

“La Quinta Mountains” Tub Window, carved & shaded (more detail)

Visit our Tub & Shower Window Gallery for many more examples like these!

Tags: architectural art glass, carved glass, custom glass, etched glass, etched glass tub windows, etched glass windows, Floral Designs, privacy glass, sandblast techniques, tub windows
Posted in Desert Designs, Landscapes, Patterns & Textures, Techniques & Effects, Windows | No Comments »

Sans Soucie
Art Glass Studios, Inc.

Since 1976