CHARLESTON -- Traditionally, ornate stained glass is associated with historic churches and libraries. Although the ancient craft dates back centuries, artists in Charleston are helping residents incorporate stained glass into their homes in a modern way.
David and Rosie Bornfleth, who started working with stained glass nearly seven years ago, ventured into the residential custom design space over the last couple of years. Through their business, Adoni Design, they work with interior designers or directly with customers to bring their visions to life.
Many residents use stained glass to add privacy to their homes, David said, for example concealing a kitchen window that peers directly into a neighbor's home or adding an extra layer of protection to a bathroom window. Others use the art as a unique way to personalize their homes, like adding a simple glass design on kitchen cabinet doors or a unique transom window above their front door.
This custom work allows David and Rosie to mesh their modern style with the client's inspiration. David said this process is more fulfilling than creating repetitive designs to sell online, which is how the business started. Now, they rent a studio space at Redux Contemporary Art Center so they have more space to make larger pieces instead of working out of their bedroom.
However, creating a custom piece is time-consuming.
"I feel like a lot of people don't know how much work goes into it," Rosie said.
The design process can take about a month as they communicate back and forth with the client about what they want. They receive specific requests, like a scene of a cabin in the mountains with a waterfall and sunset. Most of the time, the clients are unaware of all the options that exist with the various texture and color possibilities, Rosie said.
"Our job is to kind of guide them," David added.
Once the design is finalized, they order the glass and start working on the piece, which can take several weeks, depending on the intricacies. They trace the pattern, cut the glass and use a large grinder to smooth the edges.
The simplest designs are made of nearly 100 pieces of glass, Rosie said.
Then, they use copper foil or traditional lead to join the pieces together.
As part of the design process, they discuss whether a more permanent installation or a temporary piece is the best fit for the client's home. For clients who are renting or not living in a long-term home, they recommend a panel that can be custom-made to fit the window and hung with nails instead of installed.
Liz Pettit, who creates nature-inspired stained glass pieces through her business Lizard Glass Design, typically makes suncatchers that can be placed in any window or moved around. She said these pieces are a more attainable way to display stained glass art versus a costly installation.
"I think that has been sort of my niche is that I can make smaller pieces that are a little bit more budget-friendly so that people can still have some color in their windows," Pettit said.
She incorporates Lowcountry nature themes into her art, like a surfboard-shaped ocean scene or wildlife-inspired pieces such as a pelican. She said most clients display her art in their kitchen windows because they want art to look at while making dinner or doing the dishes.
Robin McNair, a stained glass artist with Colorshow Glassworks, said glass art helps people incorporate color into their "millennial gray" homes and display art that cannot be found at big box stores.
"In this day and age, I think a lot of personality has been sucked out of the homes," said McNair.
McNair, who has worked with glass for nearly eight years, gravitates to bright colors and interesting designs, like skulls, snakes and spiders, that aren't typically found in traditional stained glass. As an avid music listener, she pulls inspiration from song lyrics that are stuck in her head or a new album she's listening to.
Some of her work includes 3D stained glass pieces, like an anatomical heart and crescent moon. To create these designs, she works with a graphic designer to come up with a paper model and then creates the glass pieces based on the mockup. She said these pieces take some trial and error.
She said stained glass has grown in popularity because people are discovering that art doesn't have to look like what they saw on display at their grandparents' house, for example. Stained glass is a fun alternative, a twist on the traditional.
"It's just a fun take on something classic," she said.
Close Buy Now
Rosie Bornfleth's profile is reflected in a piece of glass in a patchwork of stained glass on a piece she and her husband David made at their shop, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David and Rosie Bornfleth look over a stained glass piece they restored that was part of a piano, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston. They remarked on how proud of their job they were and the matching of glass pieces from the decades-old piano.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David Bornfleth wraps a glass piece with copper tape before soldering two pieces of glass together for a stained glass piece, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
Rosie Bornfleth works on breaking glass pieces down for a stained glass piece to be used in local weddings, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
A patchwork of glass pieces over the stencil design for a stained glass piece for use in local weddings, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David and Rosie Bornfleth chip away at pieces from a stained glass work they're building in their shop at Adani Design, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
An array of stained glass work done by David and Rosie Bornfleth hanging on the wall inside their shop, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
The circular bit used in a machine for cutting more curved designs into glass pieces grinds away at a portion of stained glass, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David Bornfleth sifts through he and his wife Rosie's library of glass slabs at their shop inside Redux, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David Bornfleth uses flat pliers to break down a cut of glass further for a stained glass project to be used in weddings, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Photos: Charleston couple spearheading art of stained glass for at home
David and Rosie Bornfleth own and operate their own stained glass shop with Adoni Design in downtown Charleston. Operating out of a space at Redux the couple is bringing stained glass work into the home and crafting work to be used locally.
Buy Now
Rosie Bornfleth's profile is reflected in a piece of glass in a patchwork of stained glass on a piece she and her husband David made at their shop, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David and Rosie Bornfleth look over a stained glass piece they restored that was part of a piano, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston. They remarked on how proud of their job they were and the matching of glass pieces from the decades-old piano.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David Bornfleth wraps a glass piece with copper tape before soldering two pieces of glass together for a stained glass piece, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
Rosie Bornfleth works on breaking glass pieces down for a stained glass piece to be used in local weddings, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
A patchwork of glass pieces over the stencil design for a stained glass piece for use in local weddings, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David and Rosie Bornfleth chip away at pieces from a stained glass work they're building in their shop at Adani Design, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
An array of stained glass work done by David and Rosie Bornfleth hanging on the wall inside their shop, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
The circular bit used in a machine for cutting more curved designs into glass pieces grinds away at a portion of stained glass, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David Bornfleth sifts through he and his wife Rosie's library of glass slabs at their shop inside Redux, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff Buy Now
David Bornfleth uses flat pliers to break down a cut of glass further for a stained glass project to be used in weddings, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff