Few things are as breathtaking as the look of a stunning stained glass display. Mosaic-like pieces come together in a perfect union, their vibrant colors forming the soft image that stares back at us. Cinema and television often use stained glass pieces to depict the setting being a place of worship, a decorative area in a public space, or simply a vintage decorative touch in a residential space. However, acquiring this type of decorative window is costly and fragile to transport to production sets. This is why we see more and more production/set designers turning to the solution of faux stained glass.
On Air Design uses innovative processes to create this look while giving projects a realistic look and feel. It all starts with a textured styrene material used as the foundation for the “glass” but is a sturdy plastic. This shatter-resistant medium makes it an ideal alternative for projects looking to tout a traditional glass look. Using our UV flatbed printers that can handle virtually any rigid material, a design is then applied to the surface of the styrene. Printing over the textured material mimics the look of traditional waterglass, rough rolled, or mosaic textures. A black Sintra material is then routed using our precise Zund Swiss cutting system to create the look of leading, holding the colorful glass pieces together. Finally, a sheet of silver mylar may or may not be applied to the back of the finished piece depending on the goal of the final look. If it is applied, it creates a reflective look similar to the sun shining on glass.
Our team successfully produced faux stained glass for several productions looking for this cost-effective, reliable solution. These include Babylon, The Conners, and Days of Our Lives.
