Custom glass etchings enrich interiors

BARBARA BOXLEITNER/FLORIDA WEEKLY Etched glass enhances rooms with art, while letting in light and providing some privacy. People looking for some splash in their bathrooms don’t have to go overboard.

A custom glass etching on a shower enclosure or partition does much to bring life to a residential bathroom, especially in custom construction and remodels, when ornamental features easily can be included.

The etchings have a frosted appearance and texture on one side. Because the glass is not very thick and needs to remain strong enough, the etchings cannot have too much depth. But they can have enough gradation to create texture on the one side.

Victoria Lavoie, owner of Victoria Lavoie Interiors in Punta Gorda, had a shower glass partition etched for Frank and Muriel DeStefano, a retired couple living in Punta Gorda Isles. Mr. DeStefano said the couple had their end condo unit of nearly 3,000 square feet gutted, and etching was a part of the upgrade.

“It goes along with the artwork in my bedroom. It really looks terrific, said Mr. DeStefano, who is so pleased that he said he would have an etching done if he were to buy another residence.

Ms. Lavoie designed the master bedroom in a Pacific tropical style and replicated the Japanese interpretation of waves on the vertical shower glass in the master bath. Glass etcher Howard Lee, who has since relocated from working in the area, completed the piece.

“They wanted at least one room that had a tropical look,” Ms. Lavoie said. “I wanted something exotic, something that was not seen here. It’s a little more Asian tropical, a little more unusual.”

“The bathroom could be so sterile,” she said. “This was a way to bring in some style. That was my emphasis there.”

The etching in the DeStefano residence is a rather large one, but Ms. Lavoie has had other clients who have even larger ones. She recalled a couple had about a 9-foot-wide opening above their sliders. Their seascape image there included boats.

Other homeowners opt for smaller etchings. Jeff Burch, president of High Mark Builders in Port Charlotte, remodeled the master and secondary bathrooms of a Punta Gorda Isles couple. They have an etching on the arched glass partition of their shower, which overlooks the adjacent tub. On the upper half of the shower wall, the etching includes two leafy branches and a dragonfly.

Elsewhere, they have etchings — leaf and flower images — in the door and transom leading to a hallway near the secondary bathroom that was upgraded. The door pane is a long vertical, while the transom is a small horizontal. Ms. Lavoie said a transom etching “brings in light, and it gives you privacy as well.”

In the spring, Mr. Burch finished a Charlotte Harbor custom home whose owners selected nature images for the etchings on each end of the tub in their master bathroom. The etchings occupy vertical rectangular spaces.

Ronda Wallis-Rella, owner of Elegant Reflections in Port Charlotte, has been doing glass etchings for 23 years. She said Florida themes, particularly palm trees and herons, are popular requests but said she’s etched all sorts of images by hand. Sea images, including boats, are common in waterfront communities. Commercial projects typically involve reproducing the company logo.

“I do everything by hand,” she said. “It’s a lengthy process. It’s tedious.”

Turnaround can be a matter of days, though she said, “The more detailed, the more time. “I adjust whatever I need to fit the size of the glass. Whatever the people want.”

Some people want geometric designs, Ms. Lavoie said. “It’s a different kind of statement,” she said. “It’s not representative of something. It’s a little more abstract.”

And although the bathroom is a typical place for the etching, homeowners often have etchings on the glass in their front door and on sidelights. The etchings make the residence distinctive from others in the neighborhood as they maintain privacy.

As a designer, Ms. Lavoie is all for people who embrace the etchings. “It’s one opportunity to put the client’s unique stamp on their house,” she said. “It’s something that personalizes the home. People want to feel the home reflects their lives.”

Although etchings usually are found in higher-end homes, the experts said, they also not exclusive to that tier. People are encouraged to review sample drawings before deciding the final image because etchings are permanent. ¦