Decorative windows which became fashionable in the Victorian era have made a comeback in the south east. KERRY ANN EUSTICE talks to a glass artist about how stained glass designs have changed in the 21st Century.

Imagine your home lit with warm colour and filled with images of abstract shape and pattern all achieved with a ray of sunlight filtered through a stained glass window.

Decorative glass panels have long been associated with Victorian properties but a modern take on these traditional features can bring added style to new build homes giving the neutral walls and fresh double glazing colour and character.

Crystal Palace-based glass artist Vince Reid, from the Art With Glass workshop, has noticed a surge of homeowners in the south east restoring original stained glass windows keen to make the most of their period-style homes.

But he agrees there has also been a noted increase in people living in new properties wanting a modern spin on glass features too.

He said: "People moving into brand-new homes are starting to want stained glass windows. It can add real style to a house.

"Modern designs are very popular with these clients, especially the Mondrian-style bright colours and minimal shapes, as are Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired pieces and square symmetry. I also do a lot of Picasso-style windows."

Vince says the more contemporary the designs, the more freedom his workshop has to use new techniques and materials, such as marble- effect glass which is very popular and works well in the non-traditional images.

Stained glass can be adapted to suit any home but certain colours work best in specific environments and can, if used effectively, create the illusion of space.

Vince said: "Cobalt blue is the most popular colour. It is vivid and bright and looks so beautiful when the sun shines through.

"If you have a north-facing home, blues and yellows work best as they are dominant in dull areas. Cold colours such as these are brighter. Greens and reds can be muted though, so suit south-facing areas best.

"Plain transparent glass can create a 2D atmosphere but stained glass windows with their colour and light shining through create a 3D feel and does make an area look larger.

"It's ideal if you are selling a home and I get lots of commissions from property developers doing up a property and selling it on."

Vince also feels a technique known as glass-fusion, which he has used to make items such as glass plates, creates a look which would make great design statements as windows in modern homes.

Glass fusion is part of a wave of ultra-modern decorative glass art, replacing plain panes all over Europe.

Unlike traditional-style stained glass where leading controls the pattern, the glass fusion technique melts the separate layers of coloured glass together.

The layers and colours expand in different shapes and directions when they are slowly cooled giving a more modern, spontaneous and unique effect.

Dutch artist Jan Giliam van Arkel's work with glass creates abstract shapes and movement, making his pieces look like paintings and colours inspired by underwater scenes to create cutting-edge canvases used as both individual sculptures and as windows.