Églomisé involves the application of a design to the back side of the glass, rather than applying it to the face. You might see variations that are painted on, but the most common version uses different kinds of metal leaf known as verre églomisé, which translates to "gilded glass."
Our artisans seek to use the traditional techniques of this ancient artistry with a modern aesthetic, transforming glass surfaces of all kinds into innovative works of art. Églomisé can be utilized for a variety of interior applications. Fireplace surrounds, tabletops, bar backsplashes, room dividers, elevator walls, servingware, doors, mirrors, and even whole rooms can be adorned via églomisé. Different textures, colors, and opacity levels of glass are possible, and metal leaf types such as gold, silver, palladium, and aluminum each bring their own distinct qualities to a design.
1. Explore this linen weave églomisé bar backsplash by SuperStrata for Ike Kligerman Barkley Architects. Photo by Manuel Rodríguez.
2. Double-sided palladium leaf verre églomisé door panels with off-white silk interlayer by Lisa Stimpson in Rosewood Hong Kong.
1. Verre églomisé fire screen with palladium leaf interlayer by Lisa Stimpson in the Intercontinental Hotel Geneva.
2. Verre églomisé panels with palladium leaf patterned interlayer by Lisa Stimpson in the Taipei Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
The technique of verre églomisé starts with a glass surface as our artisan partner Lisa Stimpson demonstrates in her studio below. She brushes a water-based adhesive called “size” onto the back of the glass, and then picks up a special flat gilding brush called a "tip" for the next step.
A combination of static electricity and a little petroleum jelly on the brush help to instantly attract the gold leaf to the brush when Lisa hovers the brush over top. It is then laid down gently over the glass surface, where it attaches itself smoothly.
For the next step, Lisa uses a wooden stylus to etch her design into the gold leaf on the back side of the glass by scraping away any gold that is not part of the design.
1. Verre églomisé tools in Lisa Stimpson’s studio.
2. Lisa Stimpson picks up gold leaf using a special flat gilding brush called a tip.
1. Lisa Stimpson gently lays the gold leaf over the water-based adhesive on the glass surface.
2. Lisa uses a wooden stylus to etch her design into the gold leaf on the back side of the glass by scraping away any gold that is not part of the design.
Lisa Stimpson has spent the past 30 years creating églomisé for projects all over the world, from Shanghai to Geneva. Beyond the more traditional églomisé, Lisa has been tapping into her history with fabrics to explore a technique that uses a silk interlayer between two pieces of glass.
As she describes it, "I saw a friend's hand-dyed silk fabrics and thought 'Oh, let's try to incorporate that into a design with glass' and then it became something I wouldn't have expected, the way it looks with a mirror back [laminating the silks between glass and adding a mirror backing]. Some of them looked like marble, and others resembled tortoise shell."
1. Silver leaf églomisé serving dishware with oyster and octopus designs by Lisa Stimpson.
2. Details of verre églomisé door panels in caplain leaf by Lisa Stimpson in Le Beaujour restaurant Taipei.
1. Verre églomisé display cases with palladium leaf marble-patterned interlayer by Lisa Stimpson in Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore.
2. Églomisé tiles with silk interlayer inspired by marble and tortoise shell by Lisa Stimpson.
Though primarily a master gilder, our artisan Leah Beth Fishman also has an affinity and talent for the art of églomisé. She creates glass panels with a colorful marbling effect as well as geometric patterns such as herringbone and Japanese asanoha. Églomisé mirrors with varying distressed and antiqued appearances are a specialty of hers, which sometimes incorporate more ornate embellishments.
1. Detail of a herringbone pattern églomisé by Leah Beth Fishman.
2. Églomisé with marbling and feather designs by Leah Beth Fishman.
1. Églomisé with marbling and chevron designs by Leah Beth Fishman.
2. Églomisé with marbling and asanoha designs by Leah Beth Fishman.
SuperStrata's own Eva Pep is always interested in learning new art forms and she experiments with innovative techniques adjacent to églomisé, one of which she calls “3D églomisé.” Her multi-step process for this involves using different combinations of colors and patterns layered throughout to ultimately make it appear as though they stand out from the surface.
1. Variety of 3D églomisé tile designs by Eva Pep.
2. Green and metallic leaf 3D églomisé tiles by Eva Pep.