The home is a great place to express your individuality and personal tastes, whether you like a minimalist space or collect Victoriana. Whatever your interior design style, there are ornaments, artworks and lighting that can help you reflect your home decor preferences. And for those who want to truly stand out from the crowd, perhaps asking a favourite artist or designer to make a bespoke piece is an option that will cost less than you think.

Most people who make their living from being creative are delighted to know you appreciate their style – and happy to work with you to design a fantastic sculpture, artwork or interior design piece that will show off your personality.

Steampunk style

This bold stained glass lamp is a true one-off and was inspired by the Steampunk movement – people who like to combine modern technology with the romance of Victorian inventors and writers, such as Jules Verne and H G Wells. They often dress up in costumes reflecting that era, adding their own twist on the vintage look with brass goggles and upcycled accessories.

I gave the lamp an industrial feel, with strong, dark colours juxtaposed with bright yellows and oranges. I wanted it to be truly unique, with an uneven bottom edge, plus incorporated cogs and wheels to reflect the industry of a bygone age. Further interest and texture came from small pieces of fused glass that I created especially for the piece, along with wire coils and springs.

Imagine this functional artwork on the desk of Wells as he writes another science fiction masterpiece – or perhaps you have a place in mind for it in your own sitting room or study…

As you can see, not all stained glass artists are restricted to the traditional idea of what you can do with stained glass. The only limit is your imagination.