What it is

Architectural decorative glass.

Architectural decorative glass is glass treated as a finished design surface – not a window, not a shower glass door, but a material that carries color, pattern, image, and reflection the way fine wallcovering, stone, or ceramic tile does. It does what those materials can't: it holds light, adds depth, and gives a flawless, permanent surface that doesn't fade, stain, or wear, and it's easy to clean and antimicrobial.

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You'll find it as back-painted feature walls and headboards, mirrored and metallic accent walls, printed partitions and room dividers, kitchen and bar backsplashes, shower and bath surrounds, elevator and lobby cladding, wine-room and cabinetry inserts, and full-height walls in hospitality and commercial interiors. Anywhere a designer wants a hard, permanent, light-reflecting surface with a custom look, decorative glass is in the conversation – residential, hospitality, and commercial alike.

What separates true architectural decorative glass from a printed graphic or a painted panel is permanence and precision. The color is engineered to hold; the print is baked in or sealed; the panel is built to the size, fabrication specs, and code the project requires, interior or exterior, wet or dry. ADG is an independent studio that takes a project from concept to finished panel – pattern, color, finish, and fabrication documented in-house, handed off to the manufacturer complete with all art files ready to process, the finished products are shipped to the designated site, we provide full project management services.

Below are the technologies ADG uses to achieve a given aesthetic. Each is a different way of applying color, image, and special effect finishes onto architectural flat glass, and each produces its own distinct beauty. Most projects use one; some combine several. Explore any method to see what it is and what it can achieve.

The technologies

The technologies and finishes ADG uses to achieve a desired aesthetic.

Ceramic Frit Print

01 · Print

Model NO. 1 | aLL oVER FULL COVERAGE

01 · Ceramic Frit Print

The finish that lasts as long as the glass.

Inorganic ceramic inks are infused into glass at over 1,200°F, creating a true glass-ceramic bond, not a coating, laminate, or film. The decoration becomes part of the substrate itself, permanently resistant to abrasion, UV fading, moisture, solvents, and chemical attack. For architects who require longevity and repeatability across commercial facades, civic institutions, hospitality, and healthcare, Ceramic Frit delivers color accuracy across large runs, uniform spandrel coverage, and gradients that scale reliably to oversized panels.

When permanence matters and the specification must be right the first time and forever, Ceramic Frit is the answer. It also lends itself beautifully to any custom designed application where more is needed and art becomes Architecture.

  • +True glass-ceramic bond at 1,200°F+
  • +UV, abrasion, moisture & chemical resistant
  • +​Architectural partitioning > shower enclosures > window & door inserts > railings > facades > signage > art installations > more
  • +Exterior-rated, lifetime stable
  • +Most glass types available. Low Iron best.
UV Printed Glass

02 · Print

Model NO. 2 | aLL oVER FULL COVERAGE

02 · UV Printed Glass

Art-level detail. Modern color. Architectural polish.

UV Printed Glass gives designers the freedom to treat glass like a full-scale art medium. High-resolution imagery, expressive patterns, layered graphics, and custom palettes translate with clarity and depth, opening up visual possibilities that traditional hard-surface materials simply can't achieve.

When your concept calls for magentas, purples, fluorescents, or other high-chroma tones, UV printing delivers a broader, more vibrant color space that holds every nuance. ADG elevates this further by sealing each print with Creative Resins Glass Paint Supreme, clear or pigmented, transforming the artwork into a smooth, protected surface that performs like back-painted glass but looks like a gallery-quality print.

  • +High-resolution photographic & vector
  • +Extended high-chroma color gamut
  • +Sealed with GPS for protection
  • +Monolithic panel, no lamination
Glass Paint Supreme

03 · Back Painting

Model NO. 38 | Silver Glitter Colored GPS

03 · Glass Paint Supreme

Color matched. Architectural-grade. Built to last.

Creative Resins Glass Paint Supreme is a two-component polyurethane coating engineered for architectural back-painted glass. Applied to Surface 2 of fully tempered glass, it delivers uniform, opaque color with excellent adhesion, chemical resistance, and long-term stability.

Developed over nearly five decades by Creative Resins International (UK) and available exclusively in North America through ADG, the system supports precise color matching to Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Pantone, and RAL, with more than 15,000 established formulas plus custom matching. Beyond solid color, it accommodates metallics, pearlescent, glitter, crackle, stipple texture, gossamer webs, and granite speckling as special effect additives, explore each one below.

  • +15,000+ matched formulas, plus custom
  • +Two-component polyurethane on Surface 2
  • +Specialty effects: metallic, crackle, stipple
  • +​Back Splashes > Shower Walls > Accent Walls > Table Tops > Barn Doors > Partitioning
Mirror 1K

04 · Mirror

Model NO. 243 | Printed Metallic Texture

04 · Mirror 1K

Modern Day Églomisé

Églomisé, the centuries-old craft of gilding and reverse-painting behind glass, has always been about transforming a sheet of glass into something luminous, reflective, and quietly theatrical. Mirror 1K carries that lineage into the modern studio.

A hand-spray applied, industrial-grade reflective coating, it pairs the soul of antique mercury glass with the precision of contemporary chemistry: warranted for interior or exterior, wet or dry environments, and engineered to perform on architectural-scale panels.

  • +Hand-spray applied, mixed-tech ready
  • +Interior & exterior, wet or dry
  • +Antique Gold, Black & Copper finishes
  • +Manufacturer warranted
Metallic Pattern Glass

05 · Texture

Model NO. 28 Series | All Over Coverage

05 · Metallic Pattern Glass

Textured, luminous, expressive, pattern glass elevated.

Pattern Glass begins as a material shaped by heat and pressure, molten glass rolled through embossed steel to form textures that are permanent, architectural, and full of quiet dimensionality. ADG expands this into a full design language by combining factory-formed texture with Creative Resins finishes: Mirror 1K, transparent color, metallic pigments, and UV-printed graphics.

A GPS Supreme color coat glows through the texture with saturation.

  • +Factory-rolled architectural textures
  • +Pairs with Mirror 1K, GPS, metallics
  • +Wine rooms & Wet bars > Accent Walls > Back Splashes > Shower Walls > Cabinet Fronts
  • +Endlessly customizable
Transparent Cellopane™

06 · Color

Model NO. 21 | All Over full coverage

06 · Transparent Cellopane™

Pure color and pure light, sharing one plane.

Color behaves differently when light is allowed to pass through the glass. The ADG Transparent Cellopane™ Collection uses the Creative Resins Transparent Pigments added to Glass Paint Supreme system applied as a translucent coat, allowing light to pass through while tinting the glass in a rich, even wash of color. The effect is luminous and modern, architectural stained glass without the leaded lines.

With 15,000+ custom colors, designers can work in soft tonal veils or saturated jewel tones. The collection becomes truly expansive when combined with digital printing, Mirror 1K, or multi-surface compositions for depth, shadow, and gradients within a single monolithic panel or encased with lamination.

  • +Translucent GPS color coat
  • +15,000+ custom color palette
  • +Educational > healthcare > residential > hospitality > commercial office > way-finding > art installations
  • +Stained glass effect, facades, architectural  partitioning, window & door inserts, shower enclosures, walls, railings, balconies, canopies, sky lights
Frosted Privacy glass

07 · Surface

Model NO. 72 | All Over Coverage

07 · Frosted Privacy glass

The look of etched glass, without the maintenance.

ADG's frosted privacy finishes use the Creative Resins coating system spray-applied to fully tempered glass, producing a uniform satin or fine sandblast-like surface without the porosity, fingerprinting, or maintenance issues associated with acid etching or traditional sandblasting. The finish diffuses light evenly, provides controlled privacy, and maintains a smooth, non-absorbent surface that is easy to clean and suitable for high-touch commercial environments. Because the coating is spray-applied, it supports precise opacity control and can be integrated with other ADG finishes, including Cellopane™, printed patterns and selective masking for gradient privacy.

Panels can be fabricated for partitions, shower enclosures, doors, feature walls, and interior glazing systems where consistent appearance, durability, and cleanability are required. For projects requiring the visual language of etched or sandblasted glass with improved performance and design flexibility, ADG's frosted privacy system provides a reliable, architectural-grade solution.

  • +Partitioning > Walls > Shower Glass > Window & Doors > Cabinet Glass > Table Tops
Glass Paint H2O

08 · Back-Painted

Model NO. 22 | All over Full Coverage

08 · Glass Paint H2O

Full-spec color, built for healthier interiors.

Glass Paint H2O is Creative Resins' waterborne decorative glass coating, designed for projects where environmental considerations and indoor air quality matter. Unlike many water-based alternatives, GPH2O has its own dedicated pigment system and supports full color matching, offering the same broad palette and custom formulation capability as Glass Paint Supreme, including deep tones, neutrals, brights, and brand colors.

The finish is smooth, consistent, and professional, with the same visual quality designers expect from solvent-based coatings, but in a low-VOC, low-odor formulation suitable for use in or near occupied spaces such as schools, hospitals, offices, and residential buildings.

  • +Waterborne, low-VOC, low-odor
  • +Full GPS-equivalent color range
  • +Custom matching to any reference
  • +Spandrel Glass > commercial offices > schools > healthcare > assisted living > wall cladding > residential