An architectural feature included on many buildings designed during the 1930s, stained or leaded glass designs lent themselves perfectly to the Art Deco style. These transparent, fragmented and geometrically-shaped glass sections affixed with heavy, black lines of lead reflected two of the main elements of Art Deco designs.
Vitrolite is an opaque, pigmented glass tile used on both the interiors and exteriors of many Art Deco buildings. It's glossy surface lent itself to the sleek, clean designs of the period. Because it could be special-ordered in a variety of shapes and colors, many designers used the tiles to create mosaic murals and signs.
Following the stock market crash of 1929, Americans were looking for anything to lift their spirits. Answering the call, manufacturers such as Hocking Glass and Federal Glass mass-produced inexpensive molded glassware that was often imperfect and had numerous air bubbles and visible mold lines embedded in the glass. Regardless of flaws, the fresh colors such as pink and green, along with the beauty of the Art Deco designs, allowed the struggling middle class to possess items that were not merely serviceable but beautiful as well at an inexpensive price.
European glassware of the period was often sculptural in design. One of the most prolific glassmakers of the time was French designer Rene Lalique, whose work included illuminated glass hood ornaments, lighted glass walls and glass columns as well as the more expected sculptural vases and glassware.
Aside from decorating their homes with and eating off of stylized Art Deco glass pieces, women were also wearing glass in the form of jewelry. Pioneered by Rene Lalique, glass jewelry from the Art Deco period is characterized by sculptural pieces that might be blown, cut or molded. Blown glass beads were also a popular trend during the time.