I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I never knew how fascinating science could be until my late 20s when I learned about laser cutting. All those years I was snoozing in science class, the pyromaniacs who stayed awake for the lesson on refracting light learned that holding a magnifying glass perpendicular to the sun’s rays and focusing it on a leaf will cause that leaf to burst into flames.

Fast forward a decade, and I awoke to this principle as it applies to the world of custom decor: Using an apparatus like a CNC machine, fabricators are able to literally melt or vapourish materials such as stainless steel and aluminium by channeling compressed gas and a focused laser beam into a plotted pattern to create a totally custom design for everything from fences to shower curtains. Here’s a look into the range of possibilities with computer-aided laser-cutting tech.

1. Stylish sunscreen
2. 
   Wolveridge Architects

The architects commissioned a unique screen to serve as a partition between indoor and outdoor spaces. Presumably made of anodised metal (usually an aluminium alloy whose oxide layer has been chemically thickened for weatherproofing and added resiliency), this geometric screen casts shadows that give the effect of elaborate floor tiles.

1. Whimsical windows
2. 
   : Moussafir Architectes

Laser-cut stainless steel makes a formidable outdoor window treatment, especially on a contemporary home built with vast window walls. Screens like these filter in light but preserve privacy because, first of all, the peeping eyes of passersby naturally stop on the intricate design instead of trying to focus on what’s inside, and second, they’re obviously not as easy to see through as uncovered windows.

1. A whale of a show
2. 
    Laws Laser

The designers added a dash of the marine life with a whale motif cut into metal screens at this modern beach home.

1. Perfect for pergolas
2. 
   Entanglements

Some good news for newbie gardeners who have grand dreams of a lush-leafed pergola: You don’t have to have a green thumb to enjoy a foliage-covered canopy shading your seedlings. This patio topper looks enchanting on its own, but all those little cutouts will give vines an excellent foothold if you do choose to layer in some climbers.

1. Wallpaper alternative.
2. 
    MR.MITCHELL

This screen isn’t necessarily screening anything at all. It’s not filtering light, providing privacy or scaffolding climbing plants on their upbound trek. What it does achieve is a stunning, tactile wallpaper and a designerly backdrop to tropical plants that might not have otherwise had the height to make much of a statement.

1. Garden glow
2. 
   Garden Studio by Laura Grams

There’s something about illuminated laser-cut screens that set a magical mood in a garden or on a patio. It’s a great way to add pattern and texture to your outdoor living room while also serving to dress up that dead space under the deck lest it become a junkyard of outgrown playground equipment and watercraft we use once a year on vacation.

Here’s what the designer has to say about the design: “A dramatic screening solution was designed using Parasoleil panels. We installed these metal panels with an outdoor fabric backdrop to add contrast. These panels are backlit in the evenings for dazzling drama at night.” And dazzling it is.

1. Hot house numbers

Screens are by no means the only design features worth laser cutting. Carved house numbers are an excellent candidate, mostly because your house number is unlikely to ever change, making a custom door or number plaque a sound investment.

Here, the slightly rusted metal looks so right against the brick backdrop. It’s an especially appropriate choice for townhomes or row houses built at the height of the Industrial Revolution, when materials like steel and brick became an increasing part of the American landscape.

1. Personalised gates
2. 
   Pheasant Hill Homes Ltd.

The mermaid embellishments on this gate were cut with a laser cutter by a savvy local shop. They are outdoor-friendly stainless steel, but I can’t stop thinking about how equally cool this design would look in copper after it oxidises into that signature mint-green patina.

1. Staircase stunners
2. 
   John Prindle

Using maple hardwood, the designer designed a knockout staircase that is as interesting as the pattern cut into it. If you thought it was just a matrix of random punches for purely visual effect, you’d be wrong; it’s actually each residing family member’s name cut into Morse code.

1. Precision steps
2. 
   Bruce Fox

People are doing so many interesting things with their stair railings and risers these days, we could probably devote an entire article to each stair component. The precision that can be achieved with laser cutting means that it is possible to have a metal or wood sheet punched into the most exacting specs, like those that govern stair construction.