Glass home interiors are both aesthetically pleasing and practical. Given its versatility, glass can be used in several ways. However, using glass in home decor comes with its pros and cons.
Pros
Apart from adding beauty to your home, glass also has many other advantages, including:
- Easily treatable (colour, lamination, pattern, and the like can be added easily during manufacturing).
- Resistant to rust.
- Easy to maintain and clean due to its glossy, smooth surface.
Cons
Just as there are two sides to a coin, using glass has some disadvantages too, such as:
- Brittle (when the glass is subjected to pressure, it breaks).
- Heat absorbent (traps heat, because of which using it in tropical/ hot regions is not a good idea).
- Costly (the manufacturing process consumes a lot of energy, making glass is expensive).
Before you start wondering how to use glass in your home’s interiors, you must know that glass comes in various types of finishes.
Types of glass finishes
As is the case with most materials, there is no one type of glass available. The most common types of glass finishes include:
Clear Glass:
Clear glass, which gives a clear view of both inside and outside, is the most commonly used variety in interior spaces. It allows 80%-90% visible light to pass through it, making it perfect for creating chandeliers and lamps. It can also be used for decorative purposes or in the kitchen.
Frosted Glass
Frosted glass is typically used for privacy as it blocks the view while still allowing light to pass through it. It can be used as a shower door or window, or a partition.
Coloured Glass
This variety is manufactured by adding metal oxides to plain glass. The colour of the glass depends on the metal oxide used. This type of glass finish can be used in windows and doors.
Antonio Iacovelli
Stained Glass
Stained glass, a type of coloured glass, has been used in homes for decorative purposes for a long time now. Stained glass is typically created by using pieces of coloured glass to form floral, contemporary, figurative, or abstract designs. The cut pieces of glass are joined together using a soldering tool. Panels made of stained glass can be used in cabinets, windows, doors, and the like.
Textured Glass
Textured or patterned glass has designs (usually plain textures or colourful geometric patterns) embossed on its surface. The texture allows the transmission of light and provides privacy too. The pattern or texture is imprinted on the glass while it’s still in the molten state. Textured glass can be used in windows, privacy screens, partitions, shower doors, or to add a decorative element to a room.
These glass finishes can be used for different purposes in your home’s interiors.
How to incorporate glass in your home interiors?
Glass can be used in several ways in every kind of room. Here are some ways to amp up your home’s look:
Glass Roof
You can either have a traditional glass roof that allows lots of lights into your room or two skylights. Instead of using a solid glass panel, you can even opt for a coloured or stained glass roof to make your room look prettier!
Kitchen
Although it may feel like a risky thing to do, glass can be well-used in kitchen cabinets and platforms. You can go with clear, frosted, textured, or stained glass, among other choices, for your kitchen cabinets.
Balcony
A sheath balcony helps in providing both privacy and wind protection. Taking it a notch higher by using clear glass can make your balcony look better and help establish a visual connection with the outside world.
Bathroom
Using glass in your bathroom’s interiors doesn’t have to be something you think about twice. Your bathroom can have shower doors, partitions, windows, and a layered wall made of glass. You can use clear, frosted, and textured glass for these. What’s more, you could even use a stained glass panel in the bathroom door to make it stand out.
Windows
Windows are one of the most obvious places in a home where glass can be used. Depending on the amount of privacy, lighting, and the design you desire, you can have window panes made of clear, frosted, coloured, textured, or stained glass.
Glass Lighting
Glass can reflect ample natural and artificial light, illuminate surfaces, and enhance your home’s features. Aside from installing glass windows, you could even use lighting ceilings, chandeliers, lamps, lighting floors, and the like made of glass for lighting. These lighting options could be made of any of the aforementioned types of glass finishes, the choice is yours!
Glass Furniture
When it comes to utilising glass in furniture, there are many options, doors with glass panels, shelves, closets, TV stands, table tops with glass surfaces, and so on. Don’t forget, you could even merge glass with materials like leather, wood, metal, and plastic.
Staircases
A glass panel can be used to replace the traditional staircase railings. You could even have stairs made of glass! Although clear glass is typically used for this purpose, you could select a different type of glass finish too.
Glass Walls
A glass wall in your living room or bedroom can both look gorgeous and serve as a partition. The type of glass you use depends on the kind of look and the amount of privacy you want.
The experts at HomeLane can effectively help you pick your choice of glass and make your home look that much more beautiful!
