Glass is an ideal material to use in decorating largely because of its reflective qualities. Glass sparkles as it reflects both natural and electric light. This reflective quality actually increases how much light is in your room. Below are three fresh ways of incorporating glass into your décor so you can reap its benefits.
Glass Cabinet Panes
Replacing wooden panes with clear glass in kitchen cabinetry is nothing new. The reason this design works so well is that the glass opens up the façade of the cabinetry. The glass panes can make your kitchen feel larger because the fronts of the cabinets aren’t closed off. The contents of your cabinets aren’t sealed off from view if you replace wooden panes with clear glass. If some of your cabinet interiors are less than tidy, this can make your kitchen feel cluttered. Better Homes and Gardens recommends trying textured glass to blur the interiors. Glass cabinet panes come in different patterns that at least partially obscure the interior of the cabinet. Designs such as Flemish and cross-reeded make it so that the interior is hard to see. Frosted glass can be almost opaque. To choose your glass cabinet panes, consider first the opacity level you need. From there, look at patterns that will be repeated in your kitchen. For instance, the cross-reeded pattern presents as cubes. This geometric style would complement the clean lines of a modern kitchen. The fractured appearance of the sparkle pattern could complement a more artistic kitchen.
Framed Glass Shelves
Many homeowners have shelving built into their walls. This design can make use of otherwise wasted space. For example, you could incorporate built-in shelving into a window seat design. The typical material for the shelving is wood or wood composite. However, here’s an area you can reap the benefits of glass by using it to replace the wood. This design idea works in several different instances. For one, the window seat shelving is a good place to utilize glass because the shelves will reflect the light from the window directly. Indeed, any built-in shelving near a window is a good place for using glass. What’s more, glass is durable and won’t fade or warp under the sun’s rays like wood might. The bathroom is another space to replace wooden shelves with glass ones. Glass is an impervious surface, so it’s easier to clean. Likewise, it will withstand the moisture in the bathroom better than wood. If you have two-way cabinets, say above a kitchen peninsula, glass shelving is ideal. Two-way cabinets really look like shelves suspended from the ceiling that you can access from either side. If you use glass shelving, you can get an airy appearance from your cabinetry. Glass shelving also works beautifully with illuminated displays. So, if you have framed shelving that you want to display art pieces on, consider using glass shelves. From there, you can illuminate the shelving to show off your art pieces. The glass will create a glow that further emphasizes the beauty of the art.
Unframed Glass Shelves
If you omit the framing, you can get really creative with your glass shelving. Indeed, all you really need is for some of the surfaces to be horizontal. You can utilize vertical and diagonal pieces of glass to create artistic shelving on your walls. Many homeowners choose discreet brackets to hold their glass shelving onto the wall. However, this is another area for customization. Shelf brackets come in numerous materials, from metal to wood. They can also be highly decorative. To choose decorative brackets, try to match the décor style of the room. For example, carved wood brackets would be ideal for old-world décor. Look around your rooms, and consider where glass cabinet fronts or shelving could better enhance the décor. Then visit Martin Glass for help implementing your ideas.