Storage challenges can arise in any room whether it’s books and magazines covering the coffee table, clothes cluttering the laundry room, or kitchen counters so full you have nowhere to cut up vegetables! Glass shelves represent one of the most attractive solutions in terms of both convenience and visual appeal. Understanding your options is the first step in successfully conquering clutter with glass shelving.
You can either purchase and install standard size glass shelves, or you can order custom shelves from a glass shop and have them professionally installed. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of these options.
Pro: The shelves can be ordered in non-standard sizes.
Pro: The thickness of the shelves can be customized within industry-accepted options.
Pro: You can choose the glass style and even mix and match shelves of different styles.
Pro: There is a wide variety of brackets, supports, and hanging systems. These can also be mixed and matched on different sets of shelving within one home.
Pro: Glass shops such as ABC Glass & Mirror also offer professional installation, so you can be confident the shelves are safely and securely installed.
Con: The price point is higher for customized, professionally installed glass shelves.
Pro: This is a less expensive option.
Pro: You’ll be able to choose from a set range of styles available online or in a store.
Con: You’ll have to work within the stock sizes and pre-determined styles. You might not be able to find shelves to fit perfectly on a specific section of wall.
Con: Putting the shelves in place is up to you, and this could be difficult and/or stressful.
Possible glass styles for shelves include:
Benefits of clear glass shelves-
Benefits of patterned glass shelves –
Benefits of acid-etched glass shelves –
Clear, patterned, and acid-etched shelves all have a beautiful and versatile appearance. Choosing the perfect glass along with the perfect hardware gives you shelves that not only solve your storage problems but enhance the room’s theme and style.
Choosing the right type of support system for your glass shelves is crucial. When using clear glass, frosted glass, or glass with a neutral pattern, it’s the metal components that give the shelves their style and personality. Brackets or other wall mounted supports are frequently used. The style you choose can determine whether your shelving looks traditional, transitional, or modern; whether it’s casual or fancy; and whether it evokes industrial, classic, Old World, or minimalist vibes. There are also options that go beyond typical brackets, such as:
Since many methods for hanging and supporting shelves are available, be sure to explore all your options before making your final selection.
There are so many ways a living room can get cluttered – toys, books, blankets, magazines, and the like often end up strewn across the floor, sofa, and coffee table. There’s also the problem of over decorating. Too many cute knick knacks and accent items make the room look busy and leave you with nowhere to set your coffee mug or book. Glass wall shelves are useful for solving both problems. Some examples:
Whether used on their own or paired with baskets, bins, and caddies, glass shelves make it possible to attractively store just about anything in your living room.
Glass wall shelves might not be the first things that come to mind when trying to organize your dining room. Let’s consider a few FAQs:
Aren’t dining rooms for eating in? What would I store on shelves?
Dining room shelves actually offer you a number of wonderful storage options.
I rarely use china dishware, but I have a beautiful set. What should I do with it?
Whether it’s a wedding gift or an heirloom, your china doesn’t need to collect dust in a kitchen cupboard, even if you only use it on holidays. For a modern twist on the traditional china hutch, have a set of glass shelves installed on your dining room wall. Store and display your china here. This will give the room a lovely focal point and free up cupboard space in your kitchen. Worried that Grandma’s china isn’t in style? Have no fear – the trending Grandmillenial style celebrates all things Grandma-esque!
Can I add a mini-bar to a small dining room?
Glass shelves do open up some possibilities for mini-bars even in smaller dining rooms.
Open shelves are a popular choice for kitchens today. In some homes, they take the place of cabinets, while in others they supplement them. That being said, glass shelves have something to offer just about every kitchen. The trick is knowing how many open shelves and in what location are best suited to the way you use your kitchen, your organization style, and your tastes in home decorating.
As you can see, open shelving success in your kitchen is largely about where you place your shelves and what you put on them. Consider, for example, whether you want to add shelves to bare wall space or take out some cabinets and replace them with shelving. Remember that you want to fill the shelves with kitchen items that are both visually attractive and frequently used. Figuring out what you’re going to put on the shelves will help you decide where in the kitchen you want them. Balance this with the fact that it’s best to place the shelves where they won’t fall prey to grease and water splatters.
Bathrooms are one of the best places for glass shelves because they complement the other glass installations often used in these settings:
Glass shelving can be installed inside a shower stall, above the toilet, below the vanity mirror, in a bathroom corner, or on other bare wall space. Many bathroom items can simply be placed directly on the shelves – shampoo, conditioner, body wash, stacks of washcloths, rolls of towels, towers of toilet paper, and so on. For other smaller items like bars of soap, hair ties, bobby pins, and the like, you can line the shelf with your choice of bowls, caddies, and baskets to fill.
In a bathroom, your choice of glass style for the shelves will likely be informed by the room’s existing glass. For example, if your shower door is made of patterned glass, you might want to choose shelves made of the same or similar glass. Likewise, if other installations consist of clear glass, clear glass shelves will coordinate perfectly. At the same time, don’t be afraid to introduce a new or contrasting look by choosing a different glass style for the shelving.
Thinking beyond the main living area, there are still more ways to put glass shelves to work solving storage dilemmas while making the space more attractive. A bedroom, office, laundry room, or mud room can also benefit from them.
Bedroom: Floating wall shelves are the simple solution to bedroom clutter. Line them with shoes, use them for clothes that won’t fit in the closet or dresser, or make space to show off your favorite décor accessories. In a child’s bedroom, a glass shelf provides the perfect surface to display trophies, store stuffed animals, keep books handy, or even stash school supplies. If your child is homeschooling or doing virtual school days, having a place to keep textbooks, notebooks, pencil boxes, and so on is especially nice. Not sure where you can add shelves in a bedroom? Here are some of the possibilities:
Office: Whether you have your home office in a large room or tucked in a closet, shelves are a wonderful alternative to a cluttered desk top. Keep everything you need in sight and in reach but off your work surface. Glass shelves not only help you stay organized, but they also give your home office a nice professional feel.
Laundry Room: There are a few ways to use glass wall shelves in a laundry room depending on your family’s needs:
Mudroom: A mudroom is basically meant to be a kind of “catch-all” space, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a mess. Glass shelves can house shoes, out of season clothing, winter hats and gloves, school projects, and more.
Saggy, broken, or ugly wood shelves can be the demise of a book case, hutch, cabinet, closet, or cupboard, but glass shelves will give it new life.
You can use more glass to further transform something like a china hutch, vanity, or kitchen cupboard. Here are some examples:
Glass is one of the best materials for beautifying and transforming an old vanity, book shelf, cabinet, or kitchen cupboard.
Having glass shelves of the perfect size and style delivered and installed can be a simple and easy experience. For example, if you work with ABC Glass & Mirror of Manassas Park, VA, the procedure will look something like this.
Working with ABC Glass & Mirror means partnering with a veteran owned family business. We’ve been completing glass projects for Northern Virginia residents for nearly two decades and would love to help you beautify your home while adding glass storage shelves!
