From shower doors to shelves, your home needs more glass. Adding glass fixtures to your home enhances not only it’s charm but often its convenience and functionality as well. What’s more, glass has a place throughout your living area, not just in the spaces where it is most commonly used, such as the shower.
For starters, let’s look at a glass product that can be utilized just about anywhere in a home: glass shelving. This shelving can be custom cut to many different lengths and widths, and glass styles include clear, acid-etched or frosted, and patterned. Additionally, depending on the specific application and any safety concerns that may be present, a homeowner can opt for annealed, tempered, or laminated glass to be used.
The glass shelves you select will likely serve a double function in your living space. On a visual level, the shelves bring clean lines and the unique beauty of glass to your wall space, along with the aesthetic qualities of the brackets or supports you select. Thus, on one level the shelves function as attractive wall hangings.
However, they are more than that. A glass shelf can also be the surface on which you display artwork, collectibles, or other décor accents. They allow you to integrate such items into a room’s design without the risk of cluttering highly used surfaces such as a coffee table.
Even more significantly for many homeowners is the fact that glass shelves give a room more storage options. Open shelving can be filled with:
In addition, glass shelves can be utilized inside cabinets and cupboards. For example, suppose you replace some of your kitchen cupboard door fronts with clear cabinet glass. You’ll now want the interior of the cupboards to look nice as well. A big step in this direction is replacing the existing particle board shelves, which may be sagging, with pristine glass shelves.
Other fixtures and pieces of furniture that can be improved with glass shelving include:
Glass shelves are appealing in these situations because they allow you update, rather than replace, a fixture. You don’t have to worry about glass shelves sagging or becoming warped. Finally, if you choose clear glass, you will have a smooth surface that is easy to sanitize.
It’s time to take a closer look at the cabinet glass mentioned above. This glass product can significantly transform cupboards or a piece of furniture in your home. It allows a homeowner to more quickly and conveniently update a space. For instance, instead of having kitchen cabinets torn out and replaced, you can have the door fronts replaced with cabinet glass for a fresh look.
Three of the most popular glass styles for cabinet inserts are clear, frosted (acid-etched), and patterned. Clear has the advantage of being smooth and thus easier to clean. It is recommended for cupboards that house items you’d like to display such as neat stacks of dishes, a set of china, or glassware. Transparent cupboard door fronts can give a kitchen a sense of openness and even make it seem a bit roomier.
What about the cupboards that contain less aesthetically appealing items such as canned goods or plastic containers? Frosted glass and patterned glass obscure the view of whatever is behind the glass. These glass choices allow you to improve your cupboard doors with glass while removing the strict necessity of making sure that everything behind the glass looks great.
Cabinet glass is not just for the kitchen, though. This versatile product can also be utilized to improve bathroom vanities, china hutches, wall units, and the like. Depending on the glass style you choose, using glass inserts on cabinet door fronts can modernize your décor or can preserve and enhance a vintage look.
Glass has still more to offer your home’s kitchen and bathrooms. Back-painted glass backsplashes may be less well known than glass shelves and cabinet glass, but they are beautiful and versatile. Fashioned from ultra-clear glass with a layer of paint applied to the back, these backsplashes meld the charm of glass with the color of your choice.
Available in stock colors as well as custom tones, glass backsplashes are often seamless or nearly seamless for a sleek look that bespeaks modern elegance. However, a customer can also opt to use small tile-like pieces of back-painted glass in one or more colors for an alternative look.
Glass backsplashes are suitable for both kitchen and bathroom use. Their appealing features include being easy to sanitize and being free of the grout lines found on tile backsplashes. Adding a back-painted glass backsplash to a room is an effective way to modernize the space and give it a fresh look.
A glass table top can be a sheet of annealed glass that serves as a protective and/or decorative covering for an existing table, or it can be a sheet of tempered glass that functions as a table top in its own right.
An extensive range of variations exist in the realm of glass table tops. For starters, they can be clear, ultra-clear, patterned, acid-etched, or tinted. The look you choose depends on what style you seek, what the table will be used for, and whether you are protecting a beautiful table top, seeking to improve a problematic table top, or using glass as the sole table top.
The thickness of the glass table top is another variable. 1/4” is the most common thickness, but you can also request:
Finally, the edge of the glass can also be tailored to your preferences. In addition to custom edges, you can choose from polished, pencil, or beveled edges.
There are a number of reasons a home decorator might wish to cover one or more existing table tops with glass. These include:
If, however, you are seeking a brand new look in tables, consider creating a table with a glass top. The glass can rest atop a support system or pedestal made of metal, wood, or another suitable substance. When you select clear glass for this application, the table is defined by contemporary elegance and does not seem to fill much space, thereby making the room feel larger and more open.
Could your dining room be made more charming with a table like this? Or what about coffee tables and end tables with transparent tops in your living room? Small glass tabletops can even be used to create night stands, a modern desk, or a decorative table for your entry way. Glass table tops are a frequently overlooked option for improving a home with glass, so don’t miss out on what they can offer your space.
A delightful way to use glass in your home is by using framed mirrors as wall décor. A framed mirror, like a glass shelf, can serve multiple purposes at once in your living space. Ideal places to hang a framed mirror include:
Consider a framed mirror in your entryway. It will serve a functional purpose as you use it to check your appearance on the way out the door. At the same time, the frame and the mirror glass itself bring beauty to the wall on which it hangs. Finally, its reflective qualities mean that the mirror can brighten and visually expand the space.
A framed mirror is a suitable addition to just about any room in your house. Mirror glass matches any décor, and there are plenty of frame styles from which to choose. If you have a stock sized mirror already hanging on your walls, you probably have the option of selecting a frame and having it added to the mirror without ever taking it down. Thus, framed mirrors represent an easy and relatively inexpensive way to boost your home’s visual appeal by putting glass to work for you.
A framed mirror can certainly bring fresh beauty to a wall. However, a wall mirror can transform an entire room! Covering a wall or much of a wall with mirror glass impacts the room in a number of positive ways.
For one thing, the wall becomes an accent wall, in a sense: different from the other walls yet coordinating with them flawlessly. In this way, the reflective glass itself serves as a simple yet beautiful adornment for your living area.
Next, a wall mirror makes a room appear twice as spacious as it truly is. The wall mirror, in a visual sense, stops the wall from being a barrier that delineates the room’s boundaries. Instead, that wall seems to disappear and the room appears to extend beyond its true border. This makes a wall mirror the perfect solution for a charming living room, dining room, or family that is smaller than desired.
Last, a wall mirror can be utilized to highlight and accentuate a room’s best features. Alternatively, in a decorating faux pas, it could end up emphasizing your least favorite part of the space. With these considerations in mind, choose the location of your wall mirror carefully, paying close attention to what will be opposite it. You may wish to have the wall mirror hung across from:
Including vanity mirrors in the bathrooms is a given, so this is not really extra glass in your home. However, you can maximize the beauty of these fixtures by carefully selecting the ideal mirror for each bathroom based on its décor and usage.
When you work with a custom glass shop such as ABC Glass and Mirror, Inc., your choices in vanity mirrors include great options like:
In the master bathroom it’s important to have enough vanity mirror space for both you and your spouse to conveniently use it simultaneously. This can take the form of one large mirror, or you can opt for an alternate look by having two separate mirrors installed. These mirrors can match, or mirrors with different but harmonious shapes or frames can be hung. Two mirrors look especially nice if your vanity has double sinks. A beautiful mirror or set of mirrors is vital to creating the relaxing and appealing ambiance desired in a master bath.
When it comes to a kids’ bathroom, functionality often takes center stage. A large polished edge mirror might be the ideal vanity mirror option. A fixture like this is simple yet attractive and easy to clean. You want the mirror to be as large as possible if multiple children share the bathroom. Are there outlets or light switches in the way? No worries. Custom cut-outs can be added to accommodate existing fixtures.
The powder room is often home to a pedestal sink or a small sink on a relatively narrow vanity. Framed or beveled edge oval mirrors complement these fixtures. However, you can also change things up with a diamond or tear-drop shaped vanity mirror.
Don’t forget about the guest bathroom. Hanging a large framed vanity mirror over the sink in the guest bathroom can bring a touch of opulence to the space and make your guests feel pampered. Add a few more thoughtful touches like a bouquet of flowers on the vanity counter and a basket full of soaps and other toiletries.
Finally, consider adding glass showers to bathrooms that don’t yet have them and/or upgrading your existing doors. In 2017 many options exist for glass showers that are visually impressive and highly functional. Let’s examine some of the possibilities that await your discovery.
Swinging shower doors are a wonderful way to dress up a bathroom. Make sure there is enough free space around the shower enclosure for the doors to open conveniently and then enjoy beautifying the space with these classy doors. Available in frameless, semi-frameless, and framed styles, swinging shower doors can be further customized by your choice of glass style and thickness as well as handle style and finish.
If you desire a space-friendly option or prefer a gliding door, traditional bypass shower doors await your consideration. With this type of unit you’ll enjoy two door panels that operate in parallel metal tracks. Bypass enclosures are typically semi-frameless, which means that there are thin strips of aluminum surrounding the enclosure as a whole while the door pieces themselves remain free of framing.
In an effort to combine a more frameless look with the space-saving convenience of a sliding door, shower door manufacturers have also created frameless sliders. These units are characterized by a single door that glides along a rod or other apparatus. These doors are installed in line with a fixed panel of glass, and a 90 degree return can be included to finish off the enclosure.
Along with variations in door function and framing, custom shower doors are also distinguished by an array of glass and hardware options. The main categories of glass styles are clear, ultra-clear, acid-etched (frosted), tinted, and cast. Shower hardware such as handles and hinges is offered in many styles and both metallic and paint finishes.
Bringing glass to a bathroom via a shower door or enclosure can impact the space in many ways.
Learn more about these and other ways to beautify your home with glass by browsing the ABC website and calling us at 703-257-7150 to schedule a free in-home consultation and estimate!
