By Mari Sciarappa
Implementing a single piece of glass into your home can have a beautiful effect – but utilising glass throughout the home is one of the most chic, modern and beautiful decoration avenues one can take these days.
Using glass in the home is no longer just about windows and doors. In fact, the sheer variety of applications would astound you. These applications tend to mirror a contemporary form of decor and design that is less about functionality and more about aesthetics – but is difficult to resist. A glass house, sparkling and shimmering with a translucent beauty, is always a jaw-dropping one.
Examples of glass applications in the home, according to Trevor Sager from Glass Benders, include frameless balustrades and showers, curved glass walls and furniture, glass floors and walk-on skylights, glass pool rims and inserts, slumped (textured) glass including antiques, basins, splashbacks, cladding, decorative glass, accent pieces, water features, cabinet doors, light fittings and ceiling panels.
Justin Marsh from Cohesion Interiors – a decorative and colour glass solution specialist – adds to this, saying that wardrobe and cabinet doors, kitchen and shower splashbacks and divider screens should be added to the list of glass applications for the home. The applications, however, are not limited to these. If the imagination can conceive it, then the decor and design experts of South Africa will make it a reality. Houses made solely from glass are not actually that common in South Africa when compared to overseas markets, but the trend is definitely emerging. Nico van der Meulen, of Nico van der Meulen Architects, believes that glass helps create a modern structure. “The whole modernist movement hinges upon the use of huge sheets of glass which became freely available during the early part of the 20th century,” he notes.
One of the most salient features of glass in architecture is the fact that use of this material blurs the boundaries between the indoors and outdoors – creating a sinuous and fluid lifestyle instead of one with walls that divide and separate.
The first and most important function of glass, Nico believes, is the transparency and light benefits. Adding glass to the home can open up the space infinitely, allowing for a seamless flow of light into the home.
“Glass, because of its transparency, can either be used to minimise the impact of an item on the space in which it is placed, or it can contribute to texture, colour or depth,” explains Trevor.
Mandy Lancellas of Glass Art adds that decorative glass attaches a personal touch to a home and can be used to create a unique finish. A custom design can always be incorporated into functional glass art items such as mirrors, shower doors and even table tops.
That said, because glass is such a volatile material to use when building or decorating, longevity needs to be taken into account. According to Mandy, a new technology is now available whereby the sandblasted surface of the glass can be “sealed off” to prevent finger marks and build up of other substances, thereby reducing maintenance. While glass is indeed beautiful, people often have doubts about using it, due to security reasons. However experts from PG Glass advise using products such as Intruderprufe, which is specifically designed to keep intruders at bay while not detracting from the aesthetic appeal of the room. PG Glass has also noticed a new trend, which allows people using glass in their homes to create a more bespoke item – you can now take your favourite picture or image and have it printed on the glass as a truly beautiful and unique way to adorn your walls.
Steel Studio’s Sandra Blackbeard observes a trend towards using glass in balustrading on balconies and staircases for transparency and uninterrupted views, particularly in coastal homes. “In the balustrading business,” she explains, “glass no longer has to feature in only one use for balustrades, but can now form part of the aesthetic and structural design”. But this is not all: the actual staircase itself can now be completely made of glass, creating a wonderful, almost “floating” effect.
Skylights and chandeliers made from glass are also becoming increasingly more common in modern, contemporary homes. The skylight, which adds a further sense of light and space, completely opens up the room.
Chandeliers, if well chosen and expertly crafted, create not only a modern aspect, but also retain a sense of elegance and traditional decor within a contemporary context.
However you choose to use it, glass throughout the home is a magnificent way to open up the space, create a chic home and blur the lines that divide.
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