Glass, a versatile material, offers unlimited potential to transform a living space, making it more useful and beautiful. Technological advances have expanded these possibilities even further. Glazing is not only a practical part of architecture and construction, but it also plays a significant role in interior design.
At Oak City Glass, a Clayton, NC, company that specializes in custom glass and shower door installation, the professional team of glaziers are skilled artisans who cut, install and remove glass. Glaziers often work with windows, doors, shower doors, mirrors, tabletops, skylights, ceilings, storefronts, display cases, facades, and interior walls.
To understand the benefits that glass offers, the professional interior designer or the homeowner seeking to upgrade their home must acquire a basic appreciation for the art and skill of glazing in structural design. The best designers understand the importance of working with architectural glass installers. Oak City Glass highlights some of the benefits of incorporating glass into an interior design.
Invite the outside in
While interior design focuses on the interior environment of a space or structure, this does not mean that designers must limit themselves to aesthetics that are only drawn from the industrial, the modern, or the architectural. One of the great advantages of glass over wood or brick in interior design is that glass makes it possible to invite the outside world into the living space, be it a kitchen, sunroom, or great room.
“Inviting the outside world in” gets used frequently in architecture and design discussions, sometimes without much thought. It does not necessarily offer any insight as to what is intended by the designer or homeowner who wants to use glass to give a home a brighter, more open atmosphere. Glass enables interior designs to draw upon the outside world as a visual stimulus. Designers use glass to create a seamless link between the interior of the room or home and the external world.
Provide additional visual real estate
Given the tendency toward minimalism, glazing can give interior designers additional visual real estate with which to work. Designers need not focus as much on creating the illusion of roominess when they work with a space that has an aesthetic flow between the indoors and the outdoors. A small room with lots of glass instantly becomes a room as big as the great outdoors. The glass walls or windows of the room become living, flowing, swaying murals that compete with any painted masterpiece or vibrant wall tapestry. What is the price of fine art? When the canvas is a large, bay window or a glass-enclosed porch, the world’s finest art, the great outdoors, becomes affordable.
Draw from nature
Another one of glass’ benefits is its ability to connect with the outdoors, allowing the interior designer or homeowner to draw from nature. While it is not necessary to make the use of wood or stone a part of a design plan that seeks to link to nature, a large glazed installation such as a bay window or a glass wall can become a visual focal point that unifies the interior.
By offering a view of something like a water feature, a butterfly garden, a treescape, or another natural element in an outdoor setting, glass can enhance designs that draw from nature by granting a view of the landscapes that inspired the design. This same principle also applies to urban environments. Views of everything from the tall buildings of downtown Raleigh to well-landscaped townhouses can be used to harmonize a modern interior aesthetic.
Shift focus from inside to outside
Glass has more than the ability to bring the outdoors inside; it enables designers to shift the focus from the interior to the exterior. There are many different options available, and technology allows for more innovative and practical solutions than ever. Listing a few of the most popular glass options that bring something unique to interior design may help generate design ideas that are truly outside the box. These options include:
- Glass doors
- Glass windows
- Glass walls
- Skylights/glass roofs
Conclusion
Glass is the clear solution for designers and homeowners who want to bring the outside in, expand the horizons of their design capabilities, and exceed the limitations of their living space.
For more information about the benefits of glass for interior design, visit the Oak City Glass website at oakcityglass.com. Contact the team by phone at (919) 710-8662.