When the renovation is completed: the wallpaper is hung, the floor is re-laid, a new suspended ceiling is installed, all that remains is to buy furniture, curtains, rugs, etc. to get a cozy, comfortable interior, thereby completely furnishing it. But before that, first you should think about where what furniture will stand, think about where and how various details, attributes and interior accessories will be placed.
One of these accessories are glass shelves; glass in general occupies a large share in interior design: glass partitions; modern glass blocks are used in the arrangement and design; mirrors and mirror tiles are widely used today - all this is also glass. There are also many other “glass” ideas for the home.
Glass shelves in the interior
Glass shelves are a convenient and sought-after piece of furniture, allowing you to give it a special lightness and uniqueness. Thanks to their transparency, they look very elegant and do not clutter up the space. The effect of “empty space” and the absence of shelves is created, because they are transparent, weightless and light, so they are not noticeable. That is why glass shelves are simply created for small spaces in which it is undesirable to hang bulky wooden shelves.
Designs can be quite different: light or massive, have different glass thicknesses, shapes, sizes and configurations. But in any case, they will look weightless, despite their good capacity. They usually have a glass thickness of 6-12 mm and can support a weight of up to 15 kg. A smaller thickness of glass is undesirable, as it reduces the strength of the product. You can store almost any item on glass shelves: books, dishes, souvenirs, jewelry, photographs, vases, cosmetics and all kinds of small items.
Luxury items, collectibles, crystal vases and any beautiful items that you always want to keep in sight look especially good on the surface. Such shelves provide the opportunity for a comprehensive inspection, so you can examine the beauty of the item without much effort. And if you add lighting to such a shelf, then the beauty will know no bounds. This is exactly the trick that shop and boutique owners resort to.
Matting
Colored matte shelves - you can choose the color to suit your taste
A glass shelf does not have to be transparent at all - it can also be matte. Most often this effect is achieved using sandblasting. A jet of sand is passed over the glass under pressure, and it becomes dull and dark.
You can also use etching - instead of sand, acid, the effect is similar, only there are bright streaks along the surface, reminiscent of lightning.
Frosted glass can be colored in different ways and be:
- colorless - this type is not very interesting, but it fits in everywhere;
- colored - and then the color can be anything, from white to black.
The main thing to remember is that no matter how high-quality the glass is, frosting will in any case make it more fragile.
Advantages of glass shelves
A huge plus is the ease of maintenance. They are not afraid of water, so you can easily wipe them with a damp cloth.
Glass shelves are very popular due to a number of advantages.
Glass visually enlarges the space, and the wide possibilities for creating and designing unique designs allows you to bring to life the most daring design solutions.
Shelves made of glass are highly resistant to moisture and aggressive detergents and do not require complex maintenance. Using soft sponges and liquid detergents, you can easily and quickly remove dust and other dirt from the shelf;
Thanks to the peculiarities of the production technology, glass shelves have high strength indicators, so you don’t have to worry that under the weight of objects placed on them, they may crack or break;
It is noteworthy that with the help of painting, you can periodically transform the appearance of the glass shelf and change it at any time, since the paint can be easily washed off and a new one applied. Due to the specific structure of the glass, the shelves can be painted multiple times without any problems;
Glass shelves are suitable for use in interiors of a wide variety of styles. They look fashionable, stylish, fresh and not hackneyed.
In addition, glass structures fill the room with a special atmosphere of light and weightlessness.
Drawing
A shelf with a pattern - if you add lighting, it looks even more impressive
You can apply a drawing to a shelf in different ways:
- Stained glass. Perhaps the most obvious idea. Stained glass is made simply - pieces of colored glass are inserted into the frame and folded into a pattern. But pieces can fall out, and this is a big minus.
- Fusion This method is devoid of such fragility - the pieces of glass are not inserted into the frame, but are placed on a large piece of glass and baked in an oven. As a result, the color will remain bright, and the glass itself will become even stronger than before.
- Paints. Drawing with paints is also a pretty obvious idea. You can even decorate a shelf in this way with your own hands, if you are not afraid to use a brush and ruin the craft.
- Photo printing. If stained glass seems fragile to you, you don’t like fusion aesthetically, and you don’t know how to draw, you can simply print a photo you like on the shelf. The result will look great and cost very little.
- Engraving. If the drawing looked very stylish, you can engrave it on glass - it will have a beautiful shade, it will look original. The only negative is that the glass will become more fragile. The drawing itself can be made in any way. Flowers, patterns, waves, birds, butterflies, plant motifs, favorite characters for a children's room - everything that comes to mind.
The main thing is that shelves with a pattern are not suitable for bulky items. They cannot act as shelves for crystal or TV. You need to put something light on them, otherwise no pattern will be visible.
Glass shelves in different rooms
Among the wide range of shelf structures, glass products occupy a special place. They are indispensable for use in rooms with high humidity, as well as when equipping winter gardens, greenhouses, and living areas. Glass shelves will be appropriate in any room.
Hallway
In a narrow corridor, they will help to effectively organize the space without cluttering it. At the same time, you will have the necessary storage surfaces.
Bathroom
Glass shelves are simply indispensable for bathrooms, which are rarely large. They serve not only as decoration for the bathroom, but also as a storage place for all the necessary bath accessories and cosmetics. Usually the shelves are located under the mirror; you can also install corner shelves in the corners of the room that will not take up much space.
Niches
Glass shelves look very interesting in niches. Here you can place several shelves and arrange additional lighting, then the interior of the room will sparkle with new colors. If you like to grow indoor flowers, then glass shelves can be hung in the window opening.
They will comfortably accommodate flower pots, but the transparent shelves will not interfere with the penetration of sunlight into the house. You can use stained glass shelves to create a stained glass effect.
Kitchen
Overall, glass shelves can enhance any room in your home. They will help diversify the interior of the room, give it uniqueness and individuality.
Corner designs
In small rooms, corner shelves will look much better. They are built into the corner, completely occupying it, and as a result seem light, almost weightless.
They take up almost no space, but they provide no less space than rectangular ones.
They are usually installed in bathrooms and tiny kitchenettes typical of Khrushchev-era buildings.
Shelf shapes
The shelves themselves can have not only the classic rectangular shape. They can be oval, carved, curved, angular, or have a bizarre shape. Glass shelves can be transparent, matte, colored, with the effect of frost or cracks.
In small spaces, glass shelves go perfectly with mirrors on the walls. Are there glass shelves in your home?
Varieties and main characteristics
There are different options for shelves - first of all, they come in different thicknesses:
- thin, up to five millimeters, suitable exclusively for light souvenirs;
- medium, up to a centimeter, suitable for dishes and things of medium weight;
- thick, more than a centimeter, suitable for large bulky objects such as a TV or stereo system.
There are also different types of fastening:
- hanging ones are attached to the wall with chains or cables, which looks good in classic interiors, but is reliable only for thin shelves;
- fixed ones are mounted on brackets, the design of which can be quite fancy and perfectly complement the rest of the interior.
The holders can be forged or made of wood, with carvings or intricate curls, they can depict something or be a simple triangular shape.
The shelves themselves can also be of different shapes.
Glass shelves in the interior - photo
Illuminated structures
Every designer will agree that the right lighting is the best complement to any glass decorative element. Light makes glass sparkle and turns it into a real jewel. And most importantly, you don’t need any complicated equipment. Simply run the LED strip along the edge of the shelf.
It can be white, green, blue - in fact, any color. If this color matches the interior, the result will be beautiful in any case.
Living room
Glass shelves in the living room are a great place to display souvenirs.
In the hall, hanging glass shelves are needed not so much for practical purposes, but to complement the interior and show that the owners have taste.
You can put decorative plates, photographs, souvenirs, icons, books or even a TV on them - as long as they generally look good.
Visual effects
Frame sets of shelves for dishes can be an original solution for decorating a kitchen or balcony window with solid glazing. They essentially provide an obstruction to the view, but do not restrict the access to natural light. Shelves that fill niches or sections in partition or furniture walls visually expand the space or raise the ceilings, depending on the configuration of the opening.
Objects placed on open shelves attract the eye in all cases, but glass, unlike other materials, does not create a focusing frame; it also allows you to free yourself from the problem of alignment, since it demonstrates complementarity to any textures and colors.
Kitchen
In a small kitchen, glass shelves create a feeling of spaciousness, especially if the walls are painted a light color.
Kitchen glass shelves usually:
- support the TV - such a shelf in the corner, above the level of the furniture;
- support all kinds of tools and ingredients - and then serve as a replacement for wall cabinets.
It is important to remember that open shelves should not be hung right up to the ceiling, and it is also better to keep them away from the work area. Otherwise, your regular routine will include constantly cleaning them from grease and stains.
Peculiarities
The time when glass was considered the most fragile and unreliable material is long gone. Now it undergoes special pre-treatment, which makes it more durable and impact-resistant. This kind of plexiglass is used to create shelves for the bathroom.
Glass shelves are the best option for the bathroom.
The special type of this material requires special attention, which even after breaking does not have sharp corners and does not crumble into fragments and therefore will not cut your hands. This feature is very relevant in a house where there are small children.
To create shelves, they also use reinforced (reinforced with a metal mesh) and triplex (several sheets glued together) glass. The main thing here is the strength of such a product.
Glass is a material that is not afraid of high temperature and moisture, it looks light and stylish.
Mounting to a wall surface
For glass shelves, there are several types of shelf holders: special ones, as well as aluminum profiles. These glass shelf mounting options are functional and practical to use, but are installed differently.
In addition, the holder can be used for different thicknesses and sizes of glass, and the aluminum profile is used exclusively for a specific thickness.
Despite this disadvantage, there is a huge advantage. If necessary, an LED strip can be inserted into the profile for illumination and also illumination of the shelf.
Attaching holders for glass shelves is not difficult: one side is fixed to the wall surface, the second, which performs a decorative function, will subsequently hold the glass.
Do not forget that to install one shelf you will need several holders, the number of which depends on the loads and the length of the glass.
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