“Unusual” Glass for Home Interiors – A Brief Guide

Having looked at options for glass recently it appeared that clear or frosted were my only options. No, I’m not happy about that, I’ve seen interesting glass and it was being produced decades ago so where do I get it from and what exciting effects can be achieved.

Textured & Tinted Glass
Of course you want to see out of your windows most of the time but what about when you don’t? The trouble with “unusual” glass, I found out is that it’s not suitable for exterior and double-glazed apertures – well that’s what I’ve been told by several door and window companies, but I’ve done five minutes of research to find out that this isn’t true as patterned and coloured glass is available  as Toughened or Laminated for safety and security.
So I intend to use it in future projects for doors windows of course but also in wardrobes, kitchen cupboards, sliding doors, room dividers, furniture....
 
Glass for building
Possibly my love for Miami Vice has made me easily excitable when I see neon or glass bricks and I want to see the latter made fashionable in interior design again. There are some great companies who not only make textures but colours and light up versions too, meaning that they can be used for  decorative peepholes, room dividers or entire walls and if it’s good enough for Hermès…

Glass bricks are still affordable and with a little imagination can be used to create a unique architectural detail in your home. Pay a little more however and you can get what Chanel recently used to create the ‘Crystal House’ store in Amsterdam - I bet Hermès are gutted.
 
Glass offers exciting possibilities as a design element in a wide range of applications as a decorative interior design feature as well as a functional and structural building material so let's get some
 
Some Useful Websites for "unusual" Glass
http://www.pilkington.com/en-gb/uk/products/product-categories/decoration/pilkington-texture-glass#benefits
http://uk.saint-gobain-glass.com
http://glassblocks.co.uk
http://www.rossodotto.com