Bars and restaurants have been using glass to create the illusion of space for a long time—and there's no reason why similar techniques can't be applied to home design and decor! If you are trying to open up a room and make it seem spacious and airy, then consider using transparent, mirrored and frosted glass; each one has properties that can bring out different effects in your home.

Transparent Glass: Dividing and Opening Space

Dividing a room with a wall of glass on its own would be a strange design, but glass works very well as a part of dividers. The simplest example of this is in doors with large glass windows (or even doors made primarily of glass).

On the exterior of a home, this sort of design is generally used on the side or back of the house, where the view is likely to be best. Rooms with a large opening to the outside, like a dining room with a sliding glass door to the back yard, are immediately more spacious – that outside view is, to the brain, almost like part of the room itself.

For interior dividers, consider glass as the top portion of low- and half-walls. The non-glass portion of the wall makes the definition between areas clear —between a living room and an open studio, for instance—while the glass allows the spaces to merge visually into a larger area.

Furniture with glass tops is also very useful in opening up a space. A table with a glass top seems lighter and, visually, seems to take up less space than a heavy wooden table; using glass-top furniture adds spaciousness by reducing the visual footprint of the furniture.

Mirrored Glass: Expanding Space

A large mirror on a wall causes a room to appear to extend further than it actually does. While an entire wall-sized mirror might be too much for some homes (and can make it difficult to arrange furniture), the most important thing is width. A wide mirror along a wall, at or above eye level, causes a similar expansion of the space while still allowing furniture to be placed along the wall—the taller the mirror, the more the space is expanded.

Mirrors are also excellent choices as replacements where windows are impossible—and, unlike windows, they won't lead to heat loss. An interior wall (or an exterior wall where a window would open onto a poor view) is a good place for a decorative mirror; consider an asymmetrical shape or a wide, interesting frame to make the mirror a focal point beyond what is reflected in it.

Frosted Glass: Dividing and Brightening Space

Frosted glass is useful in many of the same areas as transparent glass, with the added bonus of more decorative options and more privacy. Shower doors made from frosted glass, for instance, allow some light while still cutting off that private space.

One place where frosted glass outperforms transparent glass, however, is in wall treatments. While it's common to see tub and shower enclosures in frosted glass, it also works well in kitchen and bathroom walls; the light reflecting off the glass brightens the whole room. And rather than use frosted glass exclusively, consider using a single row of tiles or scattering the tiles across a wall, creating sparks of light that add real interest to the wall.

Whether you are making a big change or just looking at purchasing a few decorative pieces, don't overlook glass when it comes to your next home makeover. For more information, contact European Glass & Paint Co Ltd.