Decorative Glass Styles
By: Architectural Visions
In any home renovation, a homeowner should think about the aesthetic they want each element to convey in the house. Do they want something simplistic and subdued, modern and sleek, ornate and flashy? Simultaneously, as with all window and door installations or replacements, one must also consider how they can balance style with the operational function of the window or door.
A key element to adding a certain panache to any home but maintaining a specific function is the inclusion of decorative glass in your windows and doors. Certainly, by adding a distinct type and style of decorative glass to a door or window will evoke a definitive style of a room or even a whole household. Any homeowner thinking about adding decorative glass will need to consider the aesthetic they are trying to achieve in a certain space, room, and the overall style of their home. Furthermore, they’ll also need to consider how the decorative glass should function in the space it is included.
Key Takeaways:
- AVI Windows & Doors offers a variety of decorative glass including frosted, rain, grooved, and beveled glass
- Frosted glass obscures visibility while allowing light to pass through it, making it one of the most popular types of decorative glass
- Glue chip glass and frosted glass both work well in victorian homes while rain glass and grooved glass match modern and contemporary styles
- Beveled glass is angled and creates a prism, resulting in a rainbow of colors
At AVI, we are here to help guide you through the different types of decorative glass we offer for your doors and windows, help explain their benefits beyond the aesthetic, and help you determine whether the inclusion of decorative glass fits a certain room or furthermore the overall style of your household. Here is a walkthrough of a spectrum of decorative glass we offer at AVI:
What is Decorative Glass?
At face value, decorative glass is what it entails: glass that has decorative elements. As we’ll see in this article, decorative glass can also offer other benefits, such as privacy and energy efficiency.
Types of Decorative Glass
AVI offers an impressive range of styles of decorative glass that can offer a various range of styles and functions to match your home renovation needs.
Frosted Glass
This type of glass is arguably the most widely used type of decorative glass. Frosted glass is made by taking a clear piece of glass and turning it opaque through the process of acid etching, sandblasting, or abrasives and engraving. As light passes through the glass, it is scattered and comes out translucent, obscuring object visibility while allowing light to enter.
Frosted glass is a vestige of Victorian style, as the process of acid etching or French embossing became a popular component. This process allows one to decorate windows and doors with delicate hues of white and other diffused shades.
The translucent nature of frosted glass also adds the obvious benefit of privacy. Because light is still permitted, however, the need for artificial light is reduced. There is also a wide variety of colors and designs available in frosted glass. Furthermore, frosted glass is easily cleaned and maintained with high resistance to scratching. Lastly, because the translucent surface of the glass reduces glare, frosted glass creates a pleasant and comforting environment.
Frosted glass works well in any space where you want to have privacy: bedrooms, showers, garage doors, an office space or home library are all spaces where you might want to maintain your privacy.
As the Victorians invented it, frosted decorative glass obviously will go well in a Victorian home. Frosted glass doesn’t have to be overly ornate, however, and can fit in a more subdued Modern or Contemporary household.
Glue Chip Glass
This popular decorative glass style appears like frost during the winter or a fern like pattern on a windowpane. Glue Chip is created by applying hot animal glue to a sandblasted surface of clear float glass. As the glass dries, the glue shrinks and cools, removing flakes of glass from its surface.
Glue Chip adds an elegance to a room, and its special elements provide that every design is different, creating a sense of uniqueness in each piece of glass in a window or door. You might find this decorative style works best in an ornate front door, in a dining room, or as the background in windows and cabinets. It is especially striking when paired with bevels.
The nature of glue chip is ornate, so this decorative glass style might assimilate better in a more intricate style such as Victorian or Gothic rather than a more subtle style such as Modern or Contemporary.
Rain Glass
The term rain glass conveys exactly what you’d think, glass that appears as if rain is perpetually trickling down it. Because it conveys a sense of rain it certainly adds a soothing, dreamlike quality to any space in a house.
Along with the calming aesthetic appeal of the design, though, rain glass has a definite practical benefit. Just as rain on a window seal obscures visibility, rain glass provides a bit of privacy from the outside world. This effect can be used inside and outside the home of course.
Rain glass is very dynamic in its use across the house, from the front door to the bedroom to the bathroom, even to your kitchen cabinets. The textured grain of the glass makes it a perfect complement to the natural, grounded hues and shapes of Modern and Contemporary styles.
Grooved Glass
This decorative style provides a touch of elegance without impairing your view. This type of glass is made through a distinct engraving technique.
The symmetrical aesthetic of grooved windows lends itself perfectly to adding to the appeal of a view through a bay or bow style window, or add a distinguished, proper element to a front or patio door.
While refined, the symmetrical nature allows you to consider grooved glass not just for a more Victorian or classic style, but also it can appeal to the bold, straight lines associated with modern and contemporary homes.
Beveled Glass
Beveled glass is glass that has been beveled, or provided an angled edge resulting in a prism. This prism changes the way light refracts as it passes through the glass, creating a rainbow of colors and splitting light into interesting patterns. These results add to more dynamic lightning in a room.
Beveled glass is made by taking thick glass and cutting it at an angle along the peripheries. The original practical purpose was to prevent people from cutting their hands-on plate glass, but today the edges are polished to prevent such dangers. Therefore, beveled glass’ main function is mostly aesthetic. However, the refraction of light provides for a bit of privacy, making it great for a front door where blinds or curtains aren’t practical. Pretty much any space in the household where you want to create a sense of privacy you can utilize beveled glass. Similarly, if you just want to obscure a less than spectacular apartment view, you can obscure with a beveled window while still letting in light. Because of the glass’ inherent thickness, it also serves well in a coffee table, providing support for heavier objects.
AVI Has Your Decorative Glass Styles
Whatever decorative style glass you think you need to use in your next home renovation, AVI has got you covered. We have the expertise and know how to help you choose the right type of glass for your next window or door installation or replacement.
Get in touch with us now by phone, online, or in person at one of our Southeast locations today!
Interested in learning about other glass types?