Decorative glass is seeing significantly increased demand in the home, extending from bathrooms to kitchens and into living spaces as part of the shift to Broken-Plan design. The market for decorative glass is growing because of the creativity that glass offers architects and designers. It’s gone from a very limited application a decade ago to become a mainstay of contemporary architectural and interior design, a trend that has accelerated with the shift towards broken-plan design.
What is broken-plan design?
“Broken-plan design has been around for a little while but really accelerated during the pandemic as people looked to define spaces and establish a greater level of separation between working from home places and family space”, explains Jenni Young, Decorative Glass Product Specialist, Glassolutions.
“There was a sense that it probably wasn’t going to be much more than a passing fad but with a more fundamental shift to hybrid-working arrangements and people spending more time at home, the move to broken-plan living seems to be with us for the long term.
“You can think of it as a midway point between traditional spaces and open-plan design. Space is still meant to flow but usage is more defined. If you’re trying to achieve that balance then glass is perfect, retaining light but helping to establish specific use of space.”
How can glass be used to define broken-plan spaces?
Glass, according to Jenni, is a highly practical way of defining spaces while retaining light and a sense of openness. This include glass partitioning and internal glass dividing doors, which break up and define spaces without impacting on light and space.
“It’s the ultimate in practicality”, continues Jenni. “Internal glass partitioning and sliding doors can help to define a workspace, putting some distance between the spaces that you relax in and ‘the day job’.
“You can do that with clear glass but decorative options work even better. A textured or translucent glass puts additional distance between working and home spaces, so there’s a real opportunity to up-sell product and add value”, she argues.
New opportunities for decorative glass in 2024
Glassolutions launched a brand new textured and decorative glass offer earlier this year to help glass processors, home improvement and fit-out specialists access new opportunities while maximising margin.
“For example, we’re seeing a shift to slightly more urban, warehouse, steel-type partitioning and internal sliding door systems.
“The opportunities to elevate that installation by pairing steel-type aluminium internal glass partitioning system with a contemporary fluted glass are massive.
“It moves things to a higher value sell. You’re not spending any more time on site – you’re just making more money by upselling to a higher margin product!”
Available in toughened, laminated, back-painted lacquered, silvered and sandblasted options the new Glassolutions Textured and Translucent Glass Range also delivers additional design flexibility and applications.
This includes everything from kitchen splashbacks and shower screens to privacy glass applications in IGU manufacture.
Patterned and textured glass options
Glassolutions new textured and patterned glass range represents a reinvention of patterned glass design by Glassolutions’ parent group, Saint-Gobain.
Jenni explains: “We’ve introduced the Saint Gobain patterns to Glassolutions to bring something new and contemporary to the market to replace the more traditional patterns we’ve seen in the past.
“This includes softer patterns, for example Thela, which gives the effect of a fabric. Master-Soft delivers another soft finish with an almost quilted effect.”
The new Saint-Gobain Glass textured and translucent range:
MASTER-LIGNE®
A sophisticated glass design, MASTER-LIGNE® is functional and elegant. It gives a balanced view through a series of bright, parallel lines printed on a matt background.
FLUID
FLUID’s modern and dramatic 3D effect is inspired by wave-like structures from nature and architecture. It is a very tactile glass that suggests the motion of soft flowing water.
MASTER-CARRÉ®
MASTER-CARRÉ® has a unique, contemporary, luxurious appearance. It is characterised by the illusion of small, shiny evenly spaced squares, contrasting with a matt background.
ARENA C®
ARENA C® is a classic, patterned glass design that is visually appealing, practical and smart. This timeless glass is ideal for creating bright and private spaces.
THELA®
This stylish horizontal and vertical criss-cross design is refined and elegant. THELA® is lightly textured, unassuming and gentle on the eye.
MASTER-SOFT®
Structured by two diagonals, very finely engraved, the small 3D patterns reveal a soft appearance accentuated by a matt effect. Taking inspiration from luxury goods MASTER-SOFT® creates a softer, mellow effect.
MASTER-POINT®
Opening spaces to a halo of light, these compact dotted lines appear to shimmer. The fine texture of MASTER-POINT® creates a private space filled with diffused light.
SATINOVO MATT®
SATINOVO MATT® has a distinctive, uniformly smooth and satin-like appearance. It provides privacy without compromising light levels ideal for creating stunning interior designs.
Closing thoughts
“There’s little bit of a stigma around decorative and textured glass, largely because designs in the main have become dated and perhaps just a little bit twee”, Jenni says.
“The new exclusive Textured and Translucent Glass Range from Saint-Gobain, available through Glassolutions, has been developed to give decorative glass an altogether more urban and contemporary feel making it more flexible and aligned to interior design trends.
“That equates to new opportunities for glass process, home improvement companies and kitchen and bathroom specialists to upsell on decorative glass.”
