Glass furniture: features of use in the interior

Thanks to its high operational and aesthetic performance, glass furniture is increasingly used not only in residential buildings, but also in commercial establishments. However, the use of furniture from glass in the interior is associated with a number of features, largely due to the type of glass used in the production process and the methods of its subsequent processing. Given these and other subtleties, you can minimize all the shortcomings of glass furniture and laconically fit it into any design of the room.

Types of glass for furniture production

Not so long ago, glass was used only for the manufacture of various kinds of shelves, kitchen facades and other elementsof the interior.

Today, glass, coffee, dining, computer and office tables, cabinets, shelves, equipment racks, shelving, chairs, carrying a certain load in the process of their application, are made of glass. In this case, glass can act as the only material in the manufacture of furniture, and be combined with metal, wood, plastic, leather. Depending on the purpose of this or that piece of furniture or its component elements, a certain type of glass is used.

In most cases, the following types of glass are used to create glass furniture:

• stalinite is a tempered glass with high strength, resistance to sharp temperature changes, and also to mechanical stress. When broken, the Stalinite breaks up into secure fragments with blunt edges that exclude the possibility of an accidental cut. However, upon completion of the heat treatment, the tempered glass can not be cut, drilled or polished. The cost of stalinite relative to other types of glass remains the highest;

• triplex - is characterized by a multilayer structure comprising two or more glasses with a plastic film between them. When heated, the layers obtained are compressed to form a monolithic material. Along with the usual, the decorative triplex spread widely, between the glasses of which there is colored film, textured fabric, photography and other pictorial elements. With a strong impact, the triplex breaks down into many fine fragments, which are retained by the intermediate layer in the form of a film, cloth, etc. The performance characteristics of the triplex are only slightly inferior to those of stalinite, as evidenced by the rather reasonable cost. In addition, the triplex has a high sound-absorbing quality and can be easily processed in terms of drilling, polishing, cutting and other operations that are not possible when working with tempered glass;

• float glass has good strength characteristics, as well as minimal optical defects and distortions. The ideally smooth surface of float glass helps to apply a special film or coating to give it additional advantages. At the same time resistance to temperature fluctuations and force effects in float glass is low, as a result of which it is used for manufacturing racks, shelves, furniture facades;

• is corrugated - it is distinguished by the presence of a relief pattern on one side of the glass, as a result of which the light transmission capacity depends entirely on the color solution and the nature of the pattern. Corrugated glass has an average degree of strength, and its damage causes the occurrence of traumatic fragments, so it is more used to create furniture facades.

Thus, most of the furniture is made from a tempered glass or a triplex. In this corrugated or float-glass often act as a variety of decorative inserts, furniture facades and other components of the product. However, the glass acquires aesthetic and some operational qualities in the course of additional operations.

Glass processing methods

The effectiveness of glass furniture depends largely on the way the original and additional material is processed. In addition to cutting, drilling, polishing, hardening, the glass is subjected to the following operations:

• sand blasting, so that any precision of the drawing appears on the glass or the matte surface of the entire surface is rendered;

• lamination, during which the glass acquires the necessary shade due to the coating with a special film. Often, for such purposes, a film with a pattern is used, giving the finished product some kind of originality or sophistication;

• laser engraving, which allows you to reproduce the smallest details of any image, adjust the contrast of the image, as well as the depth of engraving;

• molting, by which glass is given the required bend radius. Molated( curved) glass has a shiny surface and is often used for the manufacture of furniture facades;

• ultraviolet gluing - used to connect individual elements into a single product, giving the compounds a high strength and resistance to external influences of the medium;

• application of ultraviolet printing - allows you to get any image or photo in color format on both smooth and embossed surfaces.

The edges of the glass pieces of furniture are also processed, resulting in their straightness, figure or facet.

Thus, a variety of methods for the production of glass and its subsequent processing allow the creation of glass products in a refined and at the same time original design, which opens wide prospects for design solutions, and expands the boundaries of the use of glass furniture in interiors of different styles.

Advantages / Disadvantages of

Glass Furniture Despite its attractive design and a wide variety of models made from different types of glass, furniture objects have quite similar positive and negative sides that are revealed only during operation.

Among the most significant advantages inherent in glass furniture are:

• a diverse range of models, differing in color, shape and size;
• unchanged appearance throughout the life of the product, as the furniture does not fade and can not be deformed;
• compatibility of glass with many finishing, as well as building materials;
• water resistance, which prevents the formation of various kinds of mold and fungi;
• environmental friendliness;
• transparency and reflective material qualities make the room lighter and more comfortable;
• simplicity of maintenance during operation.

In addition, glass furniture contributes to the visual expansion of the surrounding space due to the lightness and transparency of the material.

Among the main disadvantages is the following:

• promotes the viewing of unnecessary details( for example, through the transparent tabletop, the legs of people sitting at the table are viewed or a mess in a glass cabinet);
• the need for daily care, as fingerprints and settling dust particles remain on the surface;
• possible formation of scratches that are not subject to polishing and varnishing;
• a strong crash when metal objects fall onto the surface;
• the large weight of the finished structures leaves, when the furniture is moved to a new place, dents on the floor covering;
• high cost of furniture, depending on the complexity of the technological process of manufacturing glass, its subsequent processing, the thickness of glass and intricate decor.

Thus, despite the tempting characteristics and appearance of glass furniture, a photo of which is presented in considerable numbers on the pages of the catalog of any furniture store, when decorating an interior it is necessary to avoid its excessive accumulation in one room so that the interior is not too cold.

Features of the use of glass furniture in the interior

The unique compatibility of glass with various types of materials allows you to choose furniture for any style of the room. So, the frame or framing of furniture, made of wood, more in line with the classical interior design.

At the same time, chrome and aluminum furniture parts in combination with glass correspond to high-tech style.

Glass furniture with artistic forging elements will perfectly fit into the style of Provence or country.

Despite the style of this or that interior, the use of furniture from glass is associated with some features, largely depending on the purpose of a particular piece of furniture and the location of its placement.

Glass furniture in the hallway

Thanks to the visual increase in space, a glass cabinet, shelf or table with straight, clear lines will be ideal for a small and narrow hallway.

For a spacious hallway it is worth looking for furniture of more complex design and shape.

Glass furniture in the kitchen

The dining room is the main place among the glass kitchen furniture. The glass table gets the most actuality in the kitchen of small sizes, because even a large table will not seem so cumbersome because of the transparency of the material.

Looks great table, the legs of which are made of the same material as the frame of chairs.

The table, which has a table in the form of a shelf and has a matte surface, allows you to hide from the eyes of the lower body of dining people.

Minimize the lack of ringing cutlery will help spread out on the table napkins or special supports.

Glass furniture in the living room

Glass furniture for the living room is represented by a wide range of coffee tables intended for the placement of flowers, household appliances, laptops, newspapers and other interior items.

Quite often in the living room set cabinets, cabinets of glass. However, the contents of these pieces of furniture will not hide from the sight of strangers, so you need to keep an eye on the order constantly. In this case, a better place for storing collectible items or books is simply not found.

A new trend of modern technology is a chair entirely made of glass. Such a piece of furniture will definitely become the main highlight of any living room.

Glass furniture in the bedroom

To add a touch of romance and privacy, glass cupboards at the head of the bed will help along with a small coffee table of a quaint shape made of tinted glass. The sliding wardrobe made of glass with a matte surface will hide the inevitability of the appearance of fingerprints and visually make the room more spacious and lighter.

Glass furniture in the bathroom

As a rule, the bathroom is not distinguished by a large area, and the curbstones and wood cabinets create a clutter effect of an already small space. In addition, the tree under conditions of high humidity swells with time, losing its initially attractive appearance and becoming a place for the propagation of harmful microorganisms. To avoid these shortcomings will allow furniture glass for the bathroom in the form of a bedside table under a sink or a cabinet that will give the interior ease and elegance. At the same time minimizing the evident traces of water spray, as well as a small mess is capable of furniture made of frosted or corrugated glass.

Thus, interior decoration with furniture made entirely or partially from glass, requires a thoughtful stylistic solution, because incorrectly selected parts can easily distort the geometry of the room or reduce the aesthetic impact of furniture.