5 Tips for Decorating Your Home With Glass Shelves

Glass shelves are a great way to add more storage space in your home without sacrificing the open feel of a room. If you plan to add glass shelves to your home, you may be looking for ways to get the most out of your new interior upgrade. Discover five tips for decorating your home with glass shelves.

1. Consider Tempered Glass

Glass shelves are naturally more fragile than shelves of other materials. Since you will likely want to get several years of use out of your shelves, choose the most durable type of glass possible. For this, tempered glass is the answer.

Tempered glass shelves are several times stronger than annealed glass shelves. This is important for shelves because it improves their load-bearing capacity so you can place heavier items on the shelf without concern. Tempered glass is also shatter-resistant, which helps to keep your family safe if a shelf falls from its bracket.

2. Choose Your Shelf Edge Type

The edgework on your glass shelves can have an impact on their strength. When glass is cut, microscopic chips may around the edges of each pane. These chips are weak points where cracks can develop when the glass is under load. Sanding and polishing the edges of a pane of glass eliminates these chips so that the pane is much stronger.

The most common edge types you will find in glass shelves are flat polished and pencil polished. Shelves with flat-polished edges have a clean, industrial look well-suited for kitchen shelves. Pencil-polished edges are rounded and grooved, which gives them a more premium look that many homeowners find attractive in bathrooms and living areas.

3. Use Complimentary Materials

Glass shelves are popular because they are functional and understated in appearance, so you may not get the results you want if you install shelves with ornate brackets and frames. Complimentary materials like wood and metal are great choices because they are neutral in color and do not draw the eye away from the decorations on the shelf.

4. Decorate Consistently

The contents of a glass shelf play an essential part in giving it its character. Any items that you place near each other on glass shelves should be consistent in size, color, theme, and spacing so that the shelf continues to look organized and clean. Potted plants, books, dinnerware, and family photos are a few items that will look great on glass shelves.

5. Take Advantage of Lighting

The right lighting solution for your glass shelves can make it feel like they do not take up any space at all. Rooms with large windows are a great place to install glass shelves so that natural light can highlight your decorations. Light can hit the items on glass shelves from all angles, so consider under lighting your shelves by placing them above lamps or other light fixtures.

LED lights are another popular option for illuminating glass shelves. LED lights are available in strips that simply adhere to the underside of the shelf. LEDs create soft, ambient light while using very little energy, and they are available in any color to compliment the items on the shelf.

Glass shelves can transform any interior, and with a little time and research, you can create a design that is unique to your home. When you want to upgrade your interior with glass shelves, let the glass pros at Concord & Antioch Glass, Inc. , help you create a design that you will be happy with for years to come. We look forward to helping you achieve the perfect glass shelves you want for your home.