Contenido patrocinado
Clear Appeal: How to Open Up Your Spaces With Glass
Connect rooms, showcase vistas, maximize light and more with this versatile choice
Contenido patrocinado
There’s something beguiling about glass. It conjures images of sleek, modern luxury, a flood of natural light and clear sightlines. As much at home on a deck looking out to sea as on a sculptural interior staircase, this material can open up a whole new world of home design — one that’s bright, airy and au courant. Read on for ways to use glass railing to open up and enhance your spaces, both indoors and out.
Free Your Stairway
Switch out traditional staircase balusters for glass railing to unblock sightlines and showcase your interior architecture. “The glass adds so much to the architectural details,” says Gal Cohen, who owns design-build firm Cohen Development Group in Kihei, Hawaii. “We use it to achieve the modern feel that everyone wants now.”
While tinted and frosted glass options are available, select clear, low-iron glass for the most open look. “By modifying the iron content, you remove the greenish tint often seen in clear glass,” says TJ Jacobs, a product manager at Viewrail, a railing and stair product manufacturer. “You can really increase the transparency and natural light that comes through.”
Switch out traditional staircase balusters for glass railing to unblock sightlines and showcase your interior architecture. “The glass adds so much to the architectural details,” says Gal Cohen, who owns design-build firm Cohen Development Group in Kihei, Hawaii. “We use it to achieve the modern feel that everyone wants now.”
While tinted and frosted glass options are available, select clear, low-iron glass for the most open look. “By modifying the iron content, you remove the greenish tint often seen in clear glass,” says TJ Jacobs, a product manager at Viewrail, a railing and stair product manufacturer. “You can really increase the transparency and natural light that comes through.”
When it comes to the mounting method for glass railing, choose the one that best reflects your design style. A framed system, with posts framing the glass infill, is the most popular for stairs, Jacobs says. For a high-design frameless look, consider standoff pins, seen here. “We use pins on indoor staircases, especially floating staircases — they’re fantastic,” Cohen says.
Lighten Up Interior Balconies
Carry glass railing from your staircase to your landings and interior balconies to extend the open, airy effect. Instead of being dark and separated, these areas will receive a flood of light from any adjacent windows. And anyone upstairs can enjoy uninterrupted views to the outdoors, even from the middle of the house.
The glass railing on the interior balcony seen here is mounted on talon spigots, powder-coated white to match the home’s interior finishes. A slim stainless steel top rail defines the edge without overpowering the look. You can powder-coat stainless steel top rails to add flair — go playful with hunter green, bold with bronze or modern with black, among other choices. Choose a wood top rail for organic visual warmth.
Carry glass railing from your staircase to your landings and interior balconies to extend the open, airy effect. Instead of being dark and separated, these areas will receive a flood of light from any adjacent windows. And anyone upstairs can enjoy uninterrupted views to the outdoors, even from the middle of the house.
The glass railing on the interior balcony seen here is mounted on talon spigots, powder-coated white to match the home’s interior finishes. A slim stainless steel top rail defines the edge without overpowering the look. You can powder-coat stainless steel top rails to add flair — go playful with hunter green, bold with bronze or modern with black, among other choices. Choose a wood top rail for organic visual warmth.
Frame Views From Your Yard
Rim your patio or deck with glass railing for picture-perfect views of nature. “You won’t have any interruptions; it’s pretty amazing,” Cohen says. Bonus: It helps block wind. Cohen prefers clear glass, as seen here, but you could use frosted glass around a pool or hot tub for privacy. An opening under the railing allows for easy water drainage and debris removal, making deck cleaning a breeze.
Rim your patio or deck with glass railing for picture-perfect views of nature. “You won’t have any interruptions; it’s pretty amazing,” Cohen says. Bonus: It helps block wind. Cohen prefers clear glass, as seen here, but you could use frosted glass around a pool or hot tub for privacy. An opening under the railing allows for easy water drainage and debris removal, making deck cleaning a breeze.
Surface-mounted glass railing is the fastest and easiest to install, Jacobs says. However, side-mounted railing, like the post-mounted system seen here, is a great way to maximize the size of your deck. Just make sure that whatever you’re mounting it to is in good condition. “It needs to be built correctly for overall longevity,” Jacobs says. The tempered glass railing itself is very strong and scratch-resistant, and has been used in commercial projects for years, he adds.
Maximize Open Living Areas
If guardrails are required for your open-concept living area, such as by a staircase, use glass to enhance the room’s wide-open feel. “Glass opens up the space and makes it feel much larger than it is — and it gives it some pizazz and a modern look,” Cohen says.
The base-rail system seen here surrounds a stair opening leading to a kitchen and living room. “You can do triple-ply glass to avoid a top rail,” Jacobs says. “The truly frameless is where you would want to use laminated glass. Laminated glass railing consists of two quarter-inch-wide tempered glass panels with a layer of laminate in the middle, just like a car windshield.”
If guardrails are required for your open-concept living area, such as by a staircase, use glass to enhance the room’s wide-open feel. “Glass opens up the space and makes it feel much larger than it is — and it gives it some pizazz and a modern look,” Cohen says.
The base-rail system seen here surrounds a stair opening leading to a kitchen and living room. “You can do triple-ply glass to avoid a top rail,” Jacobs says. “The truly frameless is where you would want to use laminated glass. Laminated glass railing consists of two quarter-inch-wide tempered glass panels with a layer of laminate in the middle, just like a car windshield.”
Link Outdoor Spaces
Connect areas with walkways bordered by frameless glass to amplify panoramic views. The outdoor railing on this catwalk is mounted on a recessed base rail, keeping all eyes on the lake vista and preserving walking space. “If you’re going for modern and clean, go all the way,” says Cohen, who favors the frameless look.
As for keeping glass railing clean, especially one used outside, both Jacobs and Cohen recommend a hydrophobic coating. “We use Rain-X, and it’s so much easier to maintain after that — everything just beads off,” Cohen says. “We reapply it every three months.” With that treatment, you can just squeegee off any pollen, salt spray or fingerprints.
Tell us: How would you use glass railing to open up and customize your spaces? Let us know in the Comments section.
More: To learn more about the glass railing pictured in this story, visit the Viewrail’s website.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Connect areas with walkways bordered by frameless glass to amplify panoramic views. The outdoor railing on this catwalk is mounted on a recessed base rail, keeping all eyes on the lake vista and preserving walking space. “If you’re going for modern and clean, go all the way,” says Cohen, who favors the frameless look.
As for keeping glass railing clean, especially one used outside, both Jacobs and Cohen recommend a hydrophobic coating. “We use Rain-X, and it’s so much easier to maintain after that — everything just beads off,” Cohen says. “We reapply it every three months.” With that treatment, you can just squeegee off any pollen, salt spray or fingerprints.
Tell us: How would you use glass railing to open up and customize your spaces? Let us know in the Comments section.
More: To learn more about the glass railing pictured in this story, visit the Viewrail’s website.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Combining the highest quality materials with innovative design, Viewrail is a stand-out manufacturer of simple... Leer más
Combining the highest quality materials with innovative design, Viewrail is a stand-out manufacturer of simple... Leer más
I would like to do two things with glass in our new home. I would like to: 1) use glass have a glass wall above the kitchen sink area. We are relocating our kitchen. And, 2) install a glass fence because the yard backs up to a park. I would like to see the animals without them filling our yard.
Is the latter possible in a colder climate area like Chicago?
You have a beautiful home!
I installed glass partitions on the lower portion of our deck that contained the hot tub. It became a significant bird killer so I took them down.