See the light with clear winner

Jill Wild discovers there are almost no limits to the use of glass in today’s homes – it is versatile, colourful, clean, durable and stylish.

Combine hygiene with looks and many in the home renovation business reckon it’s hard to go past coloured glass in kitchens and bathrooms.

Gone are the days when the safety of glass around home was an issue. With modern techniques it is durable, safe, hygienic and comes in any colour.

Mike Anders from Colorit in Upper Hutt says glass has never been so serviceable and that’s after 30 years’ experience working with it.

“We can do almost anything anyone wants these days and in any colour.

“If it’s on the colour chart we can produce it. It is the answer to any contemporary look.”

Glass dates back 3000 years. Archaeologists generally agree it was first used in Mesopotamia – the area that is today eastern Syria, Iraq, southeaster Turkey and southwest Iran. Besides being used in dwellings, archaeologists say it was used as an alternative to precious stones because it could be cut and coloured, indicating just how early in civilisation its qualities were recognised.

The elements of glass have changed little in those 3000 years. The basic components are sand, an alkaline flux, and stabiliser, usually lime, which are liquefied at a very high temperature, about 620°C, to create molten mass.

But it was arguably a relatively recent invention that was the precursor to the use of glass in today’s homes. In the 1950s after experimenting for some years, Sir Alistair Pilkington came upon a unique effect.

Pilkington floated molten glass on a bed of molten tin, which produced a glass sheet of uniform thickness and with very flat surfaces – the first time glass had been manufactured in such a flat way. The process is still called float glass and it is only that special float glass process that can be used to produce the toughened glass of today.

So with a history of proven quality, glass was inevitability going to be a favourite for interior designers looking for the ultimate in hygiene and easy-clean surfaces with durability and style.

“It is perfect in wet areas, it’s better than tiles because there is no grouting,” Mike says. “There is nothing to go mouldy or discolour, no indentations to trap dirt – glass has a perfect surface. There are no crooked or uneven surfaces, what more could any one ask for?”

In keeping with its extraordinary ability to remain clean, glass, in a toughened form, is increasingly being used in bathrooms and kitchens. Far from restricting the material to a splashback behind the hob or tap area, it is now being used for entire walls with dramatic effect.

“You can create fantastic lighting effects with glass in different colours” says interior design guru and glass expert Lesley North, from KapiMana Glass and Glazing.

The reflections are quite stunning and you can use glass and reflection to feature various aspects in a room.

“The days of small strips and limited zones are over. It’s time to let loose with glass and create huge surfaces,” Lesley says.

Mike agrees and goes even further, suggesting it is the perfect surface for bench tops.

“I have had a lifetime working with glass and I am still amazed at just how versatile it is. At worst you could scratch a glass bench top surface – that is if you actually cut straight on the glass. But it will never fade and it is so easy to keep clean, plus it looks so good.

“The added benefit is you can get glass in such varying thicknesses, it enables designers a chance to really create an effect. We have recently made glass inserts for a client for kitchen cabinet doors, they look very stylish,” Mike says.

It is also now used for feature walls in the kitchen as well as door inserts. The beauty of using glass as an insert is that the colour can be changed relatively affordably making it easy to revamp kitchen decor.

In some kitchens, glass has been used for entire cabinet doors framed in stainless or aluminium to attach hinges. Back lighting in cabinetry or a glass light box can enhance the effect.

But the uses don’t stop there – designers are transporting glass into the bathroom where full walls are being coloured up and showers and baths surrounded with glass.

“We are in the process of making a vanity for a client. It’s white coloured glass and, with a basin insert, it will look very smart,” Mike says.

Bathroom mirrors can be set off with a coloured glass backdrop and lights boxed providing an easy-to-keep-clean surface.

The options for glass don’t stop at the colour chart. Possibilities include fluorescent, metallic, opaque and translucent and the use of graphics. With latest techniques virtually any graphic can be encompassed in glass – from children’s art to specifically designed works or even photographs.

The sandwiching of broken glass, sometimes known as crackle, offers an interesting textured look, which can again be enhanced with subtle lighting.

“Long gone is the time when people don’t linger in the bathroom or kitchen because they were less friendly and liveable spaces. With techniques and products of today, along with lighting, both rooms can be the features of the house,” Mike says.

“When real estate agents tell you it’s the bathroom or kitchen that sell a house, they do know their business and people know what matters.”

Interior experts agree that the modern manufacture of glass offers an entirely new product concept with the essential elements for today’s living – easy to clean and easy to apply. Over 3000 years after first being invented, glass is making another comeback; the Mesopotamians would surely be delighted to know they are still trendsetters.

Reference: DomPost June 2009