Interior design has evolved over the decades and indeed centuries. What was popular one year was out of fashion the next and key periods in interior design can be identified by the materials that were in vogue at different times. It has often been the case that interior design fashion was influenced by the aristocracy and glassware has always been an important part this. Good pieces of glass have always had some level of expensive attached to them and this has meant they have always been considered something of a luxury. This, among other reasons, is why glass has been used in every era of interior design and has never lost popularity. But how can glass be used to its best abilities?

Minimising colour scheme. Whilst coloured glasses can look very attractive, it is all too easy to get carried away and mix too many colours of glass-vases or glass bowls together for example. This will only ever result in a room looking like Santa’s grotto, and too many colours are hard for the eyes to process all at once. It is a much better idea to stick to two or three colours or use different shades of one colour scheme.

Use in low light. The ability of glass to refract light entering a room and re-distribute it in multiple directions has made it a very valuable tool or manipulating light. This works better with thinner and lighter colours of glass but with enough light entering it, darker colours can look great as well. In rooms with low light, you can place some vases or wine glasses near the window and it will help move the light deeper into the room, and avoid it being concentrated in only one area.

Mix with opposites. Sometimes the most different materials work very well in unison and create the best effects. Glass is well known for having a shiny and polished finish, and with this in mind it often works incredibly well in interior design when placed alongside less reflective and more rough materials. A pair of whisky-glasses and decanter set to a background of concrete or brushed steel works really well for example. Or what about using a glass chandelier against an artex ceiling (not that artex looks good)?

Tags: decor, glass, glassware, interior design