In the past, glass was mostly looked at for its utility -- a transparent barrier meant to provide separation.
When designing a commercial space, designers and contractors often focus on the actual shape of the space, thinking about the space and its furnishings, form, and function.
In addition to creating a perfectly functioning space with the typical tools, a commercial designer or contractor can elevate their design plans by incorporating glass elements and statements. With this customization, even traditional applications for custom glass sheets become as eye-catching as they are functional.
9 Popular Commercial Uses for Custom Glass Sheets
Whether it’s coated, patterned, or standard, glass acts as a blank canvas that’s ready to be made to fit any aesthetic and provide a unique accent.
Here are some of today's top commercial uses for custom glass sheets:
- Windows
- Partitions
- Storefronts
- Doors
- Escalators
- Elevators
- Shelves
- Shower doors
- Furniture and cabinets
1. Windows
Although one of the most obvious uses, windows are prime real estate for custom glass sheets -- adding a visual enhancement to what would be a plain pane.
In place of traditional elements -- such as muntins and mullions -- designers are using custom glass sheets to make windows truly stand out, whether it’s through:
- Shaping
- Cutouts
- V-grooving
- Edgework
Insulated glass units can be fabricated for design while offering enhanced sound dampening and protection from the elements for exterior windows.
2. Partitions
Many office environments are ditching padded dividers and boxy cubicles to create new spaces. Based on current design trends, office spaces are being redesigned with an open concept. But remodeling a space isn’t always an easy task. Glass partitions and walls help achieve a feeling of openness while still providing some element of separation.
Partitions made of tempered glass provide enhanced strength and safety, while colored glass panels create a unique focal point. Textured and patterned glass offers privacy and adds to a space’s overall aesthetics.
3. Storefronts
A storefront is the first impression a customer gets of any shop. With custom glass sheets, a storefront becomes a marketing tool of sorts, drawing attention or offering a glimpse inside the space.
Integrated into a storefront’s architecture, custom glass sheets are used for:
- Display windows
- Entryways
- Unique design elements
Additionally, enhanced glasses such as tempered or laminated, storefront glass improves security -- both glass types are manufactured to withstand blunt impacts and are nearly impossible to break through.
4. Doors
Doors don’t have to be made from standard materials such as metal or wool. Glass doors can upgrade an entryway’s visual appeal and functionality. For example, doors made with patterned or colored glass allow additional light into the entryway and give the visitor a much warmer welcome.
For those sticking with doors made from traditional materials, glass pieces provide the perfect accent. Custom glass patterns or beveled glass pieces add texture and highlights to elegant wooden doors. V-grooves can be cut into the glass to add a stunning decorative accent.
5. Escalators
Why should escalators be stuck in the 1950s with everyone staring into space as they move from floor to floor?
Glass panels on an escalator’s sides bring the people-mover into modern times with an aesthetic of openness and clarity. Glass panels in escalators are especially effective in multi-story store or office environments.
6. Elevators
Similar to escalators, elevators have been stuck in one boring, claustrophobic boxy style.
The use of custom glass sheets allows riders to benefit from stunning views during multi-story rides, both inside and outside the building proper.
7. Shelves
Glass shelves provide a spot to showcase artwork or products without drawing attention away from what’s on display.
However, additional fabrication to a glass shelf may be added to do the opposite and enhance the overall presentation. Edgework is a popular upgrade to glass shelving, with styles such as:
- Flat
- Pencil
- Bullnose
- Ogee
Resource: Learn edgework terminology and ordering options:
8. Shower Doors
In modern designs, showers are replacing the bathtub as the focal point of many bathrooms. There are many unique patterned glasses ideal for creating the perfect shower environment -- one that complements a bathroom’s design.
Pro Tip! If you’re considering a glass shower enclosure, Showerguard Glass protects the enclosure despite varying temperatures, humidity, or hard water.
9. Furniture and Cabinets:
There is no end to the creativity that can be achieved using glass in furniture. . Glass is the perfect material for cabinets, desktops, counters, tables, and display areas.
Low-iron glass is an ideal choice for glass in furniture and cabinets because of its high transparency and light transmission. Because of the wide variety available, patterned glasses are also another popular option for furniture and cabinetry.
How to Use Colored Custom Glass Sheets in Commercial Designs
In addition to the uses above for custom glass sheets, colored glass is also an option. Take a look at these suggestions for how to incorporate colored glass into your next commercial design:
1. Glass Partitions in Offices
Glass partitions in general create the perfect semi-private space for a professional environment, but colored glass partitions elevate the space's visual appeal with a more modern, edgy vibe, giving guests the impression of a business at the forefront of its industry.
2. Cubicle Walls in Reception Areas
Colored glass can be used to construct semi-private cubicle walls in reception areas, without incorporating flimsy plastic partitions or unsightly fabric dividers.
These make the perfect, modern-looking partitions inside offices where visitors might be discussing sensitive or private information, such as inside a financial institution or medical office.
3. Colored or Frosted Glass Shower Doors in Hotel Rooms
Hotel guests want a space where they can escape their everyday lives, their business meetings, and the commotion of the outside world. Using colored or frosted glass to create a wet room inside your next hotel project's bathrooms will send the luxury meter through the roof.
With a variety of frosted designs, textures, and colors available in commercial glass designed for large installations, you can select the glass doors or walls that will provide guests with the right amount of privacy while also achieving the right high-level design feature.
4. Eye-Catching Windows and Doors
Manufactured in subtle, classy, colors and tones -- white laminated, low-iron, and acid-etched glass are available in sheets and can be used to create bespoke windows and doors in any commercial space.
5. Unique Display Walls
Whether used as a backdrop or installed as an eye-catching cabinet or as display case doors, colored glass will draw the consumer's eye to your product.
6. Tinted Mirror Glass
You can achieve an edgy or demure look using tinted mirror glass in a variety of commercial spaces.
For example, you can install it in an entryway, along a wall in a retail space, or as a backdrop inside an office. The design potential is limitless.
What Will You Use Commercial Glass Sheets for Next?
Custom glass sheets take a design vision to the next level. With a wide variety of styles and types, customized glass panes pair decorative and functional creativity for any commercial use.
To see how custom glass sheets can fit into your design, contact our experts today.
