Those Who Live in Glass Houses: How We Use Glass in Design

Glass is such a wonderful material to work with. Whilst we are known for our vast Crittall windows, statement mirrors and mirrored walls, the way we use glass in our design extends much further.

Catching the light and creating ambience, glass is a material long used to enhance design, beauty and harness light. In modern architecture, it is not unusual to see designs that emphasise the use of glass as a primary building material. But beyond this we like to play with glass in other ways too.

From room accessorising to lighting you can have a lot of fun with it and here are a few of our favourite ways…

1. Let The Light In

When I’m looking at the initial concept for a building, often the grand statement that I’m going to make with a chandelier or lighting scheme is one of the first places I start. For Ham Yard Hotel, we designed these magnificent chandeliers that appear throughout the vast restaurant and bar space.

Amid the beautiful arrangement of ceramic shapes that form Daniel Reynold’s famous mobiles, you will notice a few coloured glass pieces peeking from within. Reynolds always includes at least one colourful glass shape in his mobiles, from shocking green to the deep reds in our pieces in the Orangery at Ham Yard Hotel. They’re a little gem stone to be found within the wider piece.

Whilst there are expansive Crittall windows that run the length of the courtyard elevation, I knew the space was so deep I needed to harness as much light as possible.

With that in mind, I set about looking for something that had the elegance and opulence of a glass chandelier but was a step away from traditional. These modern and impressive chandeliers were what we created. I love that they have the delicacy of the hanging glass bars, yet the industrial quality of the bronze structure from which they hang.

2. Colourful Glass

Glass has many beautiful finishes and qualities. We often use a foxed antique mirror in small spaces or on the back of shelves, but bright jewel-like colours in interiors are a lovely accent.

In the Drawing Room at Ham Yard Hotel, we used a collection of blown glass lamps in spicy oranges and hot pinks. They really capture your attention in this space and feel a lot more playful than a clear glass lamp.

3. Translucent Accessorising

Creating effortless moments is so key to a beautifully styled interior. Accessorising with glass ornaments is always a good way to create abundance but without the busyness.

This Guinevere Crystal Castle collection by William Yeoward sits atop my kitchen fireplace, but doesn’t feel too crowded since the crows nests, candle holders and glass sculptures still allow the plate arrangement behind to be a focus.

The collection of glass pieces also looks magical placed in the centre of a formal dining table.

4. Glass on Glass

One thing that goes very well with glass, is glass! We often like to place a beautiful glass accessory in front of a mirrored wall or mirror-lined cabinet.

These tall and mighty vases paired together on this console table are so statuesque and sculptural and really capture the daylight. They provide a freshness to this earthy scene.

In the same space, a grand central table ties together this vast entrance hall in Rossferry. The beautiful organic wooden table is accessorised with glass candle votives. They twinkle from the morning sun and dance with the evening light when they are ablaze with candles.

Whether mirror, coloured glass or clear, layering adds that sense of harnessing and playing with light that all designers covet.

Have a play around with your cabinets, mirrors and collections of glass. We think you’ll have a lot of fun.