Glass is a popular material in modern design for many reasons. Designers favor manufactured materials with bold surface textures and minimalist profiles for the modern aesthetic. Glass is a man-made material with a glossy surface and streamlined profile. What's more, you can change the look of the glass in the type or the attendant hardware you choose.

So, if you're remodeling your living room or planning for a new build, consider incorporating a glass wall to create a modern appeal. It could well be a design focal point.

Glass Partition Wall

One hallmark of modern design is adhering to an open floor plan. While you might the benefit of having just one great room, you might also appreciate some subtle delineation of space. In that respect, glass is ideal. You can get a subtle screen with a glass partition wall.

A glass partition wall is similar to the installation you might find in a bathroom, either as an enclosure for a walk-in shower or a full wet room. The partition wall can feature a frame or be frameless. Obviously, a frameless installation is the more subtle partition. In your living room, you could use it as a backdrop for a sofa so that your furniture doesn't just float in the center of the room, without diminishing the aesthetic of a more open floor plan.

However, designers often favor a glass partition with a metal framework. A glass partition framed in metal creates obvious geometry, and modern design favors an emphasis on shape. You can utilize such a wall in a similar fashion to the frameless style or opt for a movable variety.

Glass Wall for an Office Corner

You may have a corner of your open plan living room that you want closed off - the office. The office is an important work space. Not only will you want some privacy when you're working, you might want a convenient way to hide work-related clutter.

To that end, consider enclosing the office corner with a semi-opaque glass wall. One option for that kind of opacity is a frosted glass panel. You can choose a fully frosted panel or one with the design placed strategically at desk height. You could also choose a colored glass panel, such as opaque gray or even black.

The benefit of such an enclosure is it affords you privacy while keeping the open feeling of the room. Even if the glass is opaque, it still reflects light, making the room feel big and uncluttered.

Glass Exterior Wall

Modern homes sometimes feature full glass exterior walls. These walls are essentially oversized picture windows. This style of glass wall is easier to apply in a new build, but you could talk to your builders about incorporating one into a remodel.

Imagine the metal and glass partition wall described above. That kind of layout is the goal with a glass exterior wall as well. You want that part of your living room to be constructed primarily of glass, especially if the glass wall will overlook a pleasant view. Be mindful to place it so that your privacy isn't compromised, however.

Custom Glass Picture Window

An easier method to open up your living room to the outside is to use a custom glass picture window. Don't imagine a standard picture window in a wall. Instead, you'll replace some other part of the room's architecture with a custom-cut picture window.

For example, say you have a corner of your living room that abuts an attractive area of your yard. You could have a corner "window" installed in place of a standard drywall corner. Conversely, say you have vaulted ceilings. Instead of having a standard window directly under the vault, consider replacing the whole top part of the wall with a window.

Let your modern creativity guide you in devising a use for glass walls in your living room. Contact Monterey Glass Specialists Inc. for the high-quality glass you need.