Traditionally, stained glass was given colour by adding metallic salts during its firing process. Nowadays we do things a bit differently with body tinting. Body-tinted glass has melted colourants added during manufacture for solar-radiation absorption and tinting effects.

No matter the manufacturing process, tinted glass is a great way to add colour and interest to your interior design.

Glass in interior design through history

Man-made glass (yes, there is glass that occurs entirely naturally) has been around for a very long time. According to archaeological evidence the first pieces of man-made glass came from Egypt and Eastern Mesopotamia around 3500BC, while the first glass pots and bowls were made in the same regions around 2000 years later.

Since then, human use of glass has grown to encompass everything from windows to phone screens to clear glass white boards. Interior design has been heavily influenced by glass technology throughout the ages. Here are some of the highlights.

Italian Baroque interior design

The Baroque period is an artistic style that started in Rome around the year 1600. It describes a style of heavy ornamentation, symmetrical precision and grandeur. Great examples of this style still exist today as churches and cathedrals that were given the treatment in response to the spread of Protestantism in the 17th Century.

As for glass: stained glass windows rose to prominence during this period but they weren’t the only decor getting the treatment. Stained glass was used in everything from furniture to mirrors to bowls. 

Bauhaus and Functionalism

Bauhaus, a German school of design founded by Walter Gropius, gave birth to what would become known as the International Style. Essentially, a style of design that prioritised functionality over form.

The International Style is particularly prolific when it comes to architecture. The classic office block with hundreds of regular, grid-like windows is a lasting example. The style also seeped into interior design, though, dictating a functionalist approach to fixtures and furniture.

So what does this have to do with glass? The International Style of thought adheres to the idea of ‘truth to materials’. Glass is featured heavily and when it is used, it must be the best material for the job. The glass must also be used without artifice – the viewer should be able to tell when an object or fixture is glass.

This ideology still has a strong influence today, particularly when it comes to interior office design. Glass walls, fixtures and furniture often prioritise function and aren’t shy about displaying the materials used.

Art Deco and Modernism

Modernism rose to prominence in the early 20th Century. As a global movement, it sought new alignment with the values and experience of modern industrial life. Artists and designers were pushed to use new materials and techniques to create works that reflected the hopes and realities of technological progress.

As an interior design practice, Modernism describes a style that embraces clean lines, a simple colour palette and the uses of base materials - especially glass and metal.

This is how glass - with its sleek, simple application and versatility - became a byword for modernism. Present-day modernism also encourages eco-friendly design – another area in which glass is an ideal material.

The rise of glass usage in modern interior design

Glass is an incredibly versatile material. It’s strong, aesthetically pleasing and lends a modern air to office interiors. There’s a reason the best whiteboards on the market are glass boards. Yet quality is only one part of a broader puzzle driving the rise of glass in office interiors. So, what makes glass so appealing to architects, designers and company owners?

The illusion of space

Our offices are shrinking. As employers become more savvy to the benefits of hot desking and flexible work hours, the national average square-metre per employee has been gradually declining. And as offices become cosier, we naturally look to ways to keep our surroundings from edging into “cramped”. Glass interiors - walls, fixtures, and furniture - naturally open up a space, making every square-metre count.

Glass technology is progressing

Our ability to manufacture larger and larger single sheets of glass more cheaply has meant fewer limitations upon the application of glass walls and fixtures. Apple Park in California sports panels of glass longer than city buses, while Philadephia’s Dilworth Plaza has sections made with glass as both the facing and the supporting pillars, each ultra-strong piece is a laminate of up to 7 layers. This increased versatility has seen glass in interior design boom in a big way as designers are able to make even their boldest visions a transparent reality.

A focus on eco-friendly design

As the effects of global warming are starting to be felt, interior design is responding with a push towards greener manufacturing and building. Glass, particularly eco-friendly insulated glass, is an ideal way to pull down your energy bills and reduce your emissions.

The eco benefits of glass are two-fold:

1. Eco-friendly glass serves to better insulate a room, resulting in less reliance on heating and cooling
2. Glass facilitates natural lighting, resulting in less use of electricity throughout a space.

Glass is also incredibly long-lasting and durable. It’s why our clear glass whiteboards come with a lifetime warranty – ensuring less waste produced as a result of worn or broken products.

Glass printing is becoming more sophisticated

Just as glass manufacturing is becoming more sophisticated, so too is the way we customise it. Namely, our ability to print on glass is much higher quality and more durable than ever before.

Digital UV printing technology has given way to digital ceramic printing, a method that involves fusing ceramic-infused ink directly with a glass panel. The result is a more durable, more versatile method of printing on glass that opens up a world of possibilities for interior designers.

Clear glass whiteboards in interior design

Among all of these amazing new applications for glass are your pieces of office equipment. This is where JustBoards comes in. Each model in our wide range of clear glass whiteboards is simply the highest quality, most durable and most versatile available. Choose one and it will become a part of the modern style of your office interior.

Want to introduce glass to your decor with a clear glass whiteboard? JustBoards can do that.

Great service, great prices and Australia-wide delivery to your door. Call us today on 1800 654 917 or send an email to info@justboards.com.au