The interior decorative windows

Chiara Del Core 20 jun 2020 Articles 0 comments

Interior decorative stained glass windows: a complete guide to choosing

The decorative windows represent an elegant solution able to give strong personality to the interiors. Used since ancient times, in sacred architecture and in the most illustrious monuments, over time their use has extended to more and more sectors, bringing added value to properties, thanks to their beauty and uniqueness. The most famous examples for the history of architecture are represented by those of the Gothic cathedrals and the most representative buildings of Art Nouveau. Unlike in the past, when artistic glass only interested the most prestigious residences, over the decades they have spread to numerous homes, thanks to their versatility and the variety of solutions available on the market.

On the cover an example of an Art Nouveau panel with decorated glass inserts - Anouk Taeymans, Antwerp

In modern residences there is a growing demand to insert internal windows that serve functional purposes, such as dividing different environments, but also aesthetic ones to restore bright and unique environments. Below, we will see how to best choose the decorative windows, addressing the project from a typological, regulatory, functional and aesthetic point of view. The goal is to guide you to a conscious choice of this component, in order to ensure utility, elegance and safety over time.

Why choose a decorative glass window for your rooms

The decorative glass for interiors is a unique solution of its kind, very useful and above all with a high scenic yield. The choice to include this ornamental element within one's residence is motivated by numerous reasons. First of all, there is the capacity of the divide the rooms of the house in a practical and functional way, ensuring visual continuity and high brightness. In fact, unlike solid partitions, the internal glass walls give a sense of greater space to the rooms, while dividing them according to their intended use. Furthermore, since the transparent surfaces do not constitute an obstacle to natural light, as traditional dividing elements do, these solutions guarantee an abundant luminous flux even in rooms without large openings. An example of this is the entrance to the house, an area without its own windows, onto which the various rooms overlook. In this case, the presence of a glass wall or a door equipped with decorated glass, in the living room or in the kitchen, will allow light and heat to flow into the corridor of the apartment, increasing the value and functionality of this space. too often overlooked. The decorative window can also be used to delimit two rooms with different functions, without dividing them visually. This is the case of the living area, where living room and kitchen can coexist in an elegant way, through sliding glass or flexible panels, thanks to which bad smells and vapors will be contained without compromising the hours of relaxation on the sofa.

Examples of decorated glass door to divide rooms and filter natural light
Photo sx: Loft Tres Marias - AVA Architects (Lisbona) - Ph Josè Campos da www.revistaad.es

In fact, the dividing elements ensure fluidity in the passage between the individual spaces, maintaining the right distance between the different functional areas. The stained glass windows are also used in small apartments, to divide the living area from the sleeping area. The glass, thanks to its properties of lightness and versatility, it restores elegance and personality to the environment, ensuring spatial continuity and expanding even the smallest studio apartments. Sometimes, this solution is also used to delimit a make-up area inside the bedroom or a reading corner in the living room. In the latter case, in addition to giving personality to the environment, it will be possible to increase the level of acoustic comfort, ensuring greater concentration.

Finally, the decorated glass can form the panels of the walk-in closets: these are modern solutions, able to personalize the space and give an original touch to the sleeping area. After deciding where to place the decorative glass, it is necessary to establish the type that best suits your needs. An option is represented by the door with glass panels, a functional choice thanks to which two rooms are divided but a greater amount of light is filtered than that normally obstructed by solid windows. A valid alternative consists of the glass wall, a component with larger dimensions and a solution that, in addition to being functional, also serves aesthetic purposes. Widely used in open spaces, glass walls can be full-height, or they can constitute inserts and elements that can be opened only in case of need. In addition, it will be possible to choose between a glazing for interiors fixed to the wall, sliding, with an external guide to the wall and again with a frame anchored to the wall.
Each aforementioned type will have benefits and disadvantages and for this reason it will be chosen carefully, based on your habits and personal tastes.