Architectural glass is a material like any other; to get the most out of it you need vision, imagination, and inspiration.
Sometimes, to acquire all three of these ingredients for success, you need to broaden your horizons.
There’s nothing wrong with looking at what the competition is doing. This might provide you with the spark of inspiration you need to create something truly wonderful.
Read on and take a look at the stunning work done by Finnis Architects on the Red Hill Residence in the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne.
Less Can Be More
Throwing open your living spaces with expansive window panes, French doors, and yard upon yard of architectural glass is a tried and tested method of creating an airy, spacious effect.
However, it is not your only option when working with glass. The modern Melbourne home contrasts these large glazed areas with smaller, more sharply defined feature windows in simple shapes.
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Smart Positioning Is Everything
What do you want to accentuate?
If you are working with a lot of outdoor space, you are spoiled for choice.
If you have less room to play with, then your options may be more limited, but they are certainly not non-existent.
Select an external feature that you wish to focus on and aim to align this with a natural viewpoint from within the property.
This way, by the smart use of glass in the home, external features become fascinating internal features.
Balancing Retro and Modern
The use of glass to create large, airy spaces is considered very much a modern interior design method, but this is not to say that it cannot be paired with retro touches.
In fact, balancing the retro and the modern is a major feature in many modern Melbourne properties.
Create the space using glass, and then add subtle vintage touches here and there to complete the effect.
Think exposed metallic textures, retro throw materials, and other old-fashioned hints which work beautifully within a modern space.
Windows Are Not Just for External Walls…
The idea that windows are designed solely for external walls is out of date.
Instead, create continuity within the property by utilising windows within your internal walls too.
The contemporary home is not about division, but connection.
With these small portals you can easily create connections between different areas of the property.
… or Just for Any Kind of Wall
These connections are not limited to spaces on the same horizontal plane.
Reinforced glass is ideal for establishing connections between spaces on different floors, whether between a hallway and the landing above, or between a kitchen space and the wine cellar beneath it.
The focus here is oncreating a unified space in which to exist, not compartmentalising the property into separate units.
Drawing the Eye Is Easier Than You Think
Orchestrating this kind of flow through a property can be achieved in other ways too.
Longer corridors leading to a feature window will naturally draw the eye towards a focal point, while light boxes in the ceiling can be used to draw attention to specific points or features.
The Scandinavian-Effect Is In
A bang on-trend, minimal living space can be a cosy home too.
To find out just how to achieve the very best of both worlds, we need to look to our friends in the north.
The Scandinavians have been combining large areas of glass with the soft, comforting shades and textures of pine for decades.
The effect is a space which is cool and crisp while also cosy and homely.
Think About Frameless
To push the boundaries of architectural glass within a residential property, it is important to recognise how wonderfully versatile it can be.
Engineered glass has the structural integrity and tensile strength to go above and beyond what you may normally expect from glass.
Glass of this grade can be installed without frames, giving you a range of possibilities in terms of design aesthetics and practical applications.
Separate Your Spaces/Unite Your Spaces
Using glass to create dividers or boundaries for your outside spaces or sun terraces is a smart way to achieve two aims at the same time.
On the one hand, practicality dictates that we create safe and functional areas within a property, often with appropriate divisions; while on the other, the aesthetic lure of a wide, unencumbered space is difficult to resist.
With architectural glass, the project can have both.
Light Is An Ally
Using glass to create a lighter, more expansive space is nothing new, but it is surprising how many designers and developers neglect this vital interior quality.
If a space feels dank and enclosed, the installation of lighting and glass can help to open it up. If a room feels foreboding or not homely, make it more appealing to visitors by feeding it with a natural flow of light.
Via simple planning and a dose of imagination, glass opens the door to a wealth of possibilities within the modern Melbourne home, possibilities which will excite and delight your clients in equal measure.
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