Glass shelves on the wall in the interior, wall shelves in the room, corner shelves made of glass

Glass shelves on the wall can be attached to almost any room in an apartment or house. They would also be appropriate in the kitchen to arrange spices or put on the TV.

They will come in handy in the bathroom - you need somewhere to place cosmetics and washing supplies. You can put gloves and hats on them in the hallway, and books in the living room or bedroom.

The main difficulty is to make glass shelves on the wall in the interior look good and not ruin the overall decoration.

Advantages of glass shelves

Glass shelves have a number of advantages over others:

Beauty. Glass is perhaps one of the most unusual and interesting interior materials in general. It looks simply chic and never goes out of style.
Relevance. Glass fits perfectly into both modern and classic styles - the only question is what materials to combine it with.
Reliability. If you don't hit the glass with a hammer, it will hang on the wall for many years.
Easy to clean. The glass can simply be wiped with a dry cloth from time to time.

You should not buy fragile sheet glass - it will quickly become unusable and can also break into many sharp fragments. It would be much smarter to make a shelf from plexiglass, tempered glass or, if the budget does not allow, from acrylic.

It is also worth remembering that in those rare cases when general cleaning is required, you need to use special products to clean the shelves that do not leave streaks.

Advantages and disadvantages

Glass has one main advantage: it is reliable. If you don't intend to drop it, it can last for decades without changing at all in appearance. But this is only a brief summary.

Forever in trend, always relevant

If you delve into the details, there will be many more advantages:

Resistant to aggressive chemicals. It can be washed using any substance - this will not affect either the strength or the appearance of the shelves.
Easy to care for. Glass is resistant to aggressive chemicals - but in most cases there is simply no need to wash it with it. It is enough to simply wipe the shelves with a dry cloth, or, if they are not dusty, but dirty, with a weak soap solution - and it will shine again. Cleaning can be done as soon as it becomes dusty.
Odor resistance. The wood is gradually saturated with them, chipboard does this quickly, but glass, in principle, does not smell of anything.
Moisture resistant. High air humidity, direct exposure to water - glass does not change color. The only thing that can happen to it is that stains will appear on it, which will have to be removed with a special product.
Resistant to sunlight. The glass does not become cloudier or fade, even if it is constantly exposed to the rays of the sun.
Resistant to temperature and biological threats. No fungus is harmful to glass, nor are parasites. It also easily tolerates temperature changes - it can even be placed in the kitchen, next to the stove.
Reliability, durability. A well-fixed shelf made of triplex or tempered glass can support twenty kilograms of weight - you can put a TV or several dozen books on it. In addition, over time it does not deteriorate, does not become deformed, and can serve for decades.
Big choice. Glass can be frosted or transparent, colored or clear, engraved or flat, cheap or expensive. There is a suitable shelf for any request, for any wallet. Moreover, glass can be combined with other materials, allowing you to create different combinations.
Aesthetics. The glass is beautiful. It will make the room look more spacious, brighter, fit well into high-tech and modern styles, and help avoid interior overload.
Great opportunities for creativity. You can hang a shelf with your own hands, you can paint it or make lighting for it, you can initially draw a sketch according to which it will be made. Huge possibilities for a person with imagination.

The main thing is not to overload the interior

Modern glass is practically safe, if you do not buy thin shelves at a low price. Even if it breaks (and this can happen even if you handle things carefully), it does not crumble into many pieces, but cracks into large fragments with blunt edges that are easy to collect.

Among the disadvantages are:

Lack of resistance to mechanical damage. If you don’t buy expensive reinforced glass for a lot of money, then one strong blow will be enough to break the shelf into several parts. Therefore, in a nursery, it is recommended to hang glass shelves higher than the child can reach - just in case.
Slippery surface. If the glass is not specific, treated with sand, and therefore rough, then its surface remains slippery. It is better not to place unstable objects on it, but to place something like a napkin under stable ones.
Price. Truly beautiful and durable glass is expensive.

You need to be careful because glass shelves are slippery

In addition, the glass can be scratched if you run something sharp over it or try to wipe off the dirt with a metal sponge, so some caution should be exercised.

Varieties and main characteristics

There are different options for shelves - first of all, they come in different thicknesses:

thin, up to five millimeters, suitable exclusively for light souvenirs;
medium, up to a centimeter, suitable for dishes and things of medium weight;
thick, more than a centimeter, suitable for large bulky objects such as a TV or stereo system.

There are also different types of fastening:

hanging ones are attached to the wall with chains or cables, which looks good in classic interiors, but is reliable only for thin shelves;
fixed ones are mounted on brackets, the design of which can be quite fancy and perfectly complement the rest of the interior.

The holders can be forged or made of wood, with carvings or intricate curls, they can depict something or be a simple triangular shape.

The shelves themselves can also be of different shapes.

Brackets and profiles

A brushed strip of silver metal underneath the shelf can be the best neutral solution in any room. An alternative is decorative brackets with corner configurations that provide structural stability.

Shelving on a frame made of metal profiles is another option for stable fastening of glass panels, which can be used in niches and corner structures.

Rectangular glass shelves

Simplicity of shape, sharp or slightly rounded corners - rectangular shelves can be considered classic. They have no specific advantages other than this aesthetic nobility, but they do have a unique disadvantage - you can stumble into a sharp corner and get seriously injured.

If you have a child or animals in your home, take this into account in your design decisions and choose rounded corners. They will not spoil the overall appearance.

Color options

In photos of glass shelves, it is not always possible to distinguish tinting, which not only changes the reflection of light, but also creates tint or contrast pairs with the wall, holders or frames.

Colored glass with a slight transparency and a mirror effect, which was previously used mainly in the design of shops and other public places, is making its way into homes and apartments in the form of wall shelves.

Small-sized elements will allow you to enrich the interior with fashionable non-standard colors - red, crimson, lilac, yellow, orange, as well as all the rich variations of green and blue.

Corner designs

In small rooms, corner shelves will look much better. They are built into the corner, completely occupying it, and as a result seem light, almost weightless.

They take up almost no space, but they provide no less space than rectangular ones.

They are usually installed in bathrooms and tiny kitchenettes typical of Khrushchev-era buildings.

Variety of shapes

Shelf panels can be rectangular or square in shape with varying degrees of rounded corners. Glass corner shelves are produced in two configurations - triangular or radius. This material, just like plywood or wood, can be cut according to an irregularly shaped pattern, and in such projects glass looks most elegant.

Frame shelving can be assembled from perfectly round or oval-shaped modules. A special category is curved shelves, which, thanks to inclined surfaces, become not only convenient organizers, but also stylish decor.

Custom shaped glass shelves

Since glass is usually cast, there is a huge scope for non-standard shapes - you just need to make the appropriate design for casting.

It could be waves, a shell, a flower, a triangle, a cone, a blurry blot with curved outlines, a heart - in fact, anything.

The big minus is the price. The more original the shelf, the more expensive its production will be.

But, if your budget allows, you can order a shelf to your taste, according to your sketch. And get a real work of art that would look good at an exhibition.

Drawing

A shelf with a pattern - if you add lighting, it looks even more impressive

You can apply a drawing to a shelf in different ways:

Stained glass. Perhaps the most obvious idea. Stained glass is made simply - pieces of colored glass are inserted into the frame and folded into a pattern. But pieces can fall out, and this is a big minus.
Fusion This method is devoid of such fragility - the pieces of glass are not inserted into the frame, but are placed on a large piece of glass and baked in an oven. As a result, the color will remain bright, and the glass itself will become even stronger than before.
Paints. Drawing with paints is also a pretty obvious idea. You can even decorate a shelf in this way with your own hands, if you are not afraid to use a brush and ruin the craft.
Photo printing. If stained glass seems fragile to you, you don’t like fusion aesthetically, and you don’t know how to draw, you can simply print a photo you like on the shelf. The result will look great and cost very little.
Engraving. If the drawing looked very stylish, you can engrave it on glass - it will have a beautiful shade, it will look original. The only negative is that the glass will become more fragile. The drawing itself can be made in any way. Flowers, patterns, waves, birds, butterflies, plant motifs, favorite characters for a children's room - everything that comes to mind.

The main thing is that shelves with a pattern are not suitable for bulky items. They cannot act as shelves for crystal or TV. You need to put something light on them, otherwise no pattern will be visible.

Types of glass

There are different types of glass, and shelves made from different types will look different. Moreover, they will be able to withstand different loads and behave differently upon impact. Highlight:

Sheet glass . Thin, transparent, has been used for many decades. It is inexpensive, and upon impact it breaks into many small fragments.
Tempered . Burnt sheet metal, which, due to exposure to high temperature, has become much more resistant to mechanical stress. To break it, the blow must be stronger, and the fragments will be large, with blunt edges.
Triplex . Durable glass, which is made of several layers glued together with a special film - this does not affect transparency, but makes the result much less sensitive to mechanical stress. It is from triplex that most windshields are made, as well as the famous bulletproof glass.
Float . It is made by pouring molten glass onto molten metal. As a result, its surface is perfectly flat and the thickness is the same everywhere. Most modern windows are made from it, as are furniture and mirrors.
Reinforced . It is made on the basis of a metal mesh, which provides strength, located one and a half millimeters below the surface. When hit, it breaks off, but most often nothing happens at all. It is never completely transparent - the grid divides it into small squares. Only suitable for large shelves designed to support heavy weight.
Acrylic . In fact, it is not so much glass as a special transparent plastic. It is cheap, weighs twice as much as usual, and can withstand a blow five times stronger. It can be drilled, painted, cut, if necessary. At the same time, it catches fire easily (which means it cannot be used in the kitchen), and is easily scratched.

Acrylic glass looks like regular plastic

You need to choose a material depending on where it will be used. For a small shelf in the bathroom there is no point in buying triplex, and for a large one for a TV, acrylic is definitely not suitable.

In addition, it is important to consider that specific processing is the main way to decorate a shelf . Accordingly, if you want stained glass, you won’t be able to buy reinforced glass, since they simply don’t fit together.

Matting

Colored matte shelves - you can choose the color to suit your taste

A glass shelf does not have to be transparent at all - it can also be matte. Most often this effect is achieved using sandblasting. A jet of sand is passed over the glass under pressure, and it becomes dull and dark.

You can also use etching - instead of sand, acid, the effect is similar, only there are bright streaks along the surface, reminiscent of lightning.

Frosted glass can be colored in different ways and be:

colorless - this type is not very interesting, but it fits in everywhere;
colored - and then the color can be anything, from white to black.

The main thing to remember is that no matter how high-quality the glass is, frosting will in any case make it more fragile.

Texture options

The most common methods of decorative glass processing (sandblasting, chemical, film) allow you to expand the choice of material. For horizontal surfaces, the most suitable option is multilayer options or specially treated matte shelves with a perfectly smooth surface. The range of glass modules is enriched by the use of stencils with geometric and floral patterns.

Toning

Tinting that perfectly matches the souvenirs on the shelf

If you want the shelves in your room to be dark, but not frosted, you can use tinted glass. It is stronger than other varieties, and looks no worse.

Qualitative characteristics

The perfectly smooth and moisture-resistant surface of the glass shelves, coupled with a thoughtful fastening method, ensures safety of use and ease of maintenance. Tempered glass, recommended for use in interiors, does not change its aesthetic qualities over time, is not subject to mechanical wear, and when broken, breaks into small parts, eliminating injury.

Glass shelves with wood

Wood is a frequent companion of glass. We can say that this is a classic. Glass shelves in a wooden bookcase, next to a wooden door, on a wooden shelf, on wooden brackets, in a wooden niche, on a wooden shelf - all this looks familiar and good.

Fits well into classic interiors. Serves for many years. Rarely breaks.

The main thing is to ensure that the wood matches the glass in shade if you decide to make it different from the standard transparent option. And do not use chipboard - it breaks down too quickly.

Choosing shelves in the store

Having chosen everything - what material the shelf should be made of and how it should be designed, you can go to the store and buy either a ready-made structure or glass for it. In any case, you need to take into account important nuances, the first of which is thickness.

Four millimeters . A thin shelf, easy to break if it is not made of reinforced glass. It looks unimpressive and can withstand the weight of a couple of shower gels or a weightless figurine. It will crack under something more substantial.
Five millimeters . A little less thin, but still easy to break. Windows are made from such glass and placed under glass so that the person sitting behind it can lay out all the necessary papers without damaging them. Suitable for shelves, but it is better to give preference to a slightly thicker one.
Six millimeters . Average thickness, which is considered standard. You can put books, several figurines, a collection of dishes. It’s harder to break, although it’s possible. Looks quite reliable.
Eight to ten millimeters . Thick, used for really significant weight. You can put a TV on such a shelf, place books on it, or display a whole set of dishes. It’s hard to break if it’s made of triplex – almost impossible. It looks not just reliable - solid.

Pay attention to the thickness of the glass

In addition to thickness, you need to take into account some nuances that are directly related to the quality of the product:

Integrity . There should be no cracks, chips, small air bubbles in the thickness of the glass - all this indicates poor quality, that one blow is enough to break it.
Monotoney . The glass should not have any cloudy spots, small defects, or other unpleasant things - it should be perfectly transparent or, if it is colored, ideally monochromatic.
Documentation . The seller must have a certificate for the glass batch and you should familiarize yourself with it before making a purchase. If there are no documents, this may indicate poor quality of the product.

When the glass is delivered, it is worth checking its integrity again, before signing the receipt document - anything can happen on the road, and not every employee will admit it.

Advice If you decide to take glass home in your car or on public transport, be careful - if you break it, you will have to buy a new one, since neither the manufacturer nor the seller is responsible for it.

In general, glass shelves are suitable to complement the interior, making it a little more airy, transparent, bold. Use your imagination and see how the room can change after they are in it.

Illuminated structures

Every designer will agree that the right lighting is the best complement to any glass decorative element. Light makes glass sparkle and turns it into a real jewel. And most importantly, you don’t need any complicated equipment. Simply run the LED strip along the edge of the shelf.

It can be white, green, blue - in fact, any color. If this color matches the interior, the result will be beautiful in any case.

Decoration methods

A transparent shelf in itself seems beautiful, but there are ways to change its appearance, make it a little more original, suitable for a specific room. To do this, you can use either processing features or light.

Making the interior more original

What kind of processing is there?

Glass is processed in different ways - we can consider it a whole art . There are:

Stained glass . Stained glass shelves are a good solution if you need a strong accent, and there won’t be too many items standing on them. Of course, you shouldn’t include complex scenes in stained glass, no one will see them anyway, but simple patterns, flowers, birds will look bright and attractive. Stained glass windows are usually assembled from colored glass of different sizes and shapes, and then folded together, enclosing the finished pattern in a single glass unit - this way it will not be easily broken.
Fusing . Essentially the same stained glass window, but decorated slightly differently. Smaller pieces of glass are placed on ordinary glass, collecting a pattern from them, after which the result is baked at a temperature of eight hundred degrees. As a result, the form floats a little, but it is now extremely difficult to break it, and even more difficult to separate it from the original sheet. A good solution for a child’s room is, firstly, not to break it, and secondly, the child can participate in creating the sketch.
Sandblasting – translucent frosted glass. It is obtained by exposing an ordinary sheet to tiny particles of sand under high pressure. The result is a slightly rough, translucent surface that looks impressive, especially if the part was deliberately left uncovered during processing and a pattern was created. It looks especially good on bookshelves if the design is a pattern along the edge that remains clearly visible. The only drawback is that such glass receives many microscopic cracks during processing, becoming less durable.
Etched – translucent frosted glass with beautiful lightning-like marks. It looks impressive, rough, the edges of the recesses are even, smooth, no microcracks.
Photo printing . It is made using triplex, in which the desired design is printed on the film between the layers. It turns out bright, the drawing is clearly visible. You can replace it with dried flowers or leaves if desired. This does not affect the strength; the triplex still does not crumble into fragments, but only cracks.
Diamond sputtering . Produces translucent frosted glass and a bright, beautiful pattern.
Patterned . An ornament is applied on top, which is distinguished by relief.
Anti-glare . Gives normal transparency that does not cast glare in the sun. It looks especially good if crystal is displayed on the shelf.

Mobile shelves are very practical

In addition to complex processing, there is also a simpler one that can be done with almost any type of glass:

Color . Colored glass is made from triplex by coloring the film. This is done by covering ordinary enameled material with colored enamel or painting it with acrylic paint. The palette is rich, the choice is wide, the result is no more frequent, no simpler than transparent.
Mirror . Mirror coating is done on sheet metal, resulting in a beautiful reflective surface. Looks good in the bathroom or in a high-tech room.
End coloring . The transparent glass has a bright colored end, which gives the entire shelf a faint reflection of color and also looks quite aesthetically pleasing.
Matte colour . Frosted colored glass is produced either by etching or sandblasting. Then, as a result, it is not only rough, but also bright.

Colored glass looks much brighter and more beautiful

You can complement the overall picture by applying a drawing or making a stained glass window not on the shelves themselves, but on the glass frame on which they are mounted . This way it will be better visible, and the overall impression will be more complete. However, this is not suitable for every interior.

Advice You can order shelves according to your own sketch - but this will additionally increase the price.

How to decorate a shelf with LED strip?

An accent with light is a good interior solution, especially if you want to highlight the shelves with their contents. The best way to do this is not to use outdated incandescent lamps, but an LED strip - firstly, it does not heat up, which means it will not harm the environment, and secondly, it allows you to adjust not only the brightness of the backlight, but also its color.

The easiest way is to attach the strip above or below a shelf - it simply sticks to the wall and casts light on the items on display, or illuminates them from below. No additional equipment is needed, just glue is enough.

Illumination is made using LED strip

But you can act differently, so that the shelf is lit as if from the inside. To do this, you need to buy a metal profile and secure the tape in it .

This is done in four steps:

buy an aluminum profile, cut enough to fit exactly the length of the shelf, sand it so that there are no irregularities;
drill holes in the lower part of the profile, drill holes of the same diameter in the wall, and then attach the first to the second using self-tapping screws or plastic dowels;
insert an LED strip into the open groove at the ends of the profile - and if it is closed, then glue the tape along the bottom edge of the profile, covering the screw heads;
insert the glass shelf into the profile - if it fits too tightly, you can use a rubber mallet to gently hammer it in.

Lighting plays a beautiful decorative role

The result is a structure softly illuminated from the inside, which can be set in color along with the intensity of the light. If it is matte, the effect will be especially pleasant - the light will be diffused and weak.

Tip A lighted shelf with favorite toys will help your child cope with his fear of the dark. And choosing a color every night can be turned into an entertaining game.

Glass shelves with mirror

The mirror combines with glass shelves no worse than the lighting. It is usually wall-mounted, hung directly above the shelf, and the design, although not original, does have a touch of traditional chic.

On the shelf under the mirror you can place cosmetics, washing supplies, and a comb. You can look in the mirror.

The best solution for the entire structure is to place it somewhere in the bathroom or hallway so that you can clean yourself up in the morning.

It is interesting, by the way, that the glass shelves themselves can be mirrored.

Rooms where glass shelves are appropriate

The final touch is placement. Whatever shelf you end up with - wood or metal, patterned or matte, colored or transparent, thin or thick - it needs to find a place.

Traditional use

The glass shelf under the mirror, a familiar attribute of a bathroom set, is gradually losing its relevance. Glass still remains among the top moisture-resistant materials, but trends are changing the principles of shelf placement. 3-5-level combinations occupy a niche next to a ceramic bathtub and corner spaces.

Glass is often used as a stand for pots of indoor plants; see placement examples here. The green inhabitants of greenhouses and balconies, thanks to fashion trends, gradually moved from balcony greenhouses to bedrooms, offices, kitchens and living rooms. Designers are eagerly expanding the use of glass in all spaces with countertops and shelves that create interesting eclectic combinations with wood and metal.

Bathroom

The very first and most obvious thought is the bathroom. Any residential building requires that residents get up and wash in the morning, come home from work and wash their hands, and take a shower in the evening. And for this to become possible, there must be a space where you can put a glass of toothbrushes, soap and shampoos.

Shelves in the bathroom are usually either:

corner, on a special plastic pipe so as not to take up much space - often this is the corner where the bathtub is installed;
narrow rectangular, held on mounts under the mirror.

And if space allows, then you can hang shelves here and there.

Mounting to a wall surface

For glass shelves, there are several types of shelf holders: special ones, as well as aluminum profiles. These glass shelf mounting options are functional and practical to use, but are installed differently.

In addition, the holder can be used for different thicknesses and sizes of glass, and the aluminum profile is used exclusively for a specific thickness.

Despite this disadvantage, there is a huge advantage. If necessary, an LED strip can be inserted into the profile for illumination and also illumination of the shelf.

Attaching holders for glass shelves is not difficult: one side is fixed to the wall surface, the second, which performs a decorative function, will subsequently hold the glass.

Do not forget that to install one shelf you will need several holders, the number of which depends on the loads and the length of the glass.

Look also here:

Features and application of screws
Office furniture: what are its features and advantages?
Benefits of buying a sleeper sofa

Kitchen

In a small kitchen, glass shelves create a feeling of spaciousness, especially if the walls are painted a light color.

Kitchen glass shelves usually:

support the TV - such a shelf in the corner, above the level of the furniture;
support all kinds of tools and ingredients - and then serve as a replacement for wall cabinets.

It is important to remember that open shelves should not be hung right up to the ceiling, and it is also better to keep them away from the work area. Otherwise, your regular routine will include constantly cleaning them from grease and stains.

Decoration of any interior: shelves for flowers on the wall

Glass is not affected by fungus, does not swell from dampness and is easy to clean. That is why this material is used to make flower shelves. The minimum glass thickness should not be less than 6 mm if you plan to place pots with a volume of 1 liter or more. Shelves for flowers can be either “single”, that is, designed for one pot, or long or consisting of several tiers. Transparent glass is often used for flower shelves. It transmits light as much as possible and allows you to focus attention on the plant. Using glass shelves, you can create real vertical and horizontal wall greenhouses in your room.

If flower pots will be placed on the shelf, its thickness should be at least 6 mm

Photos of flower shelves presented on the Internet demonstrate both ideas of various shapes and placement methods. Triangular shelves hung in the corner in several tiers perfectly decorate the room. An original design solution could be shelves mounted in an asymmetrical manner on a free wall. The rounded shape of one of the sides, dark glass and fastenings of the same color will allow you to create an interesting composition.

Using glass shelves attached to window frames, you can not only provide comfortable conditions for flowers, but also create the effect of an “indoor front garden.” It is better to install flowering plants on such shelves - this increases the chance of achieving a more decorative design. Structures can be arranged in a zigzag pattern, have surface bends, and protruding parts. The combination of glass and fresh greenery with multi-colored buds, if properly designed, will decorate an interior made in any style.

Helpful advice! When hanging glass shelves for flowers, special attention should be paid to mounting them to the wall. It can weaken under constant load.

Living room

Glass shelves in the living room are a great place to display souvenirs.

In the hall, hanging glass shelves are needed not so much for practical purposes, but to complement the interior and show that the owners have taste.

You can put decorative plates, photographs, souvenirs, icons, books or even a TV on them - as long as they generally look good.

Functional solutions

Glass is used where there should be no clutter. Such a rack with books, souvenirs and other small items can hang directly above an armchair and coffee table, or occupy space near large panels and paintings. In another option, glass shelves become a stylish addition to coffee tables, desks or dining tables, the horizontal surfaces of which are made of identical material.