Do you look with envy at the picture in glossy interior design magazines of glass staircases and balustrades and wonder how they maintain their flawless, minimalist appearance?
Do you desire glass shelving in a room but wonder how you get the floating effect? Do you wonder if minimalist glass shelving is a thing that only the chosen few can obtain?
The good news is that with the help of Balustrade Components you can achieve this flawless, minimalist look with an edgy design.
What is a minimalistic interior design?
They are words that are bandied around on blogs and in articles in a carefree fashion. And yet, very few people, despite aspirations to the contrary, would be unable to define what a minimalistic look is.
You might think bare or plain. You may think everything has to be white. The key aim of this interior design look is simplicity and objectivity. Ornamental layers, as the designers would say, are stripped back to reveal a clean, sharp, focused interior space.
And this is why, to a certain extent, the use of glass in such a space is perfect. The only glitch, until recently, has been the fixings and components used with glass that has been bulky and unsightly, especially in a minimalist design.
The glass is the perfect material to fit with the six essential aspects of creating a minimal space:
1. Quality material, without distractions
The first step in gaining a foothold in a minimalist design is to choose wisely when it comes to material. In fact, the adage of buying quality and buying it once is true. Thus, the glass is perfect.
But, it must be the center of attention. There must be no fussiness and no distractions. So, if you are opting for a glass balustrade, make is as minimal regarding components and fixings as you possibly can.
2. Choose a single piece to stand out
In a minimalist design, there is usually one eye-catching feature – and this is what turns bland in to minimal. You may have a gorgeous staircase with wooden floating treads and glass balustrade. You could draw the eye up the staircase, lingering on the delightful wood and glass combination, bringing the eye to rest on a colored lampshade at the top of the stairs…
3. Less is more
If you normally have a heap of coats hanging in the hallway or chunkily designed furniture, then you may need to refine your thinking. Everything in a minimalist design needs to be chosen carefully; it needs to almost earnt its place, so to speak.
Think silhouettes and the odd splash of color to add texture, but keep many of the items the same color and hue so as not to form a distracting mishmash.
4. Give items space
We are all guilty of doing this – squashing things into space because we like it because we need it because it has always been there, because there is nowhere else to put it and so on.
The time has come for no more excuses. For example, if you have a glass staircase there needs to be nothing else in the area.
Let it work in that space and give it space to breathe and be admired. You see, this minimalist design is also about being clutter free too.
5. Restraint on the ornamentation
And this is certainly true when it comes to glass. Choose those fixtures and fittings with care, and take your time. The glass clamps and standoffs should be as minimal as possible, with their look effortlessly integrated into the final overall look and design.
The glass is incredibly effective as framing a scene too. Just like a window, a perfectly positioned glass balustrade can frame the scene in the lounge, drawing your eye to an important feature.
6. A hint of an accent
We have discussed a showpiece to break the blandness but here we are talking about color. Subtle, shifting tones add just enough punctuation and feature to a room or space to make it conform. When we remove boundaries in interior design, we can sometimes remove the obvious but needed reference points.
For example, the addition of colorful flowers in a bathroom to stop it from looking like a public bathroom. It adds warms, texture and just enough of a reference to set it apart from the mundane.