Designer glass pieces on display at the Beau Monde showroom at 24, Park Street; (below) a designer mirror set-up at the same store. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Sleek, colourful and unconventional ? glass is fast emerging as a favourite among many to do up their homes in real style and splendour. And this is not the ordinary glass that you will find in kitchen cabinet inserts or the shower doors of a traditional home.

Rather, they are the frosted or the multi-coloured variety converted into interesting pieces of art that are finding a place of pride in most homes these days.

GoodLife gives you tips on how to use designer glass in the most unexpected of places and in the most unconventional of ways at home.

Room it right

Before deciding what to do with glass, sort out where you want to do it. “It is best to keep the use of glass limited to furniture in the bedroom, maybe a frosted glass steel bed and some nice looking glass bedside tables,” says designer Anita Mansata.

The drawing room, kids’ room and the shower area can, on the other hand, witness extensive use of glass.

Drawing room

If till now you had been thinking of limiting the use of glass to the centre table in your living room, then think again.

ass partition for your living rooms to separate it from the eating area is becoming a popular option.

“It is best to use etched glass for partitions. They come in a variety of textures ? some in the frosted matte variety and some with raindrop patterns. They work very well against a dark backdrop as they are mostly colourless. They go a long way in adding that touch of elegance to your living room,” says Devendra Jain of Beau Monde, a company manufacturing designer glass pieces.

But if you are looking to add a dash of colour to your partition screen, then you could also go in for the fusion variety, where splashes of colour can be put in the pretty little engravings done on the plain glass.

“If your living room’s walls are of a lighter colour with furniture in shades of beige or orange, it is best that you put up a partition screen that is more colourful. This would make your room more vibrant and help it come alive,” says Anita.

Kids’ corner

This is another area of your house where you can play around with glass quite freely.

“Kids love rooms that are colourful. So this is easily the best place for you to jazz up with glass. Instead of the normal plain glass that you put on window panes, use coloured glass with funky designs on them. There is a lot available in the market these days. From floral designs to cartoon characters you can use everything to make them look nice and bright,” says Anita.

ass can also be used within the wooden panelling on the door of your child’s room. For this, you can use glass that is curved or slumped creating an uneven up-and-down effect. “These doors add a completely different character to the world of your kids,” feels Devendra.

Shower room

There cannot be any substitute for glass decor when it comes to adding the element of glamour to your shower room. And bright-coloured glass basins are the latest way of doing so.

“These glass basins look great when fitted against a granite or a stone-finished table top. People now are looking for more character and want a splash of colour in everything they are doing,” says Anand Jain of Art N Fusion glass studio at 53/A, Charu Avenue.

Add to that a designer mirror on a stone-finished wall in hues such as orange, green or blue done with sequin or bead work on them. Those done in several bright multi-coloured pieces of glass also make your shower room look vibrant.

Wall wows

There is no limiting glass to fancy doors and windows anymore. With the advent of glass tiles, you can even play around with glass to do up the walls of your house. The tiles, which usually come in sizes of 2x2 sq ft can be fixed on the walls of your living room just behind the sofas. Against a sober-coloured wall you can use bright shades such as violets and pinks. Glass tiles that give out a crystal effect can be used against walls that are brightly coloured.

ass tiles also look good as a backsplash when paired with a granite countertop in the kitchen. “The retro look for kitchens is also very in right now and one could achieve this with black and clear checked glass tiles on the backsplash and black granite countertops,” says Anita.

Point perfect

There are some very important points that you need to keep in mind while doing up your place with glass.

Says Anita Mansata: “Glass should be used sparingly, carefully and stylishly in homes so that they are not mistaken for a commercial space.”

Then there’s the lighting factor. “Do the lighting effects in a way that focus points are created. For instance, it is always best to have a bright neon light over a sequinned designer mirror in your shower room,” she adds.

And when you are putting a glass partition up in your living room, make sure there is a light-and-shade effect at play so that there is no compromising on privacy.