Simple Ideas to Change your Kitchen with Glass

Materials can make all the difference in the world when choosing ways to enhance your kitchen. When trying to decorate and improve your home do you ever think of glass to brighten, enhance, and use for its reflective properties? Glass is one of the most used materials already in our homes. Windows naturally enhance our homes, but glass used in our kitchens and furniture is becoming more of a design trend than ever before.

Here are simple ideas to change your home interiors with glass. Whether you choose to add it to your kitchen in cabinetry, decor, or even countertops, here are some inspiring ideas to use glass.

Ways to Transform the Look of Your Kitchen Using Glass

1. Install Glass In Cabinet Doors

kitchen glass cabinets
Kitchen cabinets with glass doors let in light

Try using glass in cabinetry doors to enhance the look of your dinnerware and collectibles. Install some under cabinet lighting inside of cabinets to illuminate special pieces. This can help your cabinets to look as if they are taking up less space in your kitchen. Just be sure to keep the dishes you put in them looking neat and organized.

2. Use Glass As A Surface Cover

kitchen glass cabinets windows
Brighten your kitchen with cabinet glass

Glass naturally brightens any kitchen:

The beautiful property about glass is its reflective properties that allow spaces to feel larger and more spacious. When used in kitchens and bathrooms countertops/backsplashes, glass enables the space to look sleeker and modern. Glass blocks can be used in kitchen walls to bring in light from surrounding rooms, or even used in a countertop. Try using glass in cabinetry doors to enhance the look of your dinnerware and collectibles. Install under cabinet lighting inside of cabinets to illuminate special pieces.

3. Consider A Completely Glass Counter Top

kitchen glass counters ideas
Kitchen glass countertop ideas

Furniture and home decor to compliment your kitchen:

Many rooms can influence your kitchen, and borrowing some decorative glass elements from your living room and dining rooms can lend influence. Glass has always made beautiful tables, but it also makes a beautiful material to pair up with other home finishes such as wood, metal, leather, and instantly feel an urban loft appeal to your space.

4. Pair Glass With Other Reflective Materials

kitchen counter glass
Glass counter ideas for your kitchen

The options are limitless when it comes to glass. Since glass makes your interiors more reflective, pair glass up with these materials in your kitchen, such as stainless-steel appliances, reflective sink faucets, or use it as a base for a countertop extension like they did in the above example.

5. Use Glass As A Divider

kitchen counters cabinets glass interior
Use glass dividers between the kitchen and adjacent rooms

Your kitchen can use glass from countertops and cabinets to accents in your tile. Glass ceramic tile used in mosaic backsplashes or behind your stove can add reflectivity as well. If you have a dark kitchen that doesn’t receive much natural light, paint the walls a lighter color and add glass front cabinetry, lighting fixtures, or install glass block walls to borrow light from adjacent rooms. Glass lighting fixtures can bring in added sparkle that you didn’t realize was missing. Look through your favorite interior lighting magazine, glass pendants, chandeliers, and table lamps all will add a needed brightness to spark your home’s appeal.  Just when you thought your kitchen was dull and boring, bring glass into its interiors and brighten it up!

Photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5.

6. Hang Glass Light Fixtures

Hang Glass Light Fixtures in kitchen

Glass lighting fixtures can bring in added sparkle that you didn’t realize was missing. Look through your favorite interior lighting magazine, glass pendants, chandeliers, and table lamps all will add a needed brightness to spark your home’s appeal.  Just when you thought your kitchen was dull and boring, bring glass into its interiors and brighten it up! Take a look at this example kitchen by ylighting where glass bowl lights were used to illuminate the island without creating a bulky look in the kitchen.

7. Mount A Mirror

Mount A Mirror glass in kitchen

Sometimes people forget that mirrors are actually just large, dark pieces of glass that you can see yourself in! And when you truly need to try and expand upon your small kitchen, hanging a mirror somewhere in it really can work wonders. One example is this kitchenette in Metro Glass. Although it is quite small, with the mirror to the side of the table and a full mirror backsplash above the counter, it looks as if there is room to spare!

8. Design Your Kitchen Backsplashes With Glass Tile

Design Your Kitchen Backsplashes With Glass Tile

Beyond using glass in its pure form or as a mirror, your kitchen can use glass tiles to accent your counter tops and glass cabinets. Glass ceramic tile used in mosaic backsplashes or behind your stove can add reflectivity and color to a monochrome kitchen as well. They used this idea in LV Rocks Radio to take a grey kitchen with a white counter top, and transform it into something unique with a teal glass tile backsplash. This brightened the room and now leaves room for lots of teal accents in dish towels, fruit bowls, and other décor.

9. Glass Looking Kitchen Furniture

Glass Looking Kitchen Furniture

Another problem with small kitchens is that they can quickly feel very full when you start putting furniture like tables, chairs, and barstools. Have you ever thought about getting glass looking furniture? It can be difficult to keep clean when you have kids, but the sleek modern look it will give your kitchen while also seeming to save you space will be worth it! For an idea of what this could look like reference this kitchen from Apartment Therapy.

10. Set Up Glass Open Shelving

Set Up Glass Open Shelving

Are you a fan of the open shelving look? Well, you are in luck because this idea can be easily implemented with glass shelves! This will make your open shelving concept very cohesive regardless of the décor style of your kitchen. You can also pair this idea with a mirror like they did in Décor Pad to make your kitchen look even bigger and highlight the items you place on your open shelves. But even without a mirror, this is a great way to make your kitchen have a more open feel.

11. Frost Your Glass

kitchen glass cabinets

It can be difficult to go with the open shelving, or glass cabinet door look if you have a lot of dishes you need to hide in your cabinets. And when your dishes don’t necessarily match each other, you may be wondering just how you can make glass cabinets look good in your kitchen. In this case, you may want to consider frosted glass for your cabinet doors. It can reinvigorate your kitchen, giving it a more updated look while still hiding all those dishes you have yet to replace. You can see what this may look like see this kitchen in Ghar 360.

12. Shop For Glass Appliances

Shop For Glass Appliances

Many people are surprised to find out that you can actually buy glass appliances. And it’s true, you can purchase items such as a glass refrigerator to add to your kitchen. This look, when implemented correctly, can serve to accent the look of your kitchen, while also making it easy to see what is in the fridge without opening it! Still not convinced?

13. Use Your Glassware As Decoration In Your Kitchen

Use Your Glassware As Decoration in your kitchen

Nothing quite goes with glass like glass! For those looking for a way to add to their kitchen décor without subtracting from a clean look, consider using your glassware as an easy and inexpensive decoration, after all, you’re going to have it on hand anyways. In I Design Arch, they implemented this idea by filling the built-in shelves with wine and martini glasses to accent the gorgeous teal glass counter top and dining table.

14. Decorate Your Kitchen With Glass Canisters

Decorate Your Kitchen With Glass Canisters

There is always a purpose for jars and canisters in your kitchen, because where else are you going to keep things like pasta, flour, and sugar once you open the bag? Since you need to have these around anyways, make them work in your favor by purchasing clear glass canisters and using them to decorate your kitchen like in this kitchen on Anderson and Grant. This idea really is quite versatile, as you can purchase any size and shape canisters and mix and match to create your desired look.

15. Purchase Glass Dishes

Purchase Glass Dishes

Now that your kitchen is mostly glass, it makes sense to purchase some glass dishes to display in your new glass cabinets or on your all glass counter top.  And you don’t have to get all clear glass dishes, a nice set of white matching glass dishes can look great in an open shelving, or frosted glass concept as well.

No matter how you decide to use it, glass will be a welcome addition to your kitchen. Not only can adding glass to your kitchen help make it feel larger, but you will also find that glass brings in more of the light you want to brighten even the darkest kitchen. So use one, two, or all of the ideas on this list to transform your kitchen into a work of art using glass!