Glass Doors: Perfect Choice for Luxurious Interior
Saturday, January 29th, 2011For many centuries, traditional homes and establishments used the double or single hinge wooden door. These doors were a favourite because wood was the most readily available material for construction that was also light enough to be handled by men, women and children alike. The relative lightweight of wood also meant that there was minimal wear and tear on the hinge areas of the door and the doorframe. Finally, wood was easy to carve designs into, which suited the tastes of traditional designers and craftsmen who were used to making lavish ornamental designs on everything they created. But as beautiful as a well-designed wooden doors may have been, no design could transcend the limitations of opaque wooden material. Wood, as well as stone, brick, mortar and other opaque materials like it, did not let sunlight through; it did not allow people inside the structures to see what was going on outside, and it made the living or working space look and feel much more cramped.
So as soon as glass began to be used as a building material, it was used for windows. As architectural and glass-making technology continued to develop, it became possible to use increasingly larger glass panels and to install them in ever-widening spaces.
At the same time, trends in design began to realize the benefits of using transparent glass as an alternative to more traditional materials. With the rise of large, industrial and corporate centers that housed hundreds and eventually thousands of blue and white-collar workers, glass was one way to make the workplace seem friendlier and less restrictive. Also, tinting and other advances in glass designing techniques made glass even more recognized as a symbol of style, order and affluence.
We see the effects today in metropolitan centers. The tallest buildings are often literally covered in glass. Even for smaller business establishments, it is an absolute must to have a large glass window or even frameless sliding glass doors.
Another fixture in the professional world is the office wall partitions. These have become favored by business establishments for the many aesthetic and functional advantages that glass can offer.
Glass can, to a certain degree, negate the stressful, gloomy and impersonal environment of the office and make it a much cheerier place. As discussed above, it does this by letting in natural warmth and light, as well as making the space look much more open than it really is. There is another side to using glass doors, however, and it is functionality. First, glass doors imply transparency to customers or clients, which are definitely something that businesses want to, do.
Second, glass doors allow for and subtly suggest corporate monitoring and control over its employees. Your co-workers, superiors, and the security cameras can see what you’re doing (or not doing) more easily with glass doors.
There are many types of glass partitions used in businesses today but the two basic types are sliding doors and office wall partitions.