We Love…Glass

In our regular feature, 'We Love... Wednesdays', we share some of our favourite things about one of the most versatile materials in the world - glass.

Glass is obviously a core feature in a Westbury garden room, orangery, or conservatory extension. In this post, we take a closer look at some of the many functions and benefits of this multifunctional material.

As one of the oldest and most versatile man-made materials in the world, so many of our day-to-day activities would simply not be possible without glass. From the window you look through in your home, to the jar that houses your breakfast jam, the glazed appliances of your home and the mirror in which you brush your teeth, the television and computer screens that you use for work and for leisure, and the light bulb you switch off at the end of the day. Glass is all around us, all of the time.

While craftsmanship processes have evolved significantly over time, bringing about more and more complex uses, the earliest glass making is believed to date back to Egypt in 3500BC. Made by melting natural raw materials such as sand, limestone, and soda ash to form a substance that is liquid at high temperatures, and solid at ambient temperatures, modern glass manufacturing has become extremely high-tech and industrialised.

Sustainability

As a fully recyclable and sustainable material, glass helps to protect precious natural resources and offers fantastic environmental benefits. Over the past five decades, developments in glazing technology have lead to radical improvements in thermal insulation performance and solar heat control. Glazing has earned itself a strong position as an essential construction material for low energy buildings and it is often the main material of choice for modern eco-architectural builds.

We only ever use the highest quality of glazing for all of our projects and products. As standard, a double glazed unit in a Westbury structure is 28mm deep, applied with a low-emissivity coating to significantly reduce heat transfer and reflect interior heat back into the room. We also offer a variety of glass upgrades to suit individual acoustic, security or privacy requirements.

Space and light

Boosting the presence of light is an age old interior design tip, and glass is a real asset for maximising natural light into a room to brighten and enhance a space. Glass surfaces and objects also reflect and illuminate the light making a room feel more spacious, more comfortable, and more welcoming.

Expansive glazed areas in a room, from an extension wall or roof lantern for example, really work to bring the outside in, delivering the very best views of the surrounding landscape and sky.

Heritage appeal

Glass is not only gorgeous but it also holds a highly precious status around the globe – religious buildings often feature beautiful stained glass windows, the Murano varieties in Italy, Bohemian crystals, and the Mirros Gallery of Versailles – it is a material saturated with culture and heritage. This is why it is a texture that features so heavily in interior trends time and time again, and it is so often the choice of material for many decorative elements, household objects, and ornaments in and around our homes.

On its own or in a combination with other textures, glass is a timeless material for both interior and exterior design that provides us with a wealth of functions.