There are plenty of practical reasons to pick a glass balustrade. However, the decisions we make about our home furnishings are often driven by more than logic.

When picking out something to add to our home, we often think about the visual impact first. Does it match the style of its surroundings? Is it in keeping with the theme of the house? And, most importantly, do you like how it looks?

These are much more subjective factors. No one can tell you what your home should look like (or what it shouldn’t). But when it comes to glass balustrades or bannisters, they have interior design benefits that help them fit in with a whole range of styles.

If you’re convinced of the practicality of a glass balustrade, but not so sure they match up aesthetically, here are a couple of design benefits you can expect when you pick them.

Improve the flow of natural light

One of the biggest benefits of using glazing is always the way it lets sunlight shine in. Whether you’re talking about doors, shower screens or bannisters, turning parts of your home transparent means that the whole room or space will be lighter.

With glass balustrades, this is particularly important. Hallways often have limited light sources, with windows few and far between. Anything you can do to increase the natural light in these spaces will make a big difference, and a glass balustrade can help share uninterrupted light between upstairs and downstairs.

This shared light is equally beneficial for staircases that are located inside rooms as well.

Increase sense of space

The transparency of glass doesn’t just increase the light in a room either. The uninterrupted sightlines will make a space feel much bigger as well as brighter.

This is obviously a great benefit for narrow or angular hallways, as it can stop staircases from feeling like they severe the space. Instead, it can create a sense of flow, helping upstairs and downstairs come together.

It can have an even bigger impact on staircases or landings inside actual rooms. Even though stairs aren’t exactly usable design space, glass balustrades can break down the barrier between the staircase and the room helping it feel like there is more distance from wall to wall.

While this doesn’t give more space to put furniture in, it still creates more space in the room, helping it feel bigger and more open plan.

Flexible with other materials

Thanks to its lack of colour and its smooth, sleek texture, glass is incredibly flexible from a visual point of view. While you may automatically picture a glass bannister with a metal handrail, frame and fixtures, you don’t actually have to limit your designs to suit steel.

Though sleek, smooth steel or aluminium make a beautiful complement to a glass balustrade, glass can also make an attractive contrast with natural materials like wood. From the drama of dark hardwood to the gentler tones of softwood like pine, glass can look just as stunning against wood as it can with metal.

Even better the smooth, clean surface of glass makes a perfect counterpoint to the textured grain of wood. Both materials can make a stunning design statement in themselves.

Support a modern, minimalist look

Team a glass bannister with a wooden frame and it can look perfectly at home at home anywhere – even in a period property or cottagey aesthetic. but when it comes to a cutting-edge contemporary home, you’ll struggle to beat a glass bannister to match your design.

Minimalist decor is all about clean lines and an unfussy design – and you won’t get cleaner or sleeker than glass. Pair it with a metal frame to create contrast, or go frameless for ultimate minimalism.

As we mentioned before, picking glass will also help you create a sense of space and increase light which are both key parts of a contemporary interior aesthetic.

Add a decorative flourish

Find the right balustrade and you can even create a decorative focal point with your glass bannister itself.

Rather than plumping for clear glass, pick out pattered, frosted or obscured sandblasted glass. This type of glass is just as robust, strong and easy to maintain as standard glass but the treated glass will add its own visual texture too.

You can even choose to have your own design added to the glass. Here at KLG, we can create patterned glass that matches the design of fabric, wallpaper or even tiles. So if you have a feature wall that’s papered in a distinctive style, we can help you echo that look elsewhere being tied to colour choices.

Sandblasted glass adds its own visual appeal but it will slightly obscure sightlines. However, it still maintains 97% light transmission so it will still help your rooms feel bigger and brighter.

Lift your staircase with a glass bannister

If you want to refresh your stairs with a staircase that shares natural light and helps your hallway feel bigger, then a glass balustrade is a wonderful option.

Here at KLG we make bespoke balustrades to fit any size or style of home. Speak to us today to find out more.