Glass and mirror furniture – weighing the pros and cons

Recommendation points

• Advantages
• Attractive appearance
• Suitable for any interior style
• The presence of a large selection of colors, models, shapes
• Possibility of functional use of mirrors
• Visually expands the space
• High indicators of reliability and safety
• Transmits light
• Long term of use
• Ease of care
• Good performance
• disadvantages
• The need for daily care
• Possibility of creating too cold interior
• Opens a view of completely unnecessary things
• High price
• The likelihood of scratches
• Heavy weight
• “Noisy” countertop
• Sun glare

For many centuries, furniture was made exclusively from natural wood. Wooden tables, chairs, beds have not lost their relevance in our time. But natural wood is now expensive, and you don’t really want to replace it with cheap materials, for example, plastic or chipboard..

Glass and mirrors can be a good alternative to the usual furniture made of wood or MDF. Their original external parameters, good performance characteristics and wide possibilities of use in interior design make glass and mirror furniture a good choice. But of course, such furniture also has disadvantages. Let’s try to find out which ones.

Glass fronts and countertops give this kitchen a very modern look, look light, beautiful and unusual.

Advantages

Attractive appearance

Thanks to its original external parameters, glass or mirror furniture will make the interior truly luxurious. Such pieces of furniture always look refined, rich, elegant. Just one mirrored bedside table can change the appearance of a bedroom, and a wardrobe with glass doors, shelves and a mirrored wall will turn the living room into a grand hall.

In addition, mirrored or glass furniture looks unusual, immediately attracts the attention of guests, thanks to which it will become a highlight of your interior..

The classic version of mirrored furniture is a chest of drawers or a curbstone with mirror fronts. Agree that it is simply impossible not to pay attention to such a detail of the situation!

Suitable for any interior style

Both mirrored and glass furniture will perfectly fit into any interior style – from ultramodern hi-tech to strict and elegant classics. Glass and mirrors go well with both metal and wood, they are appropriate both in a laconic room, decorated in the style of minimalism, and in modern style with his love for flowing shapes and winding lines.

In addition, glass does not have to be transparent or opaque – it can be of almost any shade. It is impossible not to mention the possibility of applying photo printing on glass and mirror surfaces, as well as sandblasting, which allows you to “draw” any patterns. All this also expands the decorative possibilities of using such furniture in the interior..

Elegant set of furniture in the Baroque style. Notice how a glass table with a mirrored leg and traditional soft chairs are harmoniously combined

A mirrored chest of drawers with such an original facade of broken lines will only fit a modern interior, for example, a “high-tech” hi-tech

The presence of a large selection of colors, models, shapes

Another advantage of glass and mirror furniture is a variety of models and a wide scope of use. Glass and mirrors can be used to create coffee tables, decorate the front of a dresser or kitchen unit, wardrobe doors, bookshelves, bathroom furniture, and so on. The shape and appearance of such furniture can also be very different, giving wide scope for the embodiment of the designer’s fantasies and customer requirements..

A variety of designs and patterns can be applied to the mirrored facade of a chest of drawers or wardrobe, which will give the furniture an even more original appearance.

Possibility of functional use of mirrors

A mirrored wardrobe in the hallway is not only a beautiful thing, but also functional. It is in its door that you can see yourself from head to toe, leaving the house. It is convenient to use a mirror to decorate the fronts of a bathroom cabinet, especially if it hangs just above the sink. You will get two in one – both a storage place and a mirror in front of which you can wash, shave or apply makeup.

In front of such a mirrored wardrobe, you can arrange real fashion shows, choosing a dress for the upcoming party

Visually expands the space

Mirrored facades reflect the surrounding interior and have an excellent ability to visually expand the space of the room. It is thanks to this feature that mirrored furniture will be an excellent option for a small hallway, narrow bedroom or tiny kitchen..

Designers have known for a long time about the properties of mirrors to “push apart” the walls of a small room. To a greater extent, this applies, of course, to the mirrored facades of large pieces of furniture, for example, cabinets, but such a small bedside table will simply merge with the interior and will be practically invisible

High indicators of reliability and safety

Modern mirrors on furniture facades are covered with a special film, so there is no need to be afraid that they will fly apart from impact into small fragments. Tempered glass with a thickness of 8–10 millimeters is also practically not afraid of impacts and can serve as a reliable worktop in the kitchen. In addition, this glass surface can withstand high temperatures..

Despite the seeming fragility, you can safely lean on such a tempered glass dining table, put a lot of dishes and even a hot frying pan

Transmits light

Furniture made of transparent tempered glass is almost invisible against the general background of the furnishings and decoration of the room. In addition, such glass perfectly transmits light, and the room will appear brighter..

A transparent table and chair with this backrest visually take up less space in the space. A room fully furnished with glass furniture will never look cluttered; on the contrary, it may seem almost empty..

Transparent chairs in the general interior of this room are almost invisible, and the table, reflecting the white ceiling, does not seem so large and massive

Long term of use

Glass and mirrors do not change their properties over time, they remain all the same bright and elegant. The glass countertop will not tarnish, and the mirrored furniture facades in the kitchen or bathroom will not swell from damp, unlike the same chipboard. Thanks to such features, furniture made of mirrors or glass retains its original appearance for a long time and can be used until the owners simply get bored..

A completely transparent dining table and airy yet reliable glass shelves in this unusual kitchen dining room will serve their owners for many years.

Ease of care

Mirror or glass surfaces are easy to maintain. No need to use polish, wax or varnish, you can simply wipe with a soft dry cloth, sweeping away dust and getting rid of drip marks or fingerprints.

This glass top can be simply wiped with a soft dry cloth to remove dust, and the table will look like new.

Good performance

Glass and mirrors do not absorb odors, mold and mildew do not appear on them. These features make glass tables a great option for the kitchen. In addition, mirrors and glass furniture can be used in rooms with high levels of humidity, in particular in bathrooms..

Such a countertop will not absorb the smells of fish or spices, it is not afraid of moisture, and mold will definitely not appear on it, which often happens with wooden furniture used in the bathroom or in the kitchen.

disadvantages

The need for daily care

For a neat housewife, the glass surface of the kitchen table or the mirrored facades of furniture can be a real challenge. The smallest dust particles and fingerprints are immediately visible. If you have a small child in your house, it is better to refuse a glass coffee table – you just get tired of rubbing it daily, getting rid of traces of small hands. Will remain on the mirror or glass and traces of cutlery left next to a plate, damp or warm cups, etc..

In addition, it is not enough to simply wipe a glass or mirror surface with a damp sponge – you will also have to rub it with a dry cloth, otherwise streaks will remain. A glass cabinet in a bathroom may look unkempt and lose all its luster due to drip marks..

Dust is best seen on high-gloss colored surfaces, so get ready to start every morning by wiping down your chic but daily maintenance black glass dining table.

Dust is immediately visible on such a shiny dark surface. It is not clear where it comes from in the apartment even with the vents closed, but the fact is the fact – you will have to wipe such a glass table every day

Possibility of creating too cold interior

Glass and mirrors look nice but very cold. For creating a high-tech style, of course, this is not bad, but if you want to make the interior homey and warm, it is better to refuse glass or mirrored furniture. In the case of an abundance of such furnishings with glossy facades and countertops, you will get a real “crystal house”, beautiful, but inanimate.

However, by judiciously combining shiny cold furnishings with soft furnishings and textiles, the impression of an industrial interior can be avoided..

Glass furniture in blue and blue shades, as well as transparent objects, look especially cold and lifeless. From this point of view, it is better to choose a table made of yellow or red glass, however, such bright things can strongly stand out from the overall interior design.

Opens a view of completely unnecessary things

Clear glass can draw attention to unnecessary details, such as the legs of people sitting at a table. In this case, you will not be able to relax and, for example, take off your shoes under the table, and such a sight will definitely not add to your appetite. Of course, you can cover the transparent glass with a tablecloth, but why then choose a glass tabletop, if it will not be visible at all?

You can put only really beautiful things in a cabinet with transparent doors, neatly arrange dishes or souvenirs. Any mess such a display cabinet will immediately show guests.

Sitting at such a table, you will have to admire the feet of your neighbors. Of course, there is nothing so terrible in this, but some guests may not like it

High price

High-quality glass furniture simply cannot be cheap. The material itself is quite expensive, requiring skill and skill when creating furniture, as well as a certain processing technology. Furniture with mirrored facades cannot be called cheap either – for example, a mirrored chest of drawers can cost an order of magnitude more expensive than its usual MDF counterpart of the same size.

In general, the cost of such products will depend on the popularity of the manufacturer, the complexity of the decor, the thickness of the glass, as well as the processing technologies and joining of parts..

The most expensive are designer pieces of furniture made of tempered glass or mirrors. The price of such designer glass furniture is always set individually.

The likelihood of scratches

Both the mirror and the glass can be scratched. Even the thickest and most reliable glass dining table can be left with knife or fork marks. They are usually almost invisible, however, unlike scratches on a wooden surface, they cannot be sanded or hidden under a layer of varnish..

A glass coffee table can become a real decoration of the living room, but it is defenseless against scratches caused by metal objects. If your child decides to drive a steam locomotive with solid wheels on such a table, it is very likely that the traces of the “trip” will remain forever

Heavy weight

Imagine how much a dense glass tabletop weighs more than 10 millimeters thick. Quite a lot, believe me. Such countertops require reliable support, most often thick metal legs are used, which make the furniture even heavier. Increase the weight of a chest of drawers or bedside tables and mirror inserts on the facades. There will definitely be dents on the carpet or carpet from glass or mirror furniture, and it is very difficult to move such a piece of furniture on your own..

Furniture made of mirrors and glass weighs a lot, which makes rearranging it a difficult task

“Noisy” countertop

Glass countertops are much more “noisy” than traditional wooden ones. A metal fork will literally fall on such a surface with a crash, glass plates can also knock or rattle during lunch. In addition, the table itself, which is usually a metal base and a tempered glass top, can make loud noises if you lean your elbows on it..

To get rid of such a feature, it is imperative to use dish coasters, as well as to check the reliability of the fasteners, which may become loose over time..

The sound that metal is able to extract from glass is not pleasant. A meal at such an original table on wooden coasters will be accompanied by the clatter of dishes and the clink of metal appliances

Sun glare

The ability of glass and mirrored furniture to reflect light, of course, will brighten the room and visually expand the space. But bright sunlight reflecting off such facades and countertops can be very unpleasant to hit the eyes. Where the light will fall, reflected from the mirrored chest of drawers, you cannot immediately determine, but in the end it may turn out that the morning sun will prevent you from watching a pleasant dream.

Place light sources in a room with such furniture should also be careful. So, the lamp directly above the glossy countertop will also become a source of glare that will interfere with a pleasant dinner..

A sunbeam in your eyes is not a very pleasant sensation. Your mirrored furniture on a sunny day can “let” such bunnies literally throughout the room

For some, the beauty, durability and rich look of glass and mirrored furniture overshadow all its disadvantages. Others wonder whether it is worth buying furniture, which will take more time to care for. It’s up to you, of course.