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sanjuangirl

What type of glass in your glass cabinets?

sanjuangirl
10 years ago

I have decided to go ahead and put glass in a large cabinet now even though I was going to wait since I'm already over budget...but I kind of know that I won't ever get them if I wait.

So what type of glass did you use and why? What did you do with the background? Mirror, paint, glass shelves? What type of lights? How thick are your glass shelves? Please share photos!

I'm excited to see what you've done!

Comments (15)

  • xc60
    10 years ago

    We have clear glass in our upper double stacked espresso cabinets. We also have them lighted. If I could do it again I would do perhaps double reed or some other glass with a texture. The clear glass is so hard to keep clean and streak free so I never turn on the lights.

    In our last house we had clear glass in several large cabinets, it worked much better there but I think it had to do with the cabinets being light maple and hiding the streaks.

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Is the back of your cabinet expresso? I would love to see photos if you have them. Thanks.

  • breezygirl
    10 years ago

    I had planned on using seeded glass until I went in to the window/door store to order my glass. The seeded was too textured. It gave me the creeps. I decided on a light water glass instead.

    I decided on wood shelves as these are my everyday dishes. I'm in and out of that cab at least a couple dozen times a day and didn't want to listen to the bang bang of glass shelves or risk breaking them. Plus, wood shelves were much cheaper.

    I didn't light the cab either for a few reasons. 1. My everyday dishes aren't anything special to highlight. Its not a china cabinet. 2. Lighting a cab is very expensive. 3. The cab interior feels bright being white.

    I also have a glass cab in the DR with the same glass and wood shelves.

    (Old pic is the best to show the glass.)

  • zackin
    10 years ago

    I used reeded glass. You can see it best in the pantry door, but the same glass is in most of my upper cabinets. It obscures messes inside, but you can still generally see what's behind it in the cabinets. The inside is the same walnut as outside and I didn't light the cabinets.

  • a2gemini
    10 years ago

    I went with a very lightly seeded glass. Mostly, I figured it would hide any streaks so I wouldn't need to clean it so often.

    I originally planned to use puck lights but switched to tape lights along both sides. (LED dimmable)

    I have glass shelves and back up wood shelves in the basement.

    If you go glasss, check the weight limit as I noticed some bowing if the glass in the center, so re-arranged items to keep the heavier items along the sides.

    The good news- if I still have problems, I can switch to wood since I am using the tape light.

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Breezy, love the water glass. Especially in the last photo. I'm using this cabinet as a bar area so it will have crystal stemware for the most part, so it's okay to see in. Thanks for sharing your photos, love your crystal knobs! I have to order it today since I was so late in deciding to go for it!

    Fredanj, thanks for posting, your kitchens is lovely.

    Gemini, I'd love to see your seeded, it's a choice I'm considering.

    Too many choices! So you can choose the degree of seeding and also choose a "light" water glass, think I need to see the variations in person.

  • 1929Spanish
    10 years ago

    I used plain glass and no lighting. I have a lot of glass cabinets that are functional ( they are most of my uppers). I wanted them to "lighten" up the kitchen.

    Here's one wall. They actually cover two pf three walls of uppers.

    Here's a closer photo. I like the simplicity of plain glass when the contents are busy. (btw, these were taken mid move-in).

  • MizLizzie
    10 years ago

    Mine is very lightly seeded. Again, just enough to hide streaks and throw the light a little. Very pleased with it.

  • lascatx
    10 years ago

    Mine have water glass and the leaded glass panels on the hutch have water glass as the background glass. I had been thinking seeded, but the seeded that was available when I went to pick it was too seedy.

  • breezygirl
    10 years ago

    SanJuanGirl--Yes, you need to go see the options IRL. Pictures won't mean anything if what's available to you looks nothing like what we post here. I have my crystal in that upper in the beverage area also. They don't show up well in that photo, but you what looks like empty shelves is really full of crystal and everyday wine glasses. Good luck in your search! Sounds like we're getting near to the point of some kitchen pics, eh?? :-)

  • taggie
    10 years ago

    Mine are clear glass with glass shelves, lighted. I wanted them to look like the hutch in the dining room, whch I like the look of for crystal, glassware, and china. Very happy with the result for my traditional kitchen.

  • taggie
    10 years ago

    MizLizzie, I really like the curved mullions in your cabinet ... so pretty!

  • xc60
    10 years ago

    Here are our cabinets with the espresso.

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Oh my goodness! What gorgeous kitchens! I'm so happy you're responding with these fabulous pictures.

    Spanish, I love the cabinet color, the counters, the lovely pulls and knobs, your arabesque And your glass. You reached your goal of lightening it up, it's so pretty!

    MizLizzie, your mullions are to die for. My big wow factor in my kitchen redo are double arched mullions like yours but mine are not as large or as long. The proportions of your are fab!

    Breezy, I'm beginning to think we'll never be done. We're double the time they estimated and we are no where near finished. I'm not sure i want to show my kitchen. it's not a style that many prefer. I may be too sensitive to criticism since it is a design I've had in my head for years. Lots of things are not coming out as I hoped, and everything is so expensive that mistakes cannot easily be remedied, eg.. I choose antique mirror to put behind my mullions as there is a soffit behind some of it and any glass would reveal that. The mirror arrived and it's WAY darker than the small sample, it was custom cut and not returnable. It reads a bit smokey, contemporary which is not at all what i imagined. Other items I splurged on are not as perfect in real life as in my head...I'm excited but feel a bit humbled and nervous about how it will all turn out.

    Taggie, your kitchen is magnifique! The bs , cabinet color and style are beautiful. Your glass sets them off so well.

    I just went to a glass shop and the glass I liked best is called GNA, it a version of antique glass. It's pretty and expensive.

    Thanks so much for sharing,your lovely kitchens!

  • a2gemini
    10 years ago

    I am on my computer - so here is a picture with the lights on inside of the cabinet (which makes the wood look dark in the picture)


    And without the lights

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