Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lexi7_gw

Frosted Glass

lexi7
16 years ago

Hello Everybody,

I am so glad I found this forum. You almost make me appreciate our tiny ranch (900 sq. ft. heated area). Like most of you, I had to get rid of a lot of stuff because we no longer had room for it. We also use our acre lot for extended living space.

My question: Have any of you used frosted glass interior doors to make your space seem larger? I saw a very brief comment about it on TV the other day. I would like to use frosted glass on my doors and cabinets, but I have no idea how to attach the hardware. Have any of you used mirror tiles to make your space seem larger? They might work on my kitchen cabinets, if I can not find the frosted glass. If this has been addressed in this forum previously, please forgive me. I did not see anything about it in the 8 or so pages that I read.

I look forward to reading your posts and being a part of this forum.

Lexi

Comments (6)

  • johnmari
    16 years ago

    You can special-order frosted-glass doors from Home Depot or Lowes. I was going to use a French door setup with frosted glass for my master bathroom door, but we ran into a snafu and it no longer coordinated with the rest of the woodwork. We were going to use it not to make anything look larger, but to allow the light from the bathroom (which gets a little more natural light than the adjoining bedroom) to come into the bedroom. On doors and cabinets, you would need to somehow remove the inside panels to substitute glass - it would probably be easier to replace the doors entirely (and it might not be possible to retrofit many sorts of doors). There are many places online to order glass cabinet doors, try some Google searches. Do one room or a few cabinet doors at a time as you can afford to.

    I can't help you on the mirror tiles (or giant mirrors), because I detest them. I do not think it makes a space look bigger, I think it makes a space look more cluttered and crowded because of all the reflected stuff. If you like the "sparkle" and "light movement" effects of mirrors, think about using smaller, beautifully framed mirrors like you would artwork.

    OK, this is purely my opinion but I gotta get it off my chest. I get very frustrated with the constant emphasis on "gotta look bigger" when people are talking about small homes and small rooms. It buys into the whole "bigger is better" brainwashing BS that is making such a mess of our culture, when really to be happiest in small spaces we should be changing our attitudes and our perceptions. Instead of trying to make a small room look spacious and airy, for example, think "exquisite jewelbox" or "cozy den".

  • lucy
    16 years ago

    JM - couldn't agree more! Bigger is not always better (and unless you're reflecting a landscape, I also agree about using mirrors!).

  • lexi7
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I donÂt know about bigger being better, but it is nicer. A second bathroom would be nice, so would more storage and more elbow room. If I could double every room in our home, it would still qualify for a small home on this forum. Now better to me is being debt free and having money saved, so I will continue to try to make this little home, with no mortgage, feel and look nicer. It is always nice to change our attitude when we canÂt change our circumstances.

    Thanks for the response and warm welcome.

    Lexi

  • hopesprings_gw
    16 years ago

    While I understand frustration with the "bigger is better" society we live in, I have to add my experience. I lived in the Bay area for 4 years after growing up in a wide open Midwest small town area. My tiny CA condo had a large mirror mounted over the LR mantle that really made the whole condo feel bigger...a good thing IMO. I went into the same model without the mirror in the LR several times, and I really liked the light and space it reflected. On the other hand, the closet in the MBR had full mirror doors, which I learned to live with but did NOT like. So I think it depends on where and how the mirrors are used. Just my 2 cents....

  • terryinmd
    16 years ago

    On many of the British decorating shows I have noticed a lot of houses have interior glass doors, for example, between kitche and living room. This seems like an excellent idea to maximize light in both rooms.

    In our soon-to-be retirement home there is a solid door between the laundry room and the kitchen. I am seriously thinking about replacing it with a glass door to allow light from the glass entry door to travel into the kitchen, instead of leaving the door open to the mess of the laundry'entry'storage room.

  • piper1014
    16 years ago

    "Now better to me is being debt free and having money saved, so I will continue to try to make this little home, with no mortgage, feel and look nicer. It is always nice to change our attitude when we canÂt change our circumstances."

    Well said! :)

    I'm planning to add a glass door -- not frosted, but just multi-paned -- to my "office" off the entry. I'd like to be able to close the door without totally cutting myself off from everyone.

Sponsored
Preferred General Contracting, Inc.
Average rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars9 Reviews
Fairfax County's Specialized, Comprehensive Renovations Firm