5 Clever Ways to Create Privacy with Glass

Are you looking for a way to give your property a contemporary/modern look and feel using glass, while also wanting to maintain privacy? Would you like to create privacy with glass?

Highly glazed home designs have grown massively in popularity over the last few years. With modern glazing solutions now achieving high thermal performance values and high protection against hard weather, solutions such as glass walls and roofs are becoming increasingly popular.

One concern that some may have with highly glazed home designs is privacy, and we often get asked how to make glass windows private. This is why we have put together five clever ways to create privacy with glass.

IQ Glass can offer a range of glazing solutions in order to resolve this issue including Sandblasted glass, Privacy/switchable glass and Electrochromic glass.

Sandblasted glass

Also known as frosted glass, sandblasted glass is created by a process of firing fine sand at the glass, which results in a cloudy, translucent appearance and gives the glass a rougher surface to the glass giving the unit anti-slip resistance properties which make it the perfect surface for the walk on glass units.

Sandblasted glass can be used for decoration or in walk-on glass units as an anti-slip finish and is also a great way to create privacy with glass. IQ Glass is able to sandblast pieces of glass up to 6000mm wide x 3000mm high in a variety of designs and patterns. By using the sandblasting method virtually any pattern can be imprinted on a glass face including gradients of translucency and intricate design patterns.

Privacy/switchable glass

With just a flip of a switch, switchable privacy glass allows you to be able to turn glass from transparent to frosted instantly, making it the ideal way to create privacy with glass. This is achieved via the introduction of an electrical charge through the glass unit which contains a liquid crystal film which uses nonlinear and nanotechnology.

When it's switched on and an electrical charge is sent through the glass, the liquid crystal molecules become charged and align, which allows light to pass through making the glass unit clear instantly. But when the power is switched off the liquid molecules randomise scattering light resulting in the glass unit becoming translucent (Private).

Privacy glass can be used on whatever door or frame is required such as glass floor lights, large sliding door systems and a huge variety of structural glazing. An example of the inclusion of privacy glass can be used in home windows to eliminate the need for blinds. At IQ Glass’s showroom in Amersham, there is a fully functional privacy/switchable glass wall pane which will give a clear insight into the functionality of this product.

Electrochromic glass

This tintable dynamic glass’s functionality is categorised as being controllable and non-controllable. Controllable is when the technology is operated by people, whereas non-controllable is when the glass changes its state in response to the adjustment of its environment through a sensor.

An example of this is when the thermochromic glass reaches a certain temperature the colouration of the glass adjusts accordingly. This process is achieved via applying a low voltage charge through one layer to another of metal-oxide coated panes resulting in the glass tinting decreasing light transmission and solar gain.

Electrochromic glass’s main functionality is not conventionally used for privacy like the switchable glass is, but is primarily used to block unwanted glare, heat and sunlight via tinting effect to the glass. However, this in effect ford creates privacy with glass due to the tinting, as this will block views more than standard clear glass regardless.

Decorative Interlayers

There is a wide variety of materials, prints and fabrics that can be incorporated into a laminated glass pane. Special Kiln Formed Glass can be used to add dimension and texture to your glazing element and can be used as an artistic way to obscure vision through and create privacy with glass.

You can laminate anything into glazing... from grass to fabric to printed interlayers. The material that you choose to laminate into the glass unit will change the thickness of the interlayers used and the glass thickness will be determined by the glass installation itself.

Different materials can be used to create privacy with glass at varying levels, whether you want to partially or fully block views.

Blinds, Louvres and Curtains

The final way to create privacy with glass is by incorporating blinds, louvres or curtains into to project. Although this is not a direct way to create privacy with glass, these additions can help the glass to complement and enhance the design of the rest of the home.

Blinds can be concealed when open and many modern automated blind systems can be integrated with smart home automation. This allows them to blend in seamlessly with a modern and minimal luxury home design.

Many of these solutions that are utilised to create privacy with glass can be seen in our newly renovated IQ showroom, located in Amersham just outside of London. The new space also includes a wide range of high-performance glazing systems including curved structural glass and double-height automated glazing systems.

Contact the team today to book your showroom visit.

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