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Everyone dreams of making their kitchen beautiful, stylish and comfortable. One way to stand out is to put a glass table in the kitchen. Such furniture is non-trivial and beautiful, but has its own characteristics.
Benefits of glass tables
The first and most important advantage of a glass dining table is its unusual and stylish look. Nobody denies this. The second important plus also has to do with design – a transparent or almost transparent countertop does not clutter up the space. This is very popular in small kitchens.
There are other advantages:
- High strength and impact resistance.
- Glass is not afraid of changes in temperature and humidity. You can set both cold and hot without restrictions.
- Dirt doesn’t get into it. Any contamination can be wiped off with a rag and detergent (for the kitchen or special for glass).
- The material meets the requirements of environmental and fire safety.
- A large number of design options.
A few words separately about the strength and reliability. If you’re worried that your glass dining table might crack or break, don’t worry. They are made of special impact-resistant glass (tempered or laminated type triplex), which breaks only from sledgehammer blows. So with a saucepan, a plate, a cup, you will not break it. Here you can break a cup or plate by putting it too sharply. But the table is not damaged.
Let’s talk about the shortcomings
There are many pluses, but there are also minuses. Basically, they are related to the features of operation. Some owners of such furniture do not want to change them and are happy with everything, but someone definitely did not like them because of the features. Here are the problems:
- Some types of glass are difficult to care for. Fingerprints and dust are visible on them. These are the reviews of the owners of the black glass dining table. Everything is visible on a dark smooth surface. A little better – with transparent glass, but regular maintenance is also required. Best of all, the situation is with matte or applied photo printing. These are the most practical types.
Glass requires special care - As a negative point, the “voicing” of such furniture is noted. They put a plate, a cup on the glass, put cutlery, moved something from place to place – each action is accompanied by a loud and distinct sound. This is very annoying. You can neutralize this disadvantage by using special serving napkins, coasters. If you put dishes on them, there is no sound.
- The table feels “cold”. In cold climates this can be a problem. It is also noted that food cools faster on a glass table in winter (if there are no napkins under the plates).
- Not everyone feels comfortable sitting at a transparent table, not everyone likes to look at their feet or their neighbors at the feast.
- Smooth glass can be scratched.
A rough surface is not so hard to care for
This is about the shortcomings. It is worth saying that not everyone perceives them as something serious. Only a few people out of two dozen talk about “cold”. Difficulties with care are also noted by only a few people. However, if you are still thinking about whether to buy a glass table for the kitchen, take into account the reviews of those who used them.
Types of countertops
First, let’s talk about the shape of the countertops. Glass table in the kitchen can be:
- Round. It looks stylish, besides, due to the lack of corners, it is absolutely safe in terms of injuries. But you can’t put it against the wall, only retreating at least 60-80 cm. So the kitchen should be spacious. With equal dimensions with a square one, more people fit behind it.
Round glass table in the kitchen – a great option for spacious rooms - Oval. also installed in the middle of the room. Oval glass dining tables look no worse than round ones, and even more people fit. The style is to see how it will look. Hi-tech, loft or minimalism may not fit.
Oval models are roomy and stylish - Rectangular. It can stand both in the center and against the wall or even in the corner. The most practical models Combined with any style of decoration, the set may include chairs, benches, sofas.
Rectangular models – almost universal option - Square. Such tables are usually placed in small kitchens. They are compact and take up little space. Often such models are folding: if necessary, they are laid out in rectangular.
Square models of glass dining tables are not so common. - triangular. The original form for the performance of “solo”. Such furniture is installed in the middle of the room.
The most, perhaps, rare – triangular tables made of glass - Folding or sliding. The glass kitchen table is not as fragile as it seems. Fittings are even attached to it, which allows you to get folding tabletops.
One of the models of folding tables for the glass kitchen
If you want to have a rectangular or square glass table in the kitchen, when choosing a model, pay attention to the fact that the corners are rounded. And the smoother the line, the better. Glass is a very hard material and can be easily injured. Nothing serious can be, but there will be bruises from collisions. Therefore, if you have small children, consider the option of a glass top in a frame made of softer material (there are also such models). Wood is ideal, but plastic will do. That’s just not worth taking in a metal frame: it makes no sense to change one hard material for another.
Glass type
A little more about the glass that is used to make tables. The thickness of the glass depends on its type. Hardened take from 6 mm thick, triplex – from 8 mm. In appearance, it can be:
- transparent
- matte;
- patterned;
Black glass – stylish, but very troublesome to maintain - plain color;
- with a pattern applied using photo printing;
- The drawing was applied using sandblasting.
If we talk about practicality, then the easiest way to care for a glass table in the kitchen with photo printing. The traces are not so visible in the picture. But such furniture does not fit into all styles. Not too difficult to care for matte or sandblasted. Their “roughness” contributes to the fact that dust and fingerprints are hardly noticeable. Plain and transparent countertops are the most demanding to care for. But there are special tools that do not leave fingerprints after processing and dust does not accumulate on surfaces.
Material, shape and number of legs
Legs for glass kitchen tables are made from different types of wood. They can be simple, carved. A glass table with wooden legs fits well in rooms where there is already wood trim in a similar color. If there is no wood in the finish, it is better to look for models with metal legs. By the way, most of them.
Legs for glass tables are made of stainless, nickel-plated, chrome-plated steel. Sometimes, for budget models, pipes from these materials are used, but more often the legs are made specially. Whatever forms they come in, because in combination with a transparent table top, they, in many respects, determine the appearance and style of furniture.
Whatever the shape of the support, be sure to check the stability before buying. Appearance, appearance, but practicality should also be on top. Therefore, try to turn the table over, loading one of the sides. If you did not succeed, the table does not stagger under any circumstances – everything is fine, it is reliable and safe.
How to choose a certain style
Looking at the photo, you can see that the glass table in the kitchen looks different. The role is played by the shape of the tabletop, the color of the glass, the material and shape of the legs. If you have a kitchen or dining room decorated in a certain style, you need to find this piece of furniture in the same vein. Let’s take a look at the most popular interior design styles in recent years.
High tech
This style has two characteristic features: a lot of glass and metal, simple clear lines, simple shapes, no drawings. The predominant colors – white, gray, light beige, enliven all bright accessories or pieces of furniture. Following this concept, a high-tech glass table can be with a transparent or gray top. This is if the table is not an accent piece. Another option is from bright plain glass without drawings, if it is just the “highlight” of the interior.
Bright or black glass tables go well with a glossy white kitchen set. But with this choice, keep in mind that constant and thorough cleaning will be required: both white gloss and black glass do not tolerate the slightest trace of dust and dirt. Even fingerprints are visible on them.
The legs of this table are made of shiny metal. The form is concise. Folding glass tables fit perfectly with transparent tabletops, in which fittings are visible. Hi-tech – this is the style where the “piece of iron” is just “in the subject.”
Provence
Oddly enough, glass tables for the kitchen also fit well into the soft and romantic Provence. But here a slightly different approach to the choice of models. This style is characterized by the presence of wood, forged metal products. It is with such elements that you need to look for furniture.
For a Provence-style kitchen, a glass glass table with wooden legs with a tabletop in a wooden frame is suitable. Glass – frosted or milky, maybe white, pale lilac or pale lilac. The choice of color depends on the specific case. And the most versatile option is with milky glass. In this case, the carving on the legs is appropriate, since the Provence style is ethnic, such “decorations” are typical for it.
Another option is a glass table with forged legs. This decor is also combined with ethnic styles.
Naturally, the chairs should be with the same ones, so you will have to look for a set – a glass table with forged legs and chairs for it. If the tabletop is rectangular, a bench can be placed along the long wall.
Loft
Loft – a newfangled style of interior design, the main feature of which is the deliberate negligence of some details. Most often it is a brick wall without finishing, open parts of engineering systems – pipes, ventilation ducts.
Usually, convenient, stylish, comfortable upholstered furniture of a simple concise form is selected. Part of the furniture is assembled with elements of pipes, artificially aged (or really old) pieces of wooden furniture may be present, for some other items, unusual things may serve as details. For example, a shelf or chair can be assembled from water pipes and boards. At the same time, the boards look as if they were not processed at all or they forgot to replace the paint. In general, a mixture of chic and “tramp style”. It turns out an interesting mixture.
If we talk about a glass table in the kitchen, then a transparent tabletop with deliberately rough legs will go for the loft style. It can be an unfinished deck, a chaotic pile of “unpainted” pipes. As an idea, you can consider a base made of bricks. In general, something like this.
Modern
Modern is the style with which there will be no problems if you need to choose a glass table for the kitchen. This style is decorative and refined. The colors are like dusted with ashes: gray-blue, muted lilac, faded rose, white and beige. They are accentuated with contrasting colors or black and brown. For furniture, aged wood, metal products (in particular, forging), and glass are acceptable. Just what a glass table in the kitchen is usually made of.
The Art Nouveau style is characterized by floral ornaments, so they can also be in the design of the table, which is not difficult in the case of forging. Another option is a simple table and unusual chairs. One of the techniques of this direction is contrasts. So you can shift the focus specifically to unusual chairs, and a glass table in the kitchen will be a common part of the decor. In general, choosing the right model for this design style will not be so difficult.