Rose-tinted glasses: 3M

In the 20th century, glass became the protagonist of modern architecture, wrapping tall structures and dividing office floor plans into boardrooms and cubicles. Today, post-pandemic design has seen the return of glass partitions with a new emphasis on social distancing. Beyond the office space, in 2021, glass partitions are set to play an important role in making people feel safe in public and commercial environments from spaces for retail and health, to restaurants and bars.

While much has changed, glass still remains one of the best materials for dividing space. It offers hygienic benefits due to its nonporous properties and brings transparency that allows for better communication and enables the flow of light. in addition, it’s both a durable and sustainable choice. Yet while functional glass partitions may become a necessity, that doesn’t mean that they cannot be intelligently and elegantly designed into space – and even embrace trends such as maximalism, colour blocking and the creation of dream-like interiors.

Designed to unlock total creative freedom when designing with glass, 3M™ Glass Finishes are an ideal partner to interior glass window surfaces. 3M offers designers a myriad of colours, patterns and effects at a much lower cost than the alternatives, so when designing to meet new health and safety requirements, style can re-enter the equation: Glass walls don’t have to be boring. As well as being functional, these finishes can make social distancing look better and bring added value to the spaces in which they are utilised.

There are certainly new challenges for designers when it comes to combining creativity with the implications of what glass partitions today often represent – a reaction to a global health crisis that has changed the world as we know it. The 3M™ FASARA™ range features over 100 finishes, from geometric to impactful patterns, new warm colour options, and a wide range of visual effects and transparency options, and helps designers to bring much-needed joy back to communal spaces, with the added benefit of privacy, to help people feel more comfortable and relaxed in social surroundings.

Engaging, eye-catching glass design brings a lot of increased value to interiors. 3M™ Dichroic replicates the shimmering, colour-shifting effect of dichroic glass at a fraction of the cost of traditional glass-installation methods. Designers are often drawn to this range because they are uniquely dynamic. Combining light and beauty with innovative 3M technology, the final effect alters depending on the existing surface colour as well as the viewing and lighting angle.

The reflective qualities of glass can be extremely alluring and 3M’s specially developed transparent adhesives preserve and compliment these qualities. The 3M™ DI-NOC™ Glass range is special because the adhesive is applied to the back of the glass, so the reflection, elegance, resistance and brightness compliments the chosen aesthetic pattern. This range offers patterns including wood, metal, fabric, stone, absolute white and absolute black – ideal for renovations that aim to bring existing interiors up to contemporary standards.

With 3M, creativity does not come at the cost of functionality. The glass finishes are non-porous, and have been tested with the most commonly used disinfectants, so they can be easily wiped clean without surface deterioration. With easy, fast and dust-free application, they are non-metallic, non-conductive and non-corrosive and feature a hard-coated surface layer to improve scratch resistance. The surface life means that 3M™ Glass Finishes can be flexible to changing trends and endless re-imaginings of future interiors.

© Architonic