Elegant Accessorizing with Glass and Crystal

Glass objects are a go-to accessory for some designers, whether as a focal point in a contemporary condo or finishing touches in a historic home. They're timeless and classic accessories that go with any interior design scheme, says designer Lauren Davenport Imber.

Glass and crystal accessories came into our homes in a variety of ways. An heirloom. A treasure from a day of antiquing. A hand-blown orb worthy of a splurge. A vase that held a bouquet from a special someone.

These designer showhouse spaces and vignettes made it clear how glass and crystal objects can elevate both entertaining and intimate spaces.

Obelisks are making a comeback. Crystal obelisks crowned both ends of the mantel in the wood-paneled living room designed by Stan Topol for the 2017 Southeastern Showhouse in Atlanta. The room includes a sectional sofa, a French reproduction chest as a coffee table and an abstract canvas.

“You’re starting to see more of them, whether it’s on a side table or console tables or mantels,” Davenport Imber says. “It can stand alone on its own or just kind of disappear into the background and add the weight factor.”

A beamed and vaulted living room decorated by Georgia designer Sally Draughon features accessories such as glass obelisks on the mantel. The room, which also included provincial furniture and double gold chandeliers, was part of the 2017 Design House for the Historic Macon Foundation.

Obelisks also add stature to consoles and coffee tables, like grouped on a glass-topped table.

If obelisks aren’t the shape you want, consider finials. A delicate crystal finial, glass lamp and mirrored desk lend themselves to the airy ambience of a windowed space design by Huff Harrington.

When antiquing or traveling, look for glass objects, such as orbs or balls, especially ones that have artistic designs within, such as bubbles and cone shapes. Davenport, for example, used an orb with designs that looked almost like a whirlwind because of the way the glass was blown.

She suggests using a small grouping of small- to mid-sized objects instead of one piece on a coffee table. “It can get lost on its own," Davenport Imber says.

Even though the items are see-through, reflected light and translucency command the eye and brain to work together in order for the object to actually be “seen," says Brad Cruickshank, owner of Cruickshank Remodeling.

Dainty glass pieces are gorgeous gems in a blush-hued, feminine ladies dressing room designed by Womack Jowers Interiors for the 2016 Southeastern Showhouse in Atlanta.

“It adds just a little bit of sparkle,” Davenport Imber says.