What is Textured Glass?

When designing a custom door or window, you’ll have the option to choose a glass style that matches your unique design goals. Rustica offers a wide variety of textured and obscured glass options that range in pattern and appearance. With our competitive variety, you’ll surely find the perfect textured glass style that adds visual interest and privacy to your space.

13 Textured Glass Styles

Citrus
Crested
Deep Freeze
Fluted
Frosted
Mirror
Mirrorpane
Overcast
Palm
Retro
Spectrum
Tint
Vintage

Each glass style has distinctive features that sets it apart from the others. These features include the texture of the glass, its opacity, how much natural light flows into the space, and its design style. Each obscured glass style we offer is discussed in detail, so you can find the perfect fit for your new custom door or window.

Before diving into the differences between glass styles, it’s essential to understand what textured/obscured glass is and how it benefits a space.

Textured glass, also known as obscured glass, patterned glass, or decorative glass, features a textured surface on one or both sides of the glass pane. The glass texture depends on the style and pattern, but for most styles, you can feel the texture when you run your hands over the glass. Some glass styles feature textured glass that is smooth on the surface, but still has a pattern within the glass.

During the glass-making process, molten glass is poured into a series of rollers that imprint a specific pattern onto the glass. These rollers can imprint on both sides of the glass or just one. Regular glass is also made this way, but the roller machines make the glass surface smooth.

While obscured glass and textured glass can refer to as the same thing, obscured glass isn’t always textured. Some obscured glass styles are smooth, but are tinted or colored for privacy. Some styles can be both tinted and textured, while others are just textured. For clarity, the latter is commonly referred to as clear textured glass.

Patterned glass can be applied to other types of safety and energy-efficient glass styles, such as tempered glass and low e glass. Because of this, your custom windows can have the safety, quality, privacy, and style you need, making textured glass a valuable and versatile custom glass option.

Why Use Obscured Glass?

There are many reasons one might use obscured glass over regular glass, but the most predominant reason is privacy without sacrificing natural light. The texture of obscured glass distorts or “obscures” the image behind it. Depending on the type of textured glass you choose, the shapes behind the glass are usually so distorted or blurred that you can’t see the details behind it. It simply appears as blurred colors within undistinguished shapes.

Because textured glass effectively distorts images, it’s commonly found in areas where privacy is needed without sacrificing the comfort of natural light. Common areas obscured glass is found include sidelight windows next to a front door, exterior door window glass, shower doors, shower enclosures, office door window glass, French doors, and a bathroom window.

Besides privacy, obscured glass has the benefit of style. For this purpose, it’s referred to as decorative glass. Even if an area doesn’t need privacy, you could choose textured glass for added style and character, whether for a window or door. If you need textured glass for privacy, you get the best of both worlds by choosing a glass style that perfectly matches the aesthetic of your space.

Another use of textured glass is to diffuse natural light and reduce harsh UV rays. In this case, textured or opaque glass is placed in an area that receives an abundance of sunshine, which affects the home’s energy efficiency and sometimes causes sun damage to furniture. If this is a concern, textured glass can effectively diffuse and soften the direct sunlight so it’s less likely to cause damage to the interior.

13 Textured Glass Styles

When designing a custom glass door or window, you have the option to select a textured glass style to maintain privacy without sacrificing natural light. Here are the options we offer:

1. Citrus

Citrus glass is a privacy glass featuring a highly textured surface on one side, and a smooth surface on the other side. This glass pattern resembles the texture and pattern of a citrus peel, which inspired the name of this glass style. This glass features a multitude of little ridges and bumps, just similar to a lemon or orange peel.

The citrus glass distorts images, but is slightly clearer than other glass options. Its unique pattern allows it to capture ample amounts of natural light while also offering privacy. Because of its ability to let in more light, it’s the perfect glass style for a front door, office window, private bathroom window, and more.

2. Crested

As a prized decorative glass, the crested glass style is elegant and graceful. It features a heavily textured pattern that resembles raindrops hitting a water’s surface, creating ripples and slopes. One side of the glass is more textured than the other.

Its highly textured surface and complex pattern make it an exceptional privacy glass, as the images are greatly distorted behind the glass. Because it resembles water and offers ample privacy, crested glass is often used in a bathroom as a shower door, shower enclosure, or bathroom window. That said, it can be used in any area where an elegant, effective privacy glass is needed.

3. Deep Freeze

Deep freeze features a pronounced glass texture that you can feel on both sides of the glass. One side is much more textured than the other, so the smoother side will be easier to wipe clean.

The deep freeze glass panel features frosted segments divided by clear curving and winding lines. As the name implies, the pattern resembles frozen water with divided ice chunks—an elegant deep freeze that creates beauty and texture. The heavy texturing increases privacy, making it the perfect for textured window glass for a bathroom, front entry door, or shower door.

4. Fluted

The fluted glass style has a distinct linear pattern that is heavily textured on one side. The other side of the glass surface is completely smooth, allowing for easy cleaning. The distinct fluted vertical pattern running the length of this glass panel gives it a modern yet vintage style. This glass style was very common in the 40s and 50s as a distinct interior design element.

Place this obscured window glass anywhere in the home where you would like to blend privacy with mid-century styles, such as a bathroom, front door, office door, bedroom, or kitchen cabinet doors.

5. Frosted

The frosted glass doesn’t feature a distinct pattern; rather, the entire glass panel has a frosted texture. One side features a somewhat rough frosted texture, while the other side of the glass surface is smooth.

As a simple, yet elegant design, the frosted glass style allows for natural light while also offering increased privacy. Images are greatly obscured behind the frosted glass, making it perfect for shower enclosures or even an office conference room door.

6. Mirror

If you would like a versatile glass door, you can opt for a mirror glass pane instead of clear or obscured glass. Rather than seeing through the glass, you can have it serve as a mirror to see your reflection or make a small space appear larger. Plus, a mirror glass pane will reflect more light in a room, especially if a window is nearby. Mirror glass is perfect for a bedroom door, closet door, or bathroom door.

7. Mirropane

While they might sound like the same thing, mirropane glass style is much different than the mirror glass style. The mirrorpane style is a one-way mirror that performs as a mirror on one side and is translucent glass on the other.

The unique function of the mirropane glass offers impeccable privacy, making it perfect for an exterior patio door or office door where those walking by can’t see in, but you can still see out. It’s also great for a bedroom or bathroom door.

8. Overcast

The overcast glass style has a pattern that resembles heavy rain running down a window. The pattern helps distort and obscure the image behind it. The closer a shape is to the glass, the clearer it is, and the farther away it is, the fuzzier and more obscure it becomes.

As a beautiful decorative glass, the overcast glass type is perfect for front entry doors and sidelights, obscured window glass for a bathroom, shower door, or anywhere in the home that could use privacy and visual interest.

9. Palm

This glass pattern is made up of a collection of small squares. The palm glass is heavily textured on both sides, and offers a retro style popular in the 50s—similar to fluted textured glass. Because of the design and texture of palm glass, it effectively distorts images the farther away they are from the glass while still allowing plenty of natural light to flow through.

The palm glass style is full of character and charm, making it perfect for a variety of glass features in the home, such as cabinet doors, bathrooms, bedrooms, and exterior entry doors.

10. Retro

The retro glass style is one of Rustica’s tinted glass options. The glass surface is smooth on both sides, as the retro style isn’t technically a textured glass. In this way, this glass type isn’t going to obscure or distort any images, making it less of a privacy glass and more of a decorative glass. It has a pronounced dark green hue to it that offers a vintage and nostalgic style.

Because of the tint, this glass style helps to soften any harsh light and UV rays coming into the space, making it perfect for areas that receive a lot of direct sunlight. Types of windows that would do well with the retro style include south-facing bedroom windows or south-facing bay windows.

11. Spectrum

If you’re looking for a designer window glass pattern that is modern and elegant, you’ll love the spectrum glass style. This textured glass features a more subtle pattern of swooping strokes. One side of the glass surface has some texture, while the other side is smooth.

This unique, clear textured glass style will allow plenty of natural light while offering a bit of privacy. The farther away the image is from the glass, the more distorted and blurred it is.

12. Tint

The tinted glass style from Rustica has a dark charcoal tint that effectively blocks harsh light. This style goes especially well with Rustica’s modern metal doors that feature distinct glass styles. As with the retro glass style, the tint glass is not textured, and is smooth on both sides.

The dark tint offers privacy and style, making it the perfect option for a modern office door, closet door, bedroom door, exterior door, and more.

13. Vintage

The vintage glass style is a unique type of clear textured glass, as it’s smooth on both sides. It features glass swirls and bubbles, but these textures are inside the eighth-inch thick or quarter-inch thick glass pane.

Because the vintage glass isn’t heavily textured, it’s considered semi-privacy glass, meaning it offers some privacy but not as much as other textured glass styles. The advantage of this is that it allows for abundant natural light, just as clear glass would, but still has character and impeccable visual interest.

Because of the intricate and elegant design of vintage glass, it’s perfect for large and impressive entry doors, stylish kitchen cabinet doors, and more.

Textured Glass Adds Beauty to Any Door or Window

Textured glass is a beautiful type of architectural glass that is both functional and artistic. It can offer you the privacy you need without sacrificing natural light. Plus, the visual interest of textured glass will increase your home’s curb appeal and overall aesthetic.

If you need a replacement window or want to design a new door, we encourage you to get in touch with Rustica’s design team. No matter whether you choose citrus or fluted, retro or palm, we have an option that will fit your unique decorative and privacy needs. So, what are you waiting for? Create the perfect glass door or window for your home today!