It seems the stuff of dreams: floating cushions, transparent walls and chairs and beds that are almost invisible.
But it’s reality. Translucent Lucite and glass are back in home design, The Wall Street Journal reports. Lucite, considered kitsch from the 1970s, is showing up in furniture. Architects are designing glass walls.
And the idea is even permeating fashion. Calvin Klein is marketing Lucite and lizard shoes. Home Depot’s Expo Design Center now has 40 percent more glass tiles for sale than last year.
Observers say it is a reaction against the dark, traditional decor that took hold in the late ’90s. It is hardly a new idea. Lucite was popular in the ’40s. And some people like the sense of light and openness the material brings. The futuristic sense of James Bond has appeal.
But it isn’t exactly a practical choice, the Journal notes. Cleaning is a huge challenge. Removing fingerprints requires truckloads of Windex. The look is so trendy you might tire of it after awhile. And perhaps the strongest argument on the downside: You may run into a glass wall and break your nose.
———-
Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])