While window films provide many different utilitarian purposes—privacy, safety, heat reduction, UV protection, glare reduction, fade protection, and more—glass-coating films can also serve as works of art. Decorative glass films can provide many of the same benefits as standard window film, as desired, but come with design features that turn your windows or other glass into artistry or artistic expressions of your brand and messaging. Whether you’re a homeowner looking to add a little pizazz to your windows or other glasswork, or a commercial business looking to promote your business or spruce up your workspace, decorative glass film services from the San Francisco Bay Area’s ClimatePro can help you meet your goals.
When most people think of decorative glass films, they think of their traditional purpose of mimicking the look and feel of cut, etched, frosted, smoked, or other textured glass, typically to serve as unobtrusive privacy screening. And this purpose still holds true, but the scope of artistry in making and using decorative glass films has expanded exponentially, providing what seems to be limitless creative options in decorating your windows and other glasswork.
Heck, if you’ve got enough glass and want to recreate the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling artwork on that glass, whether with etched, smoked, cut, frosted, or textured window film features—and with or without full-color splendor—it can be done. Mind you it might not capture the complete brilliance of Michelangelo, but it will be a work of art….
How You Can Utilize Decorative Glass Films
Decorative window and glass films are still used extensively as privacy screening, whether in residential bathrooms, to obscure commercial office meeting room attendees and activities, or otherwise limit what prying eyes might be able to see. But businesses and homeowners are increasingly expanding their use of decorative glass films, and also opting to add a little oomph to window tinting used for standard purposes like heat and glare reduction or safety and security. Five decorative film solutions that we here at ClimatePro receive extensive demand from by our San Francisco area customers are:
Highlight Your Brand on Glass
Branding has been an ever-growing buzz word in business for several decades now, and you can add buzz to your brand with decorative window film. From the display of company logos on front door glass to full-on brand coloring and design across all company windows and glasswork, decorative glass film for branding purposes is everywhere. Walk down any San Francisco Bay Area commercial street and you will undoubtedly see plenty of decorative window and glasswork film work, emphasizing a company’s brand and/or its sense of style. In fact, if you specifically look at how different businesses use decorative glass film, you’ll probably be surprised by the breadth of uses and applications.
Reduce Glare from High Windows and Skylights
Upper-level accent windows and skylights are typically designed to provide plenty of natural light to residential and commercial spaces, but sometimes end up offering too much of what should be a good thing, whether with too much glare or damaging UV rays. While window treatments can solve the problem, such treatments typically need to be custom made, and thus costly. Access to the window treatment opening, closing, and shading functions can also prove problematic. Decorative window film can be used to limit or block the glare or UV rays, while also allowing for the desired amount of natural light. And your decorative window tinting can be as aesthetically pleasing as the most elegant of window treatments.
Hide an Eyesore
Sometimes the view through a window isn’t very appealing, and, whether from a residence or a home, some such views can be described as eyesores. Perhaps one side of your office building faces a mottled brick wall. Or the view from a ground-floor bedroom window presents you with the neighbor’s driveway, attendant vehicles, and the inconveniently placed garbage bin hutch. Whatever the case, some views just aren’t worth seeing, but they can be easily replaced with any number of creative window film designs. Perhaps a rendition of Van Gogh’s “Irises?” Or maybe a simpler stained glass design, or non-colorized etched glass pattern? Whatever the case, the sky’s the limit, and you can even opt to retain your view of the sky by leaving the upper half of the window clear.
Add a Touch of Class to Entranceways
If your residential or commercial building’s entranceways have clear glass, whether full glass door, glass insets, glass framed, and/or sidelights, you can add a touch of class to them with decorative film designed to emulate traditional smoked, frosted, etched, cut, or other textured looks. Not only does this light-touch accent add significant class, but it enhances privacy, too. And this decorative enhancement of privacy works equally as well with bathroom windows and glasswork.
Let Those Neighbors and Passersby Reflect!
Window film has long served as a solution for privacy concerns, and decorative reflective window film lets you see out, but only lets those on the outside reflect on themselves. You keep your view, and if those on the outside don’t like their view, well, that’s on them.
How Much Does Decorative Glass Film Cost?
With a cost of between $8 to $70 per square foot, decorative glass films come with the broadest range of pricing among all window and glass film projects. This is due to a number of factors, including the parameters that influence the pricing of other window film, such as:
- Type of film (material composition)
- Size and scope of the project
- Project timing
- Project location
- Window or glass style, type, shape, and age
- Market conditions
But more factors influencing pricing come into play with decorative film. Naturally, pre-made decorative film is going to cost less than custom-designed film. As a “3M™ Platinum” window and glass film installer in the San Francisco Bay area, we offer our customers hundreds of 3M™ pre-made, decorative glass films with pricing based on the complexity of the pattern, as well as film type. A complex patterned, decorative film made with nano-ceramics and extensive heat- and glare-reduction properties is going to cost more than film made with standard dyes and more limited beneficial properties.
Similar factors come into play with custom-designed films, but adding to the cost is graphic design work and specialized equipment used to create the custom film. For example, decorative glass film specialists at ClimatePro’s subsidiary VisualPro tend to have advanced graphic arts educations, as well as keen eyes for artistic excellence honed by years of experience in their craft. Additionally, we utilize the latest high-tech equipment at VisualPro, including super-wide Vutek inkjet printers to produce some film designs and Zund digital cutters for precision pattern etching and sizing of the custom decorative films.
To discuss other innovative uses for decorative window and glass film, and to explore the vast range of possible decorative glass film designs, contact the San Francisco Bay Area’s window tinting experts—ClimatePro. With 40 years in the business, we can come up with the perfect decorative window tinting solution for your unique needs and budget. With offices in North Bay, San Francisco, and San Jose, you can contact us today for a free consultation to help come up with decorative glass film solutions for your business or home.
