What a year 2020 has been! The country has certainly been through the wringer and, while it's been a tough time for almost everyone, there have been lots of high points too.
2020 marked our first full year in business here at Glass & Mirror Solutions and - not including those first few weeks of the nationwide lockdown - we have had the pleasure of being kept very busy supplying and installing glass products all over the North East.
Our team has installed dozens of glass splashbacks, glass balustrades, glass doors, mirrors, shower screens and too many Covid screens to mention!
We thought we'd round up a few of our highlights from the year, with a countdown of our top 10 glass installs of 2020.
10: Painted glass worktop
This beautiful orange glass worktop was a lovely finishing touch for our client's new kitchen. Made in 19mm painted glass, it makes a dramatic design statement and, being toughened glass, it will stay looking as good as new for years to come.
9: Oak and glass balustrades
It's easy to see why these oak and glass balustrades made it into our top 10 - they were the perfect design solution for this gorgeous home renovation.
For both safety and practicality reasons, toughened glass is always used for glass balustrades. Combining it with oak is a beautiful design classic.
8: Grey glass shower screen
We've installed lots of beautiful glass shower screens this year, and this was just one of our favourites. The 10mm grey toughened glass screen is bang on trend for monochrome bathrooms and looks so striking against the clean white wall tiles.
7: Beamish Museum Covid screens
2020 was the year of the Covid screen! We've installed hundreds over the course of the past nine months, but one installation that really stands out was this one at Beamish Museum.
It was no small task for our team, as all of the historic site's many customer service points needed the glass sneeze screens fitting before the museum could re-open to the public in July.
We returned to Beamish later in the year to install more sneeze guards on the trams and buses that carry visitors around the open air museum.
6: Frameless glass balustrade for fire pit
Our frameless glass balustrade was the icing on the cake for our client's stunning garden fire pit. Toughened glass is weather-proof and extremely durable, so this fabulous garden feature will stay looking good for many years to come.
5: Glass balustrade and painted glass balcony panels
Now this is how you make the most of your river views! A frameless glass balustrade allows for uninterrupted panoramas, while the pop of colour from the pillar box red painted glass panels turn this balcony into a bold design statement.
4: Sliding glass canopy
The finished result of this fabulous sliding glass canopy was certainly worth the hard work it took getting it up there! Toughened laminated glass panels mean this garden feature will stay looking just as fabulous for a long time to come.
3: Steel frame glass partitions
We've installed a number of these black steel framed glass partitions and doors this year, and we loved the look so much, we've now installed them in our own showroom. A totally on-style look, they are perfect for contemporary offices and homes alike.
2: Frameless glass balustrade for floating stairs
Who doesn't love the look of 'floating' stairs? We were absolutely thrilled with the finished article on this job - our frameless glass balustrade was the perfect design solution for this uber-stylish home and turned the staircase into a truly stunning feature.
1: Portable glass Covid screens
These portable glass Covid screens may not be among the most beautiful or 'Instagramable' of our installations this year, but the important role they're playing in the Covid vaccination roll-out means we were so proud to be able to provide them for NHS Primary Care in Seaham, we felt they'd earned their place in our top 10!
We designed, manufactured and supplied the screens within a week, just in time for the start of the vaccination programme.
We can't wait to see what the next year brings for Glass & Mirror Solutions. Will you be one of our 2021 clients? Get in touch in the new year and we'll get to work planning your glass project.
For more glass design inspiration, check out our gallery.