What You Will Learn
Interior glass offers designers a powerful, yet often underutilized, tool to improve the livability of homes. This session focuses on how interior glass can be used to allow natural light to travel deeper into the home, and transfer light between spaces without sacrificing separation, privacy, or function.
When homeowners experience light, openness, and flow, they perceive space in a way that improves livability without increasing square footage. Combining these emotional benefits with the tangible benefits of increased energy efficiency and sustainability makes glass a natural fit for wellness-conscious homeowners.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify opportunities within floor plans to use interior glass walls, doors, transoms, and wall materials to distribute natural light while maintaining privacy and functional separation.
- Use glass to create a space that homeowners immediately connect with. Understand the deeper concept of “daylighting” and how natural lighting contributes to overall health and wellness.
- Recognize the energy-efficiency benefits of using glass between rooms to transfer light, and the sustainability inherent in glass as a durable, recyclable, and chemically stable building material.
Featured Presenter
Shannon McKinney
Owner, DT Glass Inc.
Shannon McKinney is the owner of DT Glass, a Portland-area company specializing in custom interior residential glass. With more than two decades of experience working alongside builders, remodelers, and designers, Shannon focuses on helping project teams to use glass thoughtfully and creatively to improve how homes look, feel, and function. Her company provides interior glass walls, transoms, mirrors, backpainted glass, railings, and custom shower enclosures in both new construction and remodeled homes.
Shannon is known for an education-first approach, guiding builders and homeowners through practical design decisions that support livability, durability, and long-term performance. She encourages early collaboration to ensure glass is integrated successfully with other materials and trades. She lives and works in historical Oregon City with her husband and son.
