Whether you work from home fulltime or simply have a home office where pay bills and check email after a long day, you want to spend that time in a welcoming space, right? If you can have a place that speaks to you and reflects your temperament in addition to serving its purpose, that’s even better.

One creative way to spruce up your office space is to incorporate colorful glass shelving units, cabinetry or storage containers. And with the rainbow of options available these days, there’s something for every professional personality. Here are three ways to get the most out of your office arrangements with glass:

Colorful Cabinetry
The first way to work colored glass into your workspace involves cabinets or bookcases. Swap out standard wood, metal or particle board shelves with colored glass shelves. These can be custom cut to fit your cabinets and tinted to reflect whatever shades you select.

A great aspect of this option is the ability to exercise decorative freedom: due to the fact that the space you are adding color to is relatively small, you have more liberty to select the color you really want rather than opting for an understated look, such as with a more subdued color. So feel free to flex your fabulous décor muscles by picking out glass shelves packing a pop of color like these:

• Red, Orange and Yellow: These warm colors can invigorate and inspire creativity and energize you before, during and after a long day.
• Green, Blue and Purple: Cooler colors are associated with calm and peaceful harmony so surround yourself with them if you seek a more soothing environment. These shades are perfect for those home office workers with high stress careers and demanding professions.

Surrounding Shades
Speaking of shades, another way to colorize your cabinetry is through back-painted glass installed in the back and sides of the cabinet or bookcase. Back-painted glass is made just the way it sounds: a special paint is applied to the back of the glass. By coating the non-surface side of the glass, the color is preserved from wear and tear damage like scratches and chipping.

And now there are more options than ever for matching your favorite shade. Long gone are the days of “slightly off” colors: you can order your custom panels to match the color swatches of most major paint manufacturers! Tip: Install backlighting or spotlights inside of your cabinets to really bring out the brightness in your colored glass.

Delightful Displays
Finally, pack a punch with your office décor by using creative glass storage units for your office supplies. Dress up your newly colorful shelves with colored glass jars, vases and bowls to brilliantly organize everything from pencils and pens to paper clips and rolls of stamps. Tip: If you’ve opted for colored glass shelves and want to make them the star of the setup, use clear glass containers for your supplies. Good options include wine glasses, tumblers and even mason jars.

Here are some best practices for setting up your shelving units:

• Keep your storage spaces clutter-free by making sure that everything on your shelf has a purpose.
• Single items can stand out all on their own, but if you want to group items together, do so in odd numbers.
• Make sure to clean your storage units regularly. Glass is gorgeous but spots and smears can quickly kill the glamorous effect.

What are some of your design ideas for arranging and decorating your office with glass?

Shahab Shokouhi is a glass design expert at Dulles Glass and Mirror, an innovative manufacturer of glass table tops, glass shelves, and all other glass and mirror products. Follow Dulles Glass and Mirror on Pinterest or on YouTube to see how they’re changing the way glass products are manufactured, customized and delivered.