Have you ever been stuck deciding between a frosted glass for privacy or a regular glass panel? Or struggling to find curtains that still make your home feel simplistic and modern? Imagine having glass that could do all those things. This is the inspiration behind Smart Film. It’s glass that morphs from transparent to opaque at the flick of a switch.

 It Looks Like Magic, but it’s actually some rather sophisticated science that allows the glass to change. The switchable film is made of Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (or PDLC). In the “clear” mode, an electrical current passes through the film and aligns the crystals. In an “opaque” mode, the current is removed, which scatters the crystals and makes the glass “frosted”.

Switchable film can be used in interior or exterior windows.

You can even clean it normally! Since the switchable film is placed between two glass sheets, it is protected from dust, water or fingerprints. In the clear mode, it acts as any other window might. Switchable film completely replaces the need for window treatments, without being difficult to maintain.

 The uses of switchable film are still being discovered.

Most recently, a BMW dealership in Osaka took advantage of their glass window to turn a switchable film into a projector screen. At a fraction of the cost of an LCD display, the glass can be advertising space, and switch to a “clear” mode in the daytime for normal light. Use it for office privacy by installing switchable film in a boardroom, or in a medical office for optional openness or discretion.

 Switchable film is a design revolution and a chic way to allow privacy while still letting in beautiful, natural light. Stop switching out your curtains, and instead turn the switch on Smart Film. Call us today at (403) 253-3777 to learn more about Calgary’s own House of Mirrors and what Smart Film can do for you.