Glass Furniture

We are seeing more glass used in furniture everyday, especially in contemporary furniture.

The magazine PURE CONTEMPORARY has an article entitled Furniture of a Better Glass by Caroline Kooshoian.

The curves of Curvet's Fiocco table take a delicate design detail and make it useful: the bends double as magazine racks.

The magic of glass has been admired since its discovery in about 5,000 BC and has lived on in everything from children’s tales like Cinderella to the imaginations of architecture’s giants like Philip Johnson, who used the stuff to create his masterpiece Glass House in New Canaan, CT. But the grandiose history and ingenious applications of glass do not stunt the imaginations of newcomers to the material. Rather it inspires them to test glass for what has not yet been done, resulting in pieces as exciting and innovative as the first hand-blown vessels of 27 BC.

Kooshoian shares information about grading quality of glass in furniture.

When you’re deciding on a piece of glass furniture, notice the detailing. If it has polished edges, beveled edges, is etched, colored, textured, or tempered for added strength it will cost more. But, the extra cost is well worth it. Tempering can be expected to add about 30% to a product’s cost. A small sum compared to the expense of replacing a chipped or damaged piece that, with the treatment, might have remained intact. (If broken, tempered glass will break into pebble-like pieces that greatly reduce injury.) The thickness of glass also contributes to a higher cost that pays back the owner by hiding wear and tear.

A coffee table and dining table, both are extendable from Calligaris

The article emphasizes that glass furniture is costly, yet at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery where we recently added Calligaris to our lines, glass is used for many of the table tops. It is tempered glass and the prices are reasonable.

BTW, PURE CONTEMPORARY has a special section Ask The Experts. If you are a designer with a special interest in contemporary design, the magazine is looking for designers to help answer questions. To be considered as an industry expert, send your bio, areas of speciality and contact info to Be An Expert.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery