Glass Furniture Juneau AK

The most minimalist material in modern design, glass works for maximum applications. Designers and architects choose seemingly simple glass because it transmits light in any color, makes aqueous shapes solid and lends itself to almost any creation be it wall, floor or tabletop.

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.

And as long as glass is beautiful, it is copied. Just as in upholstered furniture, unique glass designs from reputable companies see competition from lesser quality manufacturers who charge less for what, on the surface, may seem to be the same product.

Luckily though, contemporary glass furniture buyers have several ways to tell the difference between a shoddy surface and a strong sheet that is worth the extra cash. Emily Stevenson, a former materials curator at the Parsons School of Design, says glass quality shows in its thickness, surface details and design.

"When you are deciding on a piece of glass furniture," she says, "Notice the detailing. If it has polished edges, beveled edges, is etched, colored, textured, or tempered for added strength it will cost more." But, she is quick to point out, 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.

The other details she mentions are purely aesthetic, and what better way to judge the value of a piece of furniture you're thinking of bringing into your home? Some tables, like Curvet USA's Fiocco, made of annealed glass (glass that has been heated and slowly cooled to strengthen it and reduce brittleness), offer generous curves which add to the design and its cost. Fiocco's balanced bends look slim and graceful but are tested for strength and withstand much more weight than they're...