Glass Furniture and the art of Product Design
Glass might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you mention the world furniture. However, ever since the development of the float glass process in the 1950s, glass has been used extensively in architecture, building, and glass furniture making. In many ways, the use of glass in building and glass furniture design is one of the most recognisable aspects of modern design. One of the most iconic glass pieces is the glass table, which has found its way into countless living rooms and dining rooms around the world. Glass tables are a form of toughened glass that has been processed by a variety of either thermal or chemical treatments. These processes are designed to increase the strength and durability of glass, so that it can be used for a wider range of more demanding applications.
Along with glass tables, it is also possible to purchase other glass products for the home, including glass chairs, light fixtures, windows, glass doors, and even glass walls. Many of these products have only been possible since the 1950s, when Sir Alastair Pilkington and Kenneth Bickerstaff developed the float glass process. The glass table is one of the most famous results of this process, which allowed the brittle nature of glass to be used as a strong and modern piece of furniture. Glass furniture needs to be stronger than regular glass, with a greater contraction of the inner layer during the manufacturing process. For glass to be considered as toughened, it needs to be a minimum of 69 MPa, although this grading system varies greatly depending on the final application of the material.
Product design is a huge industry all over the world, with people involved in the design of all sorts of products. Some talented product designers have became famous for their designs, which may be extremely varied in their applications. One of the strongest fields of product design in the modern age is furniture design, a field which has attracted many of the best product designers of our age. Glass furniture is an important aspect of modern furniture design, especially some of the famous glass table pieces that have become iconic parts of the history of modern design.