Glas Italia
Glas Italia is an Italian company founded in 1970 in Macherio, in the Brianza district between Milan and Como, with roots in a family glassworks whose activity dates back to the early twentieth century. The company does one thing with singular focus: furniture made of glass. Tables, consoles, shelving, storage, mirrors, doors, and partitions are produced entirely from laminated, tempered, glued, and printed glass, combining industrial precision with hand finishing carried out in its own workshops, where cutting, grinding, silvering, and lacquering happen under one roof. Since 2004 the collections have been guided by architect Piero Lissoni as art director, who has steered the brand’s evolution from specialist glassmaker into one of the most poetic editors in contemporary Italian design.
The catalog reads like a study in what glass can do, spanning dining tables, low tables, consoles, sideboards, and full-height sliding doors. Glas Italia produces the authorized editions of Shiro Kuramata’s celebrated glass furniture, including the landmark Glass series the Japanese master originally designed in 1976. Tokujin Yoshioka’s Prism pieces turn transparency into optical spectacle; Patricia Urquiola’s Shimmer collection wraps low tables and consoles in iridescent, multichromatic finishes that change with the light; and Nendo’s Brushstroke collection and Piero Lissoni’s own designs extend the range from minimal to expressive. The company’s collaborators include many of the most respected names in international design — Philippe Starck, Jasper Morrison, Mario Bellini, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby among them — each exploring color, transparency, reflection, and light through the company’s specialized craft.
BeDESIGN carries Glas Italia at our Houston showroom. Visit us at 2016 W Alabama St to see the collection in person — glass tables and consoles reward being seen in real light — or view the complete Glas Italia collection in the virtual showroom below to browse the full range before you visit.