Why designers love glass

Jul 05, 2026

A few months ago, I got my hands on a beautiful tabletop with a great star veneer: fantastic grain, lots of character. It immediately got the most prominent spot in our living room. The glass top that used to be on the dining table was moved to the basement for the time being.

Today, I'd like to share a small conclusion with you. Because I've realized: I miss my glass table.
Not because wood isn't beautiful, quite the opposite. Solid wood or veneer brings a warmth to the room that glass will never have. But especially at the dining table, a glass top has properties that I used to take for granted and now miss.
It started when my coffee left unsightly rings on the new table. Soon after, a strict coaster rule was introduced in our house. Eventually, those annoying placemats were added because a plate that was too hot left dark spots.
And even though we were really careful, more and more oil and water stains accumulated on the surface over time. So, it was time to sand it down, re-seal it, and hope that it would become a bit more resistant. At least, I now have to re-seal it every year. And yes, nowadays there are plastic coatings that don't need to be renewed often and make a wooden table almost indestructible. But personally, I particularly like the natural, matte surface of wood, and that simply demands more attention and care in everyday life. Quite different from my glass table back then, where I didn't constantly have to keep an eye on my guests with drinks in their hands.

Cassina La Rotonda Glass Table – Design Example — **Cassina cleverly uses the glass top to highlight the stylish base.**

Because glass simply doesn't have many of these problems. The surface is sealed, so red wine and tomato sauce can't do any damage here. Glass basically doesn't age at all. It doesn't yellow, doesn't swell, doesn't warp, and is generally insensitive to heat. As long as it's not externally damaged, a glass top looks the same after decades as it did on the first day. Without ever having to re-seal or oil anything. And glass is easily recyclable because it can be re-melted. Theoretically, glass offers the perfect basis for a closed-loop economy, even if practice still clearly faces challenges.

Yet, the prejudice that glass is particularly delicate persists. In fact, high-quality glass furniture is usually made of tempered safety glass, which is truly very durable. In everyday life, you generally don't have to worry much about plates, cups, or cutlery. The most common cause of fine scratches is actually small mineral particles in dust, which are rubbed across the surface during cleaning. This then acts like sandpaper. But it can be easily avoided by dusting briefly beforehand and preferably using a microfiber cloth for wiping.

And then there's another reason why many designers love working with glass: It recedes into the background. It brings light into the room, appears light, and makes smaller rooms in particular seem more open. It creates an exciting visual hierarchy in the furniture design itself. A Ronald Schmitt K5000, Bonaldo Big Table, or Cassina La Rotonda doesn't necessarily thrive on the glass top; it tends to visually disappear. Suddenly, the base and the construction take center stage.
In our daily work at Revive, however, we also see another side of glass furniture. It presents our team with several challenges in almost all areas that furniture goes through with us: Transport is complex, because glass, of course, needs to be protected particularly carefully from breakage. In the workshops, too, we quickly reach limits: While many other materials can be well reprocessed, deep scratches or damage in glass are practically irreparable. And even in our photo studio, glass is more demanding: reflections, transparency, and light reflections make good product photos significantly more difficult.

Nevertheless, I remain a great glass lover and have picked out six tables for you to match.

My Table Recommendations: