Glass Top Table

Tables are made of many different materials, but one of the most fashionable kinds now available is the glass top table. What is a glass top table? The term refers to any table with a top surface made of glass. Often these tables have a simple pane of glass for their top, firmly attached to legs or some sort of central pedestal. However, there is more variety than you might think when it comes to glass top tables.

What Kinds of Glass Top Tables are Available?

Glass top tables are commonly seen in dining table and coffee table varieties, but other kinds of tables can also be found featuring glass tops. However, this is not what was meant above about variety. Style is what is at issue here. Glass top tables can be found in many different styles, including these major categories:

• Table top and pedestal made completely of glass (or Plexiglas for safety)
• Table top made completely of glass but resting on a pedestal of another material entirely
• Table top made of wood or metal with inlaid glass panes
• Glass used as an accent in the table top rather than a major element

Factors to Consider When Buying a Glass Top Table

Size and shape are obvious considerations. You want a table that will fit comfortably into the space allotted and still leave room for dining chairs or in the case of a coffee table, walking area around it.

Other important considerations include the following factors:

• Glass thickness: thicker glass is heavier and requires a more robust pedestal or legs, yet it is also safer than thin glass which can be easily broken should someone place something on the table (for example, a vase of flowers) without using sufficient care.
• Glass safety features: as broken glass can be an extreme hazard, safety glass is recommended for all glass top tables. This is more than an issue of someone possibly cutting a foot should they walk over an area where glass has broken. It is possible for a person to trip and fall into a glass top table (particularly a low set table such as a coffee table). Major bodily injury can occur, so safety glass, which is designed to be shatterproof, is a must.
• Tempered glass features: the use of tempered glass will make your table more resistant to breakage and less prone to receiving small scratches or nicks in the surface. A glass table looks at its best when there are no surface imperfections of any kind.
• Attachment of glass table top to legs or base: to avoid having a pane of glass slide off the pedestal, there must be a firm attachment (glue, bolts, and possibly both) between table top and legs or pedestal.
• Furniture style: If you already have a lot of wood furniture in the room in which you plan to place a glass top table, you may want to choose a table with a coordinating wood molded into a similar style. This is not a must, however. A simple glass table can usually fit into any décor without looking like it clashes.

Advanced Features of the Top Glass Top Table Models

As glass top tables are not a high tech item, most differences among the various styles have to do with design elements rather than added convenience or functionality. Things that can truly be regarded as “features” include the use of tempered safety glass and adequate means of attachment between table and base. Apart from that, virtually all tables offer the same level of functionality, differentiated only by things like size, which affects the number that can be seated, and height, which affects the comfort level of people making use of the table.

Design elements that make various table styles different from one another fall into several major groupings:

• Minimalist, “glass only” styles
• Contemporary chic styles
• Traditional styles that use glass as part of a larger design scheme designed to match existing furniture styles such as early American or Danish modern
• Quirky styles that use pedestals made of art

Top Recommended Glass Top Tables

Obviously, individual tastes differ and one person’s ideal table will not suit another person at all. You must let your own inherent preferences be your ultimate guide, but in this furniture aficionado’s opinion, here are the most effective glass top tables currently on the market.

Madrid Glass Top Table With Side Chairs

Part of the Madrid collection, I like this glass top table because it’s contemporary and elegant all at the same time. The circular glass table top is roomy enough to seat four for dining with enough room for everyone’s placement, cutlery, and dishes — the top measures forty five inches in diameter. The edge of the glass table top is beveled, which means that sharp edges are nicely blunted for safety. The pedestal features a cross brace support and consists of a metal frame reminiscent of finely wrought iron such as was used in traditional outdoor patio furniture. And yet the designers have been clever enough to avoid the stark black often used in that design, settling on a softer powder gray finish instead.

Matching chairs with coordinating metal frames go with this table and feature backs with a church window design. I especially like that the table pedestal has four legs for stability and looks more than sturdy enough to support the glass table top. The chairs are upholstered in a pale sage green cloth made of polyester and cotton.

My only recommended improvement to this table would be thicker glass. Eight millimeters is not really an adequate thickness in my opinion — it means the glass would be too easy to break. All a child would have to do is set down his milk glass too hard and you might have a problem. And since children often don’t use enough care around fine furniture, that’s a realistic scenario.

Round Dining Table with Glass Top Cappuccino Finish

This is an example of a glass top dining table that has a much more contemporary feel. Rendered in a way that demonstrates minimalism The pedestal is made of artfully arched hardwood and features a design that is intended to produce exceptional sturdiness. The bottom of the pedestal has a cross or plus design that should help avoid tip overs, and the top of the pedestal includes a solid top ring of matching hardwood. Not only does this feature help the pedestal stay together better, it provides a pleasing visual echo of the 48 inch diameter glass table top surface.

This table is elegant with a beveled edge to the glass. Matching chairs are available with legs and frame of the same hardwood, but with backs and seats both fully upholstered for a more contemporary look than the set above. The cappuccino colored finish on the hardwood is dark, but when combined with the clear aspect of the glass, it’s a nice balance rather than feeling too heavy.

However, I do wish that this set came fully assembled. People like me don’t particularly want to assemble furniture in our spare time, and there’s always the factor that if enough care isn’t taken, we might produce flaws in the design or worse, damage the table before we ever get to use it. I prefer furniture that is fully assembled in advance by a professional.

Dragon Table with Glass Top

This table definitely shows how much tastes can differ from person to person. Designed to be used as a side or spare table, perhaps to hold knick-knacks or a table lamp, it features a pedestal that is pure art. The dragon is made from 100% alabastrite which has been both cast and carved so that wings, scales, and limbs look lifelike — or as lifelike as they can on a creature which is, after all, wholly mythological.

The Final Word

Although glass top tables styles really are a matter of personal preference, some common factors should always be considered when you are shopping and finalizing a choice for your apartment, condominium, or house. Look for safety features which mean that the table will not present a hazards for any of your home’s inhabitants.

Consider especially the sturdiness and balance of the table if you live in a home where small children or pets are present. A wooden or metal table can be knocked over and righted, often with no damage done, but a glass top table will probably sustain major damage and may even be the cause of injury if it topples, so consider this recommendation with all the seriousness it is due.

Glass is a lovely feature in dining tables and coffee tables alike, but I especially like them in the dining room because the surface can be thoroughly cleaned with little effort or fuss. If you spill grape juice on a wood top table you might end up with a permanent stain, but a glass top table will be largely impermeable and will last for many years looking just as beautiful as it did when you first purchased it.

Glass has many advantages over tables made of other kinds of materials like wood or synthetics, but one its most outstanding  features is the way it can look so modern as to be futuristic. It’s difficult for a metal table to look so fashion forward (and not many tables are made of mainly metal to begin with). Wood by its very nature tends to look traditional even when it has very clean lines. But glass can easily look extremely modern.

Glass Top Dining Tables – the Minimalist Style

One reason glass can look so futuristic is because it lends itself quite easily to a minimalist interpretation of furniture design. Take this futuristic minimalist glass top dining room table, for example. The table top itself is nothing but a shaped plane of sheer glass without frosting or decoration of any kind. The shape approaches an oval, but is rendered in an asymmetrical pattern to add visual interest and a hint of a future in which shapes are not delineated the same way as they are today. The pedestal echoes this feeling, being composed of several disparate shapes balanced against one another; nowhere is there any attempt at order or symmetry. And yet the whole effect is simple enough to be pleasing to the eye and to give an overall impression of stylish restraint executed to the extreme — the very essence of minimalism.

Glass Top Dining Tables – Minimalism Combined with Traditional Elements

Although it is simple for a glass top dining table to appear minimalist from top to bottom, another popular style is to maintain a futuristic look when it comes to the glass table top itself, yet add to that a pedestal which is highly elaborated and hearkens back to a distinct era in the design of home fashions. That approach can be seen in this glass top pedestal table. The glass top is so minimalist that it lacks even a beveled edge to the glass surface, but the pedestal is something straight out of France before the revolution — a sculptural work of art, highly detailed in every particular. The drama of this approach is further heightened by the fact that diners can see through the table top to admire the pedestal as artwork located directly below.

Glass Top Dining Tables – Contemporary Chic

A final approach in the futuristic use of glass tops for dining tables is to combine elements in such a way as to produce a style known as contemporary chic. Very modernist in nature, tables of this sort will feature a pedestal that looks like highly molded plastic, although in actuality much stronger construction materials are usually in evidence. This style is very reminiscent of the Monsanto  “House of the Future”  that was on display for many years at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The idea is to stress the use of futuristic materials, and set them off with beautiful expanses of glass.

Whether you prefer contemporary chic, traditional elements, or true minimalism, glass top dining tables form an inherent part of all these styles.