Last updated on July 5th, 2022 at 01:32 pm
Buying Glass Countertops at Downing Designs.
It has always been our stated mission at Downing Designs to provide Luxury Glass Countertops…both artful and durable…the BEST that money can buy with an Elite level of personalized one-on-one service. Our numerous 5-Star ratings on Houzz offer testament to our dedication to this mission. We are forever grateful that our clients construct such personal and thoughtfully written reviews of their buying experience. Many clients we have never met…yet the warmth of their writings allows us to see into their personalities as if we were right there. For new clients reading these reviews, it helps them to build trust in our brand. Make no mistake that we take very seriously the fact that people give us a lot of their hard-earned money to capture their dreams in our product.
For those that can visit our Glass Design Center in Tampa, FL it is truly an experience unlike any other showroom you’ve ever seen. Here you will see our exclusive craftsmanship in several one-of Glass Sinks, CounterSink, Surfboards, tables, and the rarest of all birds…a very long 1-piece Cantilevered Glass High Bar (~130”). It is a marvel of engineering. It is a source of inspiration to all who see it. Breathing patterns change…a calm ensues over those who sit at this as the soft aqua-blue glow washes gently upwards as clients observe, fondle, and stare-into the beautifully polished edges of our glass bar. They see how the graceful design of our Cantilevering supports and how it is ergonomically designed to not impact your knees when seated at the bar. We discuss the history of the piece…how we were inspired by Naval Architecture of cruise ships. How we decided to contour the textures to “sync” with the room…and show you that when you walk around the glass high bar how its facets change and it almost looks like 2 different pieces when viewed from opposing endpoints of view. This introduces our clients to the importance of our highly personalized textured glass design service…a free preview of what we will do in your kitchen, bar or bath.
What is being bought is a “singularity”…each piece personally designed to fit the contours of your kitchen. We take this “singularity” concept of contouring to the next level on long multi-piece bars.
Since the texture is hand-made, no 2 will ever be alike…but if your bar is 33’ long…it will have to be in 3 pieces…BUT…with our special sequencing technique, it doesn’t have to look like 3 separate pieces. By firing the first piece of glass and placing it in the kiln sand bed as a reference for the next piece, we achieve a “singular” look from one end to the next by having our glass countertop seams flow from one to the next. Look closely at our gallery. You will see the artistic care that goes into this exacting technique, and creates a feeling of one single long bar sequence in these multi-piece commissions. This extraordinary level of thoughtful craftsmanship is what our design studio is all about. All glass designs are highly personalized, yet practical exhibitions of our savoir-faire in the art of glassmaking.






Our kitchen high bars are made of a very noble ingredient…ultra-low iron glass. It is a durable, sustainable, luxurious element. It can easily be recycled into glass countertops well down the road. The sustainability is measured in its non-porous, water-clean-up nature, where no sealers, or harsh chemicals are ever needed to maintain your glass. That simplicity is in itself a luxury. Glass is made to last forever. In an era of COVID where every surface you touch can be a transmitter, it is pleasing to know that glass is non-porous and can be easily disinfected with a dilute bleach solution of Lysol solution.
The textures are created in our sand-bed and then fired in our Glass Kilns at over 1400 degrees F. These designs transcend their simple forms…they seduce you with their mesmerizing effect…whether for social gatherings of 2 or standing-room-only, the gentle upward glow they project is amazing. We have described the Time-Machine effect of this…faces simply appear more angelic. Buying artistic objects beyond mere functional reasons is a sign of human elevation. We incorporate many fresh ideas from our clientele into our glass high bars, and this will continue to please them well into the future.
Our commitment at Downing Designs to an Elite level of service, where our creative freedom to texture your artistic counter so that it is “right at home” in your home, constructed by American craftsmen…carefully crated, shipped and installed anywhere…by one Team is truly a luxurious service experience.
1 responsive point of contact
1 skilled glass designer
1 installer
1 luxurious result
1 more 5-star review
1 more beautiful picture for our gallery
Trust us to handle your dreams with care. You’re probably going to need a bigger wine cooler…and your friends will naturally start bringing better quality wines to your dinner parties. Some “leftovers” are better than others…
Thank you.
(813) 784 5211
Jeff@DowningDesigns.com
Last Updated on July 5, 2022 by Jeff Downing