Last updated on June 16th, 2026 at 07:37 am
Project Showcase · Treasure Island, Florida
Custom Illuminated Glass Bar Top — St. Petersburg Waterfront Home
L-shaped. Hand-textured. Cantilevered 42 inches above the finished floor. Crane-lifted into place. Eighteen days from contract to installed. The deadline was December 10th and it was not negotiable. We said yes.
Project Summary
The call came in on November 19th. The requirement: a large-format, L-shaped illuminated glass bar top — hand-textured, cantilevered, edge-lit in custom RGB — designed, fabricated, and installed inside an eighteen-day window. The destination was a waterfront residence on Treasure Island, steps from the Gulf, being finished for a group of friends traveling down from Michigan for the holidays.
The house remodel was nearly complete. The bar was the final statement. General contractor Chad Miltner of Gaard Inc. understood exactly what he was commissioning. The homeowner is Greg Magnan of Treasure Island, FL.
We met, measured, and drew. One piece of glass was already in stock — it became the short return segment. We used its surface texture as the master stamp to press the long segment in the kiln, ensuring that when the two pieces met at the corner, the wave pattern read as continuous. A bar top that looks like one thought rather than two separate pieces of glass.
L-Shaped Illuminated Glass Bar Top — Treasure Island, St. Petersburg FL — Downing Designs
Project Specifications
Fabrication & Installation Detail — Treasure Island, FL
| Location | Waterfront residence — Treasure Island / St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Configuration | L-shaped bar top |
| Glass Thickness | 1.5 inches |
| Primary Segment | 118″ × 20″ — hand-textured |
| Return Segment | 59″ × 20″ — matched texture, continuous pattern |
| Edge Treatment | Lens polish |
| Lighting | Ambiance Machine™ RGB LED — dot-less, stainless housing, Bluetooth — 177″ perimeter run |
| Support System | 4 cantilevered brackets — 42″ AFF |
| Special Logistics | Crane lift — waterfront residence staircase clearance |
| GC | Chad Miltner — Gaard Inc. |
| Contract Date | November 22, 2025 |
| Installation Date | December 10, 2025 |
| Fabrication Window | 18 days — start to installed |
Eighteen days
Sequenced, hand-textured glass doesn't rush well. Each piece has to be carved, fired, cut, polished, LED-fitted, and bracketed to precise cantilevered height before it ever enters a space. Doing that in under three weeks — across two matched segments totaling over fourteen linear feet — required every tool in the shop and zero wasted days.
The layout called for a 118-inch primary run meeting a 59-inch return, both in 1.5-inch thick textured glass at 20 inches of depth. One piece was already in stock and became the short return. We used its surface texture as the master stamp to press the long segment in the kiln, ensuring that when the two pieces met at the corner, the wave pattern read as continuous. A bar top that looks like one thought rather than two separate pieces of glass.
L-Shaped RGB LED Glass Bar Top — Treasure Island FL — Downing Designs
A matter of trust
When Gaard's accounting office processed the deposit, they transferred the full project balance rather than the standard seventy-five percent draw. I called Chad the moment I saw it. He spoke with Greg. After a brief conversation about who I am and how I work, Greg decided no correction was necessary.
After installation was complete, Greg was back in Michigan but sent photographs of the finished bar. I asked if I could get inside to document it properly — a good bottle for his back bar, a proper photographic record for both of us. He said he wouldn't be there, but he'd leave a key. I texted him when I arrived and texted him when I left. No amount of revenue produces the feeling of a client who trusts you enough to hand you the keys to their home. We have a saying in the studio: nice things happen to nice people.
Client Review
★★★★★
"Jeff was great to work with start to finish. He met a very tough timeline and created something beautiful and stunning in the process. I highly recommend him."
Greg Magnan — Homeowner, Treasure Island, FL
Verified Houzz Review · April 2026
Can you fabricate an L-shaped glass bar top with continuous texture across both segments?
Yes — and texture continuity across an L-shaped bar top is one of the more technically demanding aspects of this type of commission. On the Treasure Island project, we used the short return segment as the master stamp to press the matching texture into the long segment during kiln firing. When the two pieces meet at the corner, the wave pattern flows as a single unbroken surface.
If you are considering an L-shaped or U-shaped bar top, texture planning is part of our design process from the first conversation — not something figured out at the kiln.
Can a large glass bar top be installed in a home with a tight staircase?
It can — but it often requires creative logistics. On the Treasure Island installation, the interior staircase radius was too tight to carry the glass safely by hand. We coordinated a crane lift to bring the pieces up and over to the correct level of the home.
This kind of logistical planning is part of our pre-installation process. We assess access, clearances, and structural considerations before installation day so there are no surprises. If your home has restricted access, that conversation happens early.
Original Field Sketch — November 19, 2025 — Template confirmed layout, radius, and bracket positions
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