What does kiln-carved mean on a glass bar top?

Kiln-carving is a process in which glass is fired in a kiln over a textured bed — in this case, a hand-worked sand surface — so the heat softens the glass and allows it to take on the precise contours of the texture beneath it. The result is a surface that is permanently part of the glass, not applied to it. The texture lives on the underside, meaning the top surface stays smooth and cleanable while the visual depth lives below, amplified by the LED light source behind it.

How is a glass bar top supported without drilling through the glass?

Three cantilevered steel brackets, anchored into the bar structure below, carry the full load of the glass surface. The glass rests on the bracket faces and is bonded with ultra-clear silicone — no hardware passes through the glass at any point. This eliminates stress concentration points, aesthetic intrusion, and future maintenance issues caused by through-drilling.

How does the LED lighting system work inside a kiln-carved glass bar top?

The Ambiance Machine™ RGB LED system mounts along the interior edge of the bar structure and fires light upward through the glass. The carved texture catches and scatters that light, creating a surface that appears to glow from within. The system operates across 8 million color combinations at 0–100% intensity, with programmable scenes and optional photocell trigger that activates the bar automatically at dusk.

What are the maintenance requirements for a kiln-carved glass bar top?

The surface requires no special treatment. The top surface is smooth polished glass — cleaning is the same as any glass surface, a damp cloth or standard glass cleaner. No sealing, no waxing, no periodic treatment required. Low-iron glass is non-porous, does not stain, and does not react with alcohol, citrus, or cleaning products.

How was the wave texture pattern developed for the Mantoloking glass bar top?

The texture was designed interactively — client and craftsman working from the bar's geometry and the room's flow to arrive at a pattern that felt native to the space. Once the bar base drawings were confirmed, multiple textural iterations were developed. The client selected the wave pattern, which was then scaled and anchor-pointed so the hand-worked sand bed in the kiln matched it as faithfully as the process allows.

Swim Up Pool Bar Design with Glass Bar Tops

Last updated on April 19th, 2022 at 07:35 am

Swim-up pool bars are becoming very popular design feature for condos, resorts, hotels and your own backyard resort. They offer an exquisite experience to guests as they allow water-lovers to stay in the water and have a station to rest their drinks, etc. upon. Glass bar tops from Downing Designs offer a luxurious swim-up pool bar experience…especially at night where the Multi-color LEDs offer infinite colors, and dimming options to create the evening ambiance you seek.

Our 1.5″ thick glass countertops offer a very durable, non-corroding surface that is perfect for swim up bars. With our stainless steel supports, you can cantilever the pool well over the pool edge to align with your submerged bar stools. This takes a little bit of planning to ensure the pool bar design is completely comfortable for sitting or standing.

The critical dimensions are:

Height of bar and submerged bar seats
Knee and foot room
Depth of water at pool bar end
Overhang of pool bar top
Overall depth of pool bar top

Start by working with the depth of the pool and examine how the interplay of water depth, submerged bar stool height, and pool bar top height works for you and your guests. Its an easy mock-up and do this with cardboard and adjustable stools. Kids and adults alike need to be comfortable so make sure your patrons are all measured. Make a scale drawing so that the plan view and side views are covering all your needs.

Planning for LED wire and controllers is critical as you may have 1 system that will control pool lights and bar top LED, etc.

Plan the swim up pool bar’s location so that it is easy for swimmer’s to grab drinks and snacks in the shallow-end of the pool with plenty of countertop space.

This particular spectacular example is at a private home in Ft Myers, FL.

Guests can cool off while watching the game when the sun is out as they sip on tropical cocktails. A tropical-style pavilion roof-structure offers ample protection from the sun for those relaxing near the swim-up bar, but still within easy conversational range.

This design takes swim-up bars to the next level with an elaborate Kitchen island counter area that includes a separate 22’ long glass bar top, lots of bar chairs and kitchen amenities for cooking and preparing meals with a fully-stocked refrigerator and plenty of counter space for throwing fun summertime parties.

Swim-up pool bar top made of thick glass

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Swim-Up pool bar outdoor kitchen Ft Myers, Fl

We hope this blog serves as practical design thoughts on your swim up pool bar. We have attached several links that show how first-class resorts have adopted this design element to delight their guests.

https://www.oyster.com/articles/12-best-swim-up-bars-in-the-u-s/

https://articles.bluehaven.com/what-is-a-swim-up-pool-bar-and-how-to-add-one-to-your-backyard

https://tampa.cbslocal.com/top-lists/nine-awesome-swim-up-bars/

https://seeker.io/swim-up-bars/

Jeff Downing

Founder, Lead Designer & Custom Glass Countertop Expert
Jeff Downing of Downing Designs, is a Tampa Florida–based design studio specializing in custom Glass Countertops, Glass Bar Tops, Glass Vanity tops and Glass Stair Treads. With decades of hands-on experience, Jeff is widely recognized for delivering textured glass surfaces integrated with LED lighting to create dazzling abstract statement pieces.

"Glass. Lights. Ambiance".

April 17, 2022

Glass. Lights. Ambiance.

Swim up pool bar design with glass bar tops.

Jeff Downing

Swim up pool bar design with glass bar tops.

Jeff Downing

Glass Stair Treads in Hollywood, California

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