Last updated on November 4th, 2026 at 03:09 pm
One word, two completely different boards. And a third category in between: the Chanel surfboard and the rise of surfboard decor. Here is how to tell them apart.
Say “glass surfboard” to a surfer and they picture a freshly laminated board on a rack in a shaping bay. Say it to a collector and they may picture a Chanel surfboard on a gallery wall. Say it to us and you get a third picture: a sculpture of kiln-formed glass, lit from within, mounted on a wall. Same words. Different universe.
If you came here looking for a board to ride, we will point you to the people who build the best ones.
What a Surfer Means by “Glass”
In surf shops, “glassing” is a job, not a material. A shaper carves a foam blank into a board. A glasser then laminates fiberglass cloth and resin over it, sealing it and giving it strength. A “glassed” board is a foam board wearing a hard, glossy shell.
That craft keeps a board floating, flexing, and surviving the break. It is a beautiful trade, and we are not in it.
What We Mean by “Glass”
Ours is glass all the way through. Downing Designs fires sheets of glass in a kiln, building texture, color, and depth into the surface. Then we light the board from within and finish the edges in hand-fitted wood. Think of it as surfboard decor with a pulse: where a Chanel surfboard is a status piece in carbon and fiberglass, ours is a glowing piece of glass. See our glass surfboards.
The Chanel Surfboard: When a Surfboard Becomes Decor
Search “Chanel surfboard” and you land in a third world, where a surfboard is a collectible. The Philippe Barland x Chanel Limited Edition Blue Carbon Surfboard is listed at What Goes Around Comes Around at 32,500 USD as of this writing. Part of Chanel’s 2010 sports line and made in France, it is built in carbon fiber, polyurethane, and fiberglass, with the signature CC logo and a silhouette that looks like it was drawn for a gallery wall.
That listing says something worth noticing: people will pay serious money for a surfboard that lives in a room instead of the water. Surfboard decor has gone from beach-bar clutter to a real design category.
We come at it from the other direction. Where the Chanel surfboard is carbon fiber and fiberglass, ours is kiln-formed glass with light built in. Both are surfboard decor. Only one glows.
The Shapes Both Worlds Share
We borrowed the vocabulary from the people who earned it. The silhouettes are the same, because a great outline is a great outline. It is the same reason a Chanel surfboard still reads as a surfboard from across the room.
The Fish
Short, wide, and swallow-tailed. Built for playful speed in small, soft waves. On a wall, that twin-tail silhouette is pure poster energy.
The Gun
Long, narrow, and pointed, built for big, serious surf. On a wall, it is all drama and vertical line.
The Longboard
Nine feet and more of classic glide. On a wall, it is calm, graceful, and the biggest canvas for texture and light.
How the Two Compare
| Surf maker’s board | Downing Designs board | |
|---|---|---|
| Made of | Foam core, fiberglass, resin | Kiln-formed glass |
| Edge | Resin-sealed rails | Hand-fitted wood |
| Light | None | Integrated LED, single or dual zone |
| Floats | Yes | No |
| Made for | Water | A wall |
| Meant to be | Ridden | Admired |
Looking for a Board to Ride?
Go to the masters. Haydenshapes and Rusty both let you explore shapes and build a board online, and they are worth a long browse.
Glass doesn’t have to stay on the countertop. Step into our world of surfboards, where the same kiln-formed texture, color, and light travel from the bar to the beach. Explore the Surfboard Collection →
Looking for Surfboard Decor to Live With?
They engineer a board for the ocean. A Chanel surfboard is engineered as a collectible. We engineer an illuminated glass sculpture for the spaces people live in. As surfboard decor goes, it is the one that changes the mood of the room when you flip the switch.
A Different Kind of Relationship with Light
Surfers know that light changes everything. The same wave can look entirely different at sunrise, under a high midday sun, or in the last minutes before dusk. Texture appears and disappears. Reflections stretch and break apart. Color shifts with the angle of the light.
We work with that same fascination. Our integrated lighting reveals the texture of the glass from within, bringing out contours and details that might otherwise remain quiet. Depending on the design and lighting, the board can become a subtle architectural accent or a vivid focal point.
A Chanel surfboard is a carbon fiber shell that holds its look in any light. Ours does the opposite. Turn the lights on, and the piece takes on another dimension. Change the color, and the atmosphere changes with it.
This is what we mean by illuminated glass: not a decorative object with lights attached, but a sculptural form in which material, texture, and light work together. The ocean inspires the idea. The glass gives it a different life.
Why a Non-Surfer Builds Them
Here is our confession: the person behind these glass surfboards has never surfed. We know. That sounds like an unusual place to start. It turns out you do not have to surf to love the board. The Chanel surfboard proves that, and so does every glass surfboard we fire.
You do not have to ride a board to appreciate the intelligence of its design. You do not have to shape foam to recognize a beautiful outline. And you do not have to paddle beyond the break to be captivated by the culture, the imagery, and the atmosphere surrounding the sport.
We are artists and glassmakers. We have spent decades exploring what happens when glass, texture, and light come together. When we look at a surfboard, we see curves worth celebrating, and silhouettes that evolved through generations of experimentation, intuition, and experience.
We have no interest in taking credit for the shaper’s art. Quite the opposite. The original designs are what make this project so compelling. Our work is a tribute to that design language, expressed through the medium we know best.
Different tools. Different materials. The same appreciation for a well-resolved form. We may work in different mediums, but we understand the obsession.
Love the Chanel surfboard idea but want something no one else has? Design yours in our board builder: choose the shape, the texture, the fins, the wood edge, and the light. Then call 813.784.5211 or visit Glass Surfboards.
Glass. Lights. Ambiance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you surf on a glass surfboard?
No. Downing Designs glass surfboards are sculptural art objects made of kiln-formed glass. They are not designed to float or to be ridden. If you want a board for the water, look to a surf maker such as Haydenshapes or Rusty.
Is there a Chanel surfboard?
Yes. What Goes Around Comes Around lists a Philippe Barland x Chanel Limited Edition Blue Carbon Surfboard at 32,500 USD as of this writing. It is a limited-edition collectible from Chanel’s 2010 sports line, built in carbon fiber, polyurethane, and fiberglass. Downing Designs does not make Chanel products; our boards are original kiln-formed glass.
How does a glass surfboard compare to a Chanel surfboard?
Both are surfboard decor, made to be displayed instead of ridden. A Chanel surfboard is built from carbon fiber, polyurethane, and fiberglass. A Downing Designs glass surfboard is kiln-formed glass with integrated LED light and a hand-fitted wood edge, so it works as wall art and ambient lighting at once.
What is surfboard decor?
Surfboard decor is any surfboard, or surfboard-shaped piece, used as art or interior design instead of for riding waves. It ranges from vintage boards on a wall to collectible designer boards like the Chanel surfboard to sculptural pieces like our lit glass surfboards.
What is the best surfboard decor for a wall?
That depends on the room, but a surfboard-shaped sculpture gives you the silhouette without the weight, the wax, or the dings. Our kiln-formed glass boards add integrated light, so the piece works as both wall art and ambient lighting.
What does “glassing” a surfboard mean?
Glassing is the surf-shop process of laminating fiberglass cloth and resin over a shaped foam blank. It seals the board and gives it strength. It has nothing to do with the kiln-formed glass in our boards.
Is a Downing Designs glass surfboard made of fiberglass?
No. It is made of glass, fired in a kiln, with texture, color, and depth built into the surface. There is no foam core and no fiberglass lamination.
What is a glass surfboard sculpture?
It is a surfboard-shaped work of art in glass, lit from within and finished with a hand-fitted wood edge, made to hang on a wall or stand as a statement piece. It is built for people who love surf culture, whether or not they surf.
What shapes can I choose?
Fish, Gun, and Longboard, with a length you set in the board builder. Each shape borrows its outline from the surfboard world and translates it into glass.
Can I customize my board?
Yes. You choose the shape, the texture, the fins, the wood edge, and the light. Textures include three house patterns (Rising Sun, Wavy, and Question Mark) or your own drawing. Fins can be a house shape, including a shark fin with a bite taken out, or your own design. Your logo is sandblasted onto the surface. We share a 3D model for your approval before the board is fired.
Does the board light up?
Yes. The light is built in, as a single zone or dual zone, in the colors you choose. The wood edge conceals the wiring.
What wood is used on the edge?
Zebrawood, walnut, or maple, hand-fitted to the rail.
How do I order one?
Start in the board builder, then call 813.784.5211 or email [email protected].
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".