Working with a designer makes everyone a winner!

Question: How do you transport and install a unique, nine-by-five-foot piece of carved glass, inlaid with 24-carat gold leaf and worth many thousands of dollars?

Answer: Very carefully!

Galaxy Glass & Mirror prides itself, however, on handling nearly impossible tasks. Says vice-president, Gregory A. Csaki, "We'll do things other people won't even attempt. We're not afraid to take on a challenge." He's particularly proud of this job, executed for a private residence in Alpine, New Jersey. Designer Warren Hanson patterned the contemporary home on the Prairie Style architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. He originally contacted Galaxy to do some bathroom installations, but once he got an idea of the studio's versatility in handling not only glass but also custom stone, he suggested a more pivotal piece-a carved glass panel to be set into a huge, black-slate fireplace.

Hanson sketched the design as an abstraction of the site plan, playing on the axes and focal points of the house itself. The result is a Wright-influenced fantasy of concentric arcs, chevrons and parallel lines. Hanson then conferred with Csaki about how to translate the image into glass.

"Working with interior designers is important," says Csaki. "They have the pulse of the entire project, they understand what the piece will do for the area. They usually originate the concept, while we offer specific ideas on how to implement it." He says he rarely has serious conflicts with designers. "Most are receptive to our input. They don't want costly errors. Sure, they can decide afterward that they don't like a piece, but we safeguard against that with checks and balances along the way." Csaki notes that the owners of the house remained involved in every step of the process. "They're art collectors, and have an eye for fine detail. That made our job more enjoyable, because they cared what it looked like."

After considering a number of approaches, Csaki and Hansen chose to carve the glass from behind, in multiple layers, starting from the deepest to the most shallow. The Galaxy artisans then inlaid the finished carving with a type of gold leaf designed especially for use on glass. From the front, there is an illusion of raised impressions and gilded patterns, but the surface is smooth to the touch. Csaki admits the most challenging aspect of the job was the size of the work. "We had done other large gold-leaf projects," he says, "but they were assembled in pieces."

Located in Fairfield, New Jersey, Galaxy has been in the business for 20 years. The studio employs about two dozen people, including about 15 artisans. The 18,000-square-foot workshop is designed to handle big projects, whether in glass, mirror or stone. Galaxy also created the fireplace for this residence, 22 feet high, 14 feet wide and six feet deep, built of slate slabs in varying sizes that had to match up perfectly. Csaki notes that his studio's ability to handle many aspects of a project, including glasswork, is a strong point - "The designer doesn't have to go to several different places. We don't have to wait for other people to finish the various steps, or risk mistakes with measurements."

Once the work had been crafted, the Galaxy workers faced two more hurdles. They had to transport the fragile and valuable piece of glass about 30 miles to the site and mount it over the hearth without mishap. "God forbid we chipped a comer," says Csaki. "We'd have to start over!"

Galaxy builds its own crates and employs expert glass handlers, but Csaki still worried. A hundred things could go wrong. What if the truck vibrations caused cracking? What if the measurements turned out to be just a little off? Fortunately, the transportation and installation went as smooth as... well, as glass! Six installers worked for two hours to anchor the piece in place. First, they put up a steel framework and a wooden backing, then used large suction cups to position the carved glass panel. They glued, cemented and bolted it into place, then covered the edges of the wooden panel with more of the slate. Csaki says of the sculpted glass piece, "If there's an earthquake, it'll be the last thing to fall!" "The people were nice," he adds. "They appreciated it and understood the time it took to develop it."

Hanson says, "It was a challenge, but it went very smoothly, from an eight-by-ten scale drawing to the finished thing. Galaxy knew how to follow through and deal with all the installation aspects." The designer notes that he often features glass in important ways in his interiors -1 use if for its transparency, translucency, light, drama, any number of effects. It's one of the great tools we work with." He says he often counts on Galaxy to handle tricky jobs. "They have the creativity to respond to any idea you bring them, even if they haven't done work like that before."

Galaxy prides itself on this creative approach. Csaki says, "Nothing we do is computer-generated, it's all done by hand. It's like the difference between an oil painting and a print-you get more depth. Often, people request that we never duplicate a piece. It's very personalized, truly an artwork.".