April 15, 2016
Barovier Toso is a company that specializes in Venetian glass light fixtures and one of my favourite suppliers for projects that need an injection of glamour and sophistication. I typically do not purchase new ones, but rather I am drawn to the vintage 1930’s era pieces, such as the bold, brass and glass styles shown below:
Here’s a bit of history: The company is one of the oldest family businesses in the world, founded in 1295 as simply Barovier. The history of the Barovier family derives from the XIIIth century, when the Barovier family is mentioned for the first time in an official Venetian document. The company headquarters is currently based in the Palazzo Contarini in Murano, a small island in the archipelago. It was not until 1936, that the Barovier family merged with the Toso family's Fratelli Toso Glassworks, to form Barovier & Toso, with the newly formed company specializing in crystalline glass, mother-of-pearl glass, and gold-free cornelian red glass.
The dynasty has continued and developed over the centuries, through generation after generation, and has become one of the leading international manufacturers of specialty glass, producing beautiful and original glass lighting fixtures and decorative vases.
Finally, here is the beautiful Barovier Tosso Pendant fixture that I come home to every night.
