Smalti Glass Mosaic
Hand-cut glass for custom pools, portraits and architectural murals. A rich color palette, shaped around your design.
Smalti in the work
Facial modeling in hand-cut smalti — tesserae laid along the contour.
Van Gogh’s Afternoon Rest, recreated in hand-cut smalti.
From the blue scroll pool above to the figurative work shown here, smalti gives us a broad palette for detailed custom designs. Each piece is hand-cut and arranged to follow the drawing, rather than a standard tile grid.
What Is Smalti Glass?
Smalti is opaque, hand-poured glass colored with mineral oxides. The glass is cut into small pieces called tesserae. Variations in shape and surface give the finished mosaic its texture and changing response to light.
At Mosaiclegs, we use smalti for fine color transitions, curved motifs and figurative detail.
Specifying your project
Start with the surface location, dimensions, design references and target schedule. We review the drawing, color palette and material choices with your team.
For pools, exterior surfaces and wet areas, confirm the proposed glass and finish with the studio and your project team before specifying. A sample helps you review color and texture in the intended setting.
Smalti vs. vitreous glass
Smalti offers hand-cut character and a wide range of tones for portraits, murals and detailed motifs. Vitreous glass offers a more regular surface for geometric designs, borders and color blends. Neither is automatically the best choice for every project.
We can combine materials when the design calls for it. The studio reviews the desired detail, surface, scale and project budget before recommending a direction.
Your mosaic is made in our own studio and shipped nationwide, paper-faced in numbered sections with a keyed layout. Installation is handled by your tile setter or project team.
Color & hand-cut detail
We work with over 1,000 colors and tones. That range supports subtle shading in portraits, flowing scrollwork and transitions between neighboring hues.
The color study below shows how hand-cut pieces move from one hue family to another. We develop your palette around the drawing and review the selected colors and finishes through samples.
Glass surface & finish
Specialty glass finishes can introduce reflective accents into a mural or decorative panel. Review a physical sample with the studio: photographs alone cannot show how the surface responds to light.
Material and finish choices are reviewed for each project, particularly for submerged and exterior applications.
Reflective glass detail · Material reference
Plan your smalti mosaic
Send your dimensions, design references and target schedule for our studio to review. You can also call (323) 389-5347.