FROM TRADITION TO CONTEMPORARY DESIGN
Founded in 1954 by Franco Fuga and his wife Tullia Ongaro, Ongaro & Fuga proudly carries on the ancient tradition of handcrafted Venetian mirrors. The family's history in the art of glass, however, dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, when Angelo Fuga, as early as 1852, stood out for his extraordinary mastery of the craft and his designs of rare elegance.
Under the leadership of Giuliano Fuga, the company conquered national and international markets. Today his son Ludovico runs it, with the same great passion and a renewed vision projected into the future.
In Murano, the beating heart of the Venetian glassmaking tradition, Ongaro & Fuga embodies the meeting of historic forms and contemporary trends, giving life to original, expressive creations. Every mirror, every frame, every engraved surface is born from the hands of master artisans who, with measured gestures and ancient tools, transform a sheet of glass into a unique work.
Engraving, grinding, bevelling, silvering and assembly: centuries-old techniques that preserve their ritual intact, while serving modern, high-profile projects.
Timeless elegance, meticulous attention to detail and an impeccable reinterpretation of classic styles: these are the hallmarks of a maison that for over seventy years has safeguarded and renewed a very rare expertise, handed down from generation to generation through exclusively manual craftsmanship.
Three absolute principles guide the company: total craftsmanship, bespoke customisation and uncompromising quality. Ongaro & Fuga creates decorative mirrors, scenographic walls, art panels and bespoke compositions, working with architects, interior designers and contract projects all over the world. The approach is tailored: every piece is designed for private residences, luxury hotels, boutiques and public spaces seeking an iconic, unrepeatable element.
Recognised worldwide for the exclusivity of their features and the refinement of their finishes, the collections blend a profound knowledge of raw materials with a passion for design and total dedication to tradition, reinterpreted through a rigorously contemporary lens.
Every Ongaro & Fuga creation vibrates with the most authentic essence of Made in Italy.
Techniques and production process
Design/Drawing
Everything starts from an initial idea. Every mirror begins as freehand sketches, then turned into 1:1 scale technical drawings that guide the carving of the wooden base and define every decorative detail with millimetric precision.
Cutting/Grinding
The glass is cut to size and shaped into sinuous curves. Each element is then individually ground to obtain brilliant facets that catch the light like diamonds.
Engraving
An ancient Venetian technique: using the lathe and thanks to their great experience, engravers delicately scratch the glass to create nineteenth-century floral motifs or fully customised designs, on flat or curved surfaces.
Silvering/Antiquing
Glass becomes a mirror through slow, ancient processes. Thanks to proprietary formulas, Ongaro & Fuga masters the art of antiquing and of colouring glass, recreating natural patinas that convey the emotion of time lived.
Hand-made coloured glass
A wide collection of hand-coloured and cast glass. Using special paints and techniques, Ongaro & Fuga can colour glass in endless shades, offering limitless creative possibilities.
Customisation options
Shape, size, colour: everything is made to measure. We create mirrors over 4 metres high and unique projects for the most ambitious requests of architects and designers.
Wall coverings
Over the last five years, we have clad thousands of square metres of walls and ceilings with our antiqued mirrors: from private residences to the home of the Emir of Dubai.
Published in OnlyONE Magazine #6