'Melt down' pendant light by Johan Lindstén

Inspired by his recent trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, a young Swedish designer Johan Lindstén has created this series of spherical, semi-translucent pendant lights called ‘Melt down’. Suspended from a simple, coloured lamp cord, the design features an oval shade whose form appears to have adapted to a protruding light bulb located within. ‘Melt down’ was showcased earlier in April at Salone del Mobile’s Salone Satellite. (more…)

'Dusty Copper' by Jung-Cheng Su; photo by Nicolas Genta

‘Hot Tools’ was one of three exhibitions presented by ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne on the occasion of this year’s Salone del Mobile. Showcasing the outcome of a workshop led by the acclaimed French designer Ronan Bouroullec and glassblower Matteo Gonet during which 20 Product Design (MA) students were asked to devise and build novel tools and forms which were most likely to result in an interesting, traditionally-blown glass objects, the exhibition featured eight innovative glass pieces as well as the novel devices which were employed in the production process. Watch the footage from this hugely innovative and inspiring workshop in the video below. (more…)

'Happy Pills' vases by Fabio Novembre for Venini

Italian designer Fabio Novembre imbued his latest collection of vases with happiness by attributing each of the five brightly-coloured pieces to a different chemical compound. Developed in collaboration with Murano glass specialists Venini, the ‘Happy Pills’ vases have been produced using the centuries-old Incalmo hand-blowing technique, originally invented more than 500 years ago by dexterous Venetian glassblowers who developed it to create objects consisting of two or more distinct parts in different colours. (more…)

Detail of Erik Höglund's blue bowl from the 'Folded Rim' collection; photo courtesy of Vet Hut

Tucked away in the forests of Småland, southern Sweden – a region which is also known as the Swedish ‘Kingdom of Crystal’ – Vet Hut Glassworks is the latest creative project of Design House Stockholm. Launched in the summer last year as a ‘new centre for creativity, experience and border-crossing collaborations on glass and design’, the small-sale, manual glassworks specialises in high-quality, limited edition items made of mouth-blown molten glass. Providing an antidote to the anonymity of mass-produced goods, each item crafted at Vet Hut is treated as ‘an individual which bears with it its own narrative in air bubbles, birth marks and shifting colour nuances,’ qualities which are clearly visible in the ‘Folded Rim’ collection. (more…)

Vase & Leuchte lamp by Miriam Aust for Dua

Although a lamp consisting of a lightbulb submerged in water might sound like a highly-hazardous concept to say the least, the young German designer Miriam Aust has found her solution to this seemingly-impossible idea which resulted in creation of this striking series of lights-cum-vases. Called just that, the award-winning ‘Vase & Leuchte’ consists of three, differently-sized clear glass lamps composed from an archetypal pendant lampshade surrounded by a cylinder, which can be filled with water and decorated with water plants or cut flowers. (more…)

'Dutch Tap Water' carafes by Lotte de Raadt; photo by Maarten de Raadt

To raise environmental awareness and draw attention to the green credentials as well as far-reaching benefits of relinquishing the bottle and switching back to the tap, the young Dutch designer and recent Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Lotte de Raad has created this series of three simple glass carafes whose lid references the origins of the water they’re intended for. (more…)

'Skog' lamps by Caroline Olsson for Magnor Glassverk

With Christmas less than two weeks away, this collection of diminutive, nature-inspired lamps by the young Norwegian designer and Akershus University College student Caroline Olsson certainly evokes the festive feeling. Manufactured by the century-old Norwegian glassworks Magnor Glassverk, ‘Skog’ – Norwegian for ‘forest’ – has been inspired and named after the large forests surrounding Magnor Glassverk. (more…)

'Dame' pendant light by Luca Nichetto for Established&Sons; photo © Peter Guenzel

With his latest design, the award-winning Italian designer Luca Nichetto, whom we had the pleasure of meeting during our trip to Foscarini’s HQ, revisits his native Venice and the centuries-old glassmaking traditions of Murano island. Inspired by the said ‘traditional glass lanterns made on the island of Murano,’ the new, dramatic pendant light is manufactured by the British company Established&Sons and it is Nichetto’s second product for the London-based brand.

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