Contemporary hand-blown glass pieces are taking over as glass blowers are creating everything from unique lighting fixtures to colorful vases.
Photo by Richard Waite for Soneva
Harmonizing perfectly with both modern and classic spaces, hand-blown glass pieces “bring life and atmosphere to any living area, regardless of the mood that you have created,” says Hassan El Maoula, the commercial director at Verrum.
Whether hanging from the ceiling or positioned on a dining room table, homeowners are increasingly craving a personalized look to their space. “The beauty of hand-blown glass pieces is that each one is unique and no two are exactly alike,” adds El Maoula.
Reviving traditional glass-making craftsmanship, Verreum produces vases, lamps, small furniture pieces and more in collaboration with international designers, including Sacha Walckhoff.
Fascinated by the hand-blown procedure, El Maoula says that “witnessing a magical process, watching a human being drafting and breathing life into an object or material and turning it into a living soul, is a fabulous creation process.”
Jonathan Rogers’ Filigrana Pendant Mesh
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Rogers
Verrum Double Jeu Large Vase, Bronze and Pink
Photo courtesy of Filip Beranek
Verrum Double Jeu Carafe and Tumbler
Photo Courtesy of Filip Beranek
Jonathan Rogers, who started blowing glass at the age of 16, also creates hand-crafted glass pieces. Launching exclusively with Heal’s, the Filigrana pendant explores texture and pattern using a traditional Venetian cane-work technique. Rogers meticulously handcrafts each glass pendant in his workshop to create truly one-of-a-kind designs.
Meanwhile the Soneva Fushi resort in the Maldives is taking hand-blown glass to the next level. In addition to creating visually exciting pieces, Soneva now uses local recycled glass — collecting between 1,100 and 2,200 pounds of glass from neighboring islands each month.
In conjunction with the Soneva Art & Glass program, the glass is washed, crushed and delivered to Soneva’s Glass Studio, where it is melted down in the company’s glass furnace and blown into extraordinary pieces of art. “Every piece from the smallest and most simple to the largest and most complex is one of a kind,” says Evan Venaas, chief glass specialist at Soneva Fushi.
Venaas believes that Soneva has started some very important conversations following its decision to be eco-conscious. “The fragile ecosystem exists everywhere in the world but it is increasingly important that humans realize that we are part of it,” he explains, “and that we make conscious decisions in life and business that support that understanding.”
From custom-made coloring books to first edition copies of century-old novels and everything in between, online marketplaces are now offering customers the chance to purchase incredibly rare, hard-to-find books. Sites like Biblio, AbeBooks and VeryFirstTo have all the options you need to expand your book collection, including these noteworthy titles.
By Kelly Potts
East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North by Kay Nielsen
This signed limited edition version, one of just 500 copies printed, features gilt titles and decorations to the spine and front cover, and an original pen and ink drawing by Nielsen. “It’s probably one of the most collectible illustrated books of the 20th century,” Richard Davies, PR & publicity manager of AbeBooks, says of the book that was published in 1914. $49,913.49 • AbeBooks.com
Photo courtesy AbeBooks.com
The Bespoke Colouring Book with Bespoke Illustrations by Ian Beck
Featuring 10 custom illustrations that can range from meaningful personalities to locations to events, this coloring book is hand-bound in leather with the buyer’s name embossed in 24-karat gold lettering on the cover. As VeryFirstTo reports, Beck is excited to begin this project, saying, “This is an amazing keepsake and heirloom in the making for the family.” $30,875 • VeryFirstTo.com
Photo courtesy VeryFirstTo
Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
“The gorgeous condition of this century-old book is something to be thrilled over,” states Shehan. W.W. Denslow illustrated this first-edition copy of the classic children’s book, published by George M. Hill Company in 1900, with 24 color plates and text illustrations. $27,500 • Biblio.com
Photo courtesy Aleph-Bet Books, Inc, Pound Ridge, New York
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Featuring an inscription by the author, this first edition copy of Casino Royale from publisher Jonathan Cape includes a letter of provenance from the original owner. Described by Amber Shehan, marketing coordinator for Biblio, as “simply spectacular for any fan of James Bond,” this novel (later turned into a film) was written by Fleming over a period of two months according to Biblio. $130,000 • Biblio.com
Photo courtesy Raptis Rare Books in Palm Beach, Florida