DESIGNING TRANSPARENCY
Glass in Modern Design
by Agata Toromanoff
Designing Transparency – Glass in Modern Design | As the fascination with plastic is now over for both aesthetic and environmental reasons, more and more designers are going back to one of the most traditional materials: glass. Free of any synthetic characteristics, glass is authentic and, if treated with skill and imagination, it can provide stunning results. Designing Transparency features the glasswork of a myriad of designers dedicated to creating visually striking and sustainable pieces.
Glass has been used for centuries to create tableware or design objects, but now designers from all over the world are pushing the boundaries of the material’s optical properties. Playing with transparency can lead to intriguing solutions. The featured designs in this book — such as screens, carafes, lamps, tables, seating, and shelves, all made from glass — show the possibilities for introducing visual lightness into spaces via transparency. Each photograph is accompanied by text describing the designer’s connection with glassware artistry, and provides analysis of the individual pieces and their visual appeal.
Format: Hardcover
Size: 6 5/7″ x 8 6/7″
Pages: 256
ISBN: 9783943330298
Felicia Ferrone’s designs are characterized by unorthodox and original shapes that challenge expectations. The Margot Red Wine Goblets are described as a maximalist line of glassware by the designer. Their imaginative shape brings to mind candy wrappers that have been inventively sculpted. Ferrone’s design demonstrates fantastic glass forming technique that results in a rich and complex structure with stunning reflective qualities.
For a champagne flute, Ferrone selects an unusually heavy shape, as if reversing the proportions. While typically tall and thin, the stem becomes a wide and solid base while the slim goblet gets an XXL size. The glasses, named after the designer’s favourite street in Milan, are, as she says, “a playful and delicate combination of materials and form, just like the city itself.” Rasori can be also used for wine, water, juice and thanks to the borosilicate glass also for hot drinks. Both collections are hand-formed without the use of moulds.