Verreum + Gaia & Gino. The works of Annette Hinterwirth, PearsonLloyd, Karim Rashid, Jaime Hayon, & Sebastian Bergne.

Champagne & Wine Set by Sebastian Bergne for Verreum

I’ve been noticing something recently. I’m sure i’m not the first to highlight this either but here we go. Over the past few seasons i’ve noticed a trend (not that i’m a searcher for this buzzy key word others seem to fall over themselves to announce) however… Take a handful of established design houses/designers, e.g. Jaime Hayon, PearsonLloyd, Arik Levy. Connect them with the best glassmaking factories (mainly found in the Czech Republic) and you have yourself some very fancy new tabletop designs, with eye watering price tags. Killer wedding list type stuff. You know, those beautiful champagne glasses you pull out twice a year or those fancy espresso cups you’re too frightened to use incase your guest accidentally drops one and then you can never afford to replace it. Silvered glass. It’s my new obsession. Which leads to me two brands, Verreum and the more well known Gaia & Gino. More on them in a moment though. 

In a time (my social group in London certainly) when if you can’t afford to buy a home, I’m always telling my friends to buy small pieces you can move with. If that kitchen table isn’t yours, then invest in a great linen tablecloth, canary yellow or something, even if it’s from Zara Home, and buy a candelabra, Go on upgrade those wine bottles with candles wedged in the top to something a little more grown up. Stop buying another pair of shoes or bag and start investing in a few things for your home. I always aim high, and as you know, I like beautiful looking objects, so here I wanted to show you a few new designs that have recently come to market. 

Siluet by PearsonLloyd

One woman and her dog. Literally, Gaia is the designer, Gino is her dog. Based in Istanbul (the manufacturing is undertaken at the Verreum factories in the Czech Republic) this brand was founded in 2004. You’ll no doubt have seen the odd piece by this brand in many gift and decoration stores worldwide, the glass Mistic candleholder by Arik Levy has become a bit of a design classic now. I was recently contacted by the press department at Verreum who asked me to share some of their new designs. How could I not when these images filled my inbox. 

Gaia & Gino’s Enlightenment Collection was unveiled earlier in the year in Milan as part of the Wallpaper* Handmade Exhibition. 8 designers have made 14 collections, with 32 products for the brand. Karim Rashid, Arik Levy, Noe Duchafour Lawrence, Juergen Mayer H, Brad Ascalon, Jaime Hayon, PearsonLloyd and Annette Hinterwirth.

PearsonLloyd’s Play Range (& my favourite pieces in the collection). For their first accessories project I think they killed it.

Below, Fluke designed by Annette Hinterwirth. Inspired by the architecture of the 1920’s during the designers time in New York. Visible screws, connections and joints creating an honest and powerful design.

Onto Verreum, founded in 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic, by Pavel Weiser. The name comes from a combination of “Verre”, glass in French,  and “Um”, craftsmanship in Czech. Weiser’s mission is to revive silvered glass, nearly a forgotten technique in Europe. Now in partnership (since 2013) with Gaia & Gino the best in design has been married with the  best in production. Here are a few of my favourite designs from their most recent collection, ‘Love Collection’ debuted in Milan earlier this year. Arik Levy, Karim Rashid, Sebastian Bergne, Sebastian Herkner, Defne Koz and Marco Susani were all invited to participate.

Karim Rashid’s Table Lamp features blown glass with  metallic coated glass shade. This Bruno lamp is available in 3 options.

Arik Levy designed these blown silvered glass Candlesticks with a playful influence, each set has 5 pieces, and are available in either his signature lime green or silver.

These Aurora Espresso Cups have been created in blown silvered glass, designed by Defne Koz & Marco Susani

I had to quote the designers explanation for these cups, “Aurora coffee set was created to make your mornings better with precious, magic, shiny, silver cups that hold the small precious coffees high on pedestals, building a monument to them.” Brilliant.

Above, Drops vase collection by Arik Levy.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these pieces, feel free to contact me and I can put you in touch with the team, as they are still in the early phases of distribution.

#LWSY @LucyWillShowYou