Glass has been made for at least 5500 years. It can be traced back to Mesopotamia, though it was a very slow road from its beginning to creating window glass and flat panes, jam jars and tree baubles in the mid 19thC.
In the last century the use and possibilities for glass has transformed the material almost beyond recognition from one of the most precious to one of the most basic of construction materials – staircases, whole wall, skylights, floors, even baths, basins, table tops and coloured glass worktops and splash backs, shower doors, lamp bases, door handles, mixing bowls and flower vases, not to mention mirrors and verre eglomise, sandblasting and etching, sculpting and forming ….
Glass adds sparkle and points of brightness to interior furnishings–as beads and buttons, rings, poles, door handles, tables, lamps and tie backs, whether clear, painted, with metals, hand blown or cut. Recycled glass beads and buttons have a matte, slightly rough texture that looks good with linen and silks alike.
These recycled glass beads are made in Africa from amber glass that pick up the delicious soft creme and spun caramel colours in this simply worked crewel design.
Image from Calluna : Cushions – Heather Luke
Venetian glass is well known for colour and detail in chandeliers, ornate mirrors, beads, lamp stands, that are all made by traditional methods on the island of Murano. Many traditional glass works from across the world make for interiors – including Bohemian glass, Irish Waterford crystal, Dartington glass…