If any material can be described as magical, it’s surely glass – here’s what makes it so special…
At Pooky, we’re a little obsessed with materials. We spend an inordinate amount of time seeking out the very best of them. Feeling, testing and experimenting, and asking: what can this material do that others can’t?
In this series, The Language of Materials, we take a closer look at the substances that shape the things we make – exploring their origins, their qualities and the long traditions of craft behind them.
Here’s a look at the unique, indeed magical, appeal of glass…
There was a time in the not-too-distant past, when the relentless rise of plastic meant that many traditional uses of glass were being swept aside. But as the world started to wake up to the dangers of plastic pollution, the purity and endless recyclability of glass made this unique material an informed, eco-friendly 21st century choice.
There is something almost magical about glass, whether it is busy reflecting or refracting, and whether plain, transparent, opaque or singing with color. Glass lights up our lives and brings light into our homes; it can be plain or fancy, offering a world of design possibilities.
At Pooky, we would be lost without it…
The story of glass
We have some early Mediterranean traders or metalworkers to thank for the advent of glass; when their fire became hotter than usual, they discovered that a combination of ash, lime and sand could melt into a completely different substance: a transparent but solid liquid. A sort of alchemy was at work, producing something cloudy, colored and precious that, in many ways, would change history.
The Ancient Egyptians fashioned glass into tiny jars and beads in jewel tones of amber, cobalt and turquoise. On his 1492 voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus took thousands of Venetian and Spanish glass beads as diplomatic gifts and to barter with indigenous peoples for gold, provisions and land.
In the first century BCE, Syrian craftsmen perfected the art of glassblowing, which meant that glass could be made cheaper, quicker and thinner; this, in turn, enabled the Romans to take glass usage to new heights.
Bottles, cups, and lamps filled Roman villas, and the world’s first glass windows appeared: thin panes that softened daylight and made interiors feel lighter, calmer, and more connected to the outdoors.
Despite the fall of Rome, glassmaking endured and by the Middle Ages Venice was at its forefront. Glassmakers on the Venetian island of Murano were the undisputed masters, creating delicate goblets, shimmering mirrors and, above all, what would become the world’s most famous and arguably most coveted chandeliers. (Recommended reading: Tracy Chevalier’s novel The Glass Maker.) Despite today’s rising energy costs and mass market counterfeits, Murano remains a center of excellence for the glassmaker’s craft, just as it has done for 700 years.
Meanwhile, stained glass was transforming Europe’s mediaeval cathedrals, using light and color to communicate religious narratives, as well as to impress. The story of glass had become the story of craftsmanship and status.
European royalty and aristocrats were obsessed with mirrors, the bigger the better, to reflect and enhance candlelight and to make rooms appear larger and grander, nowhere more so than in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. Built between 1678 and 1684 for the Sun King, Louis XIV, it remains one the world’s most opulent displays of wealth and power.
And then came the Industrial Revolution, which affected so many traditional artisan crafts and skills, including glassmaking. New, mechanized processes meant that large sheets of plate glass could be produced in enormous and affordable quantities. By the nineteenth century, glass had been democratized. Far more homes had lighter, brighter interiors and larger windows and plant-filled conservatories and mirrored wardrobes, for example, became big favorites with comfortably-off Victorian families.
Glass would continue to hold its own through the design movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from the ornate, color drenched lamps created by Louis Tiffany and his studio, to the sleek glamour of Art Deco mirrored panels and Crittall’s steel-framed windows, with their industrial aesthetic, became synonymous with Art Deco and Modernist architecture.
Steel-and-glass interiors were definitely a 20th century thing, admired for their honesty and simplicity. Frank Lloyd Wright believed that glass was a ‘magical material’ that broke down the barrier between outside and inside, allowing him to design houses that framed views of nature, his constant inspiration.
The thousands of semi-detached houses that sprang up across the country in the 1920s and ‘30s, often featured stained glass fanlights and front door windows; the sunrise versions spoke of a new-found optimism for the future. The Blitz, sadly, destroyed many of them and the majority of those that did survive have long since disappeared, victims of uPVC replacements. (Much-loved survivors often feature in Simon Pollock’s joyful @londonsuburbia Instagram account.)
Mid-Century Modernism favored glass houses such as High Sunderland, designed in 1962 by Peter Womersley for textiles artist Bernat Klein and his wife Peggy. And let’s not forget glass balustrades, glass dining and coffee tables, glass partitions and sliding doors…
Today, glass remains supreme; it’s everywhere, from the curtain walls of skyscrapers to the windows of tiny flats, making the most of natural and artificial light, and in so many guises: colored, fluted, reeded, smoked, magnifying, opaque and transparent. Glass has evolved and reinvented itself; it is practical, sustainable, protective, fragile yet durable, ancient and futuristic.
Small wonder that glass has been an intrinsic part of the human story for thousands of years.
Pooky’s way with glass
From chandeliers to lightbulbs, from hall lights to wall lights, and from mirrors to candle and tealight holders, indoors and outdoors, you can find glass in all its glory, and practicality, at Pooky.
Outdoor lighting is all about first impressions… Glass is key, of course, and we love the elegant lines of this version of our Orford wall light. We deliberately kept Orford simple; this version consists of long, slim glass panels set in bronze-finished pure brass. Sheer delight.
Wisteria has always been one of our most popular glass table lamps. Made of plain glass and finished in antiqued brass, its simplicity means that it will sit comfortably in any interior design scheme. This cordless version makes Wisteria even more versatile; you can use it anywhere in the home or outdoors.
And so to glass chandeliers… we have dozens of them, from the diminutive but beautifully formed to our magnificent, top-of-the-range Rodaximus, a mighty cascade of five concentric rings of glistening glass rods.
Browse all Pooky’s lights and shades by material.
See also:
The Language of Materials: Paper