Colored Glass Decor to Brighten Your Space
While it may seem a more modern innovation, colored glass decor has been around for millennia. Sometime in the 4th century AD, an extraordinary glass chalice known as the Lycurgus Cup was crafted in the Roman Empire. Little is known about this cup, which currently resides in the British Museum. Remarkable for its exquisite craftsmanship and unique optical properties, the cup appears jade green when lit from the front but glows radiant red when illuminated from behind.
For centuries, this effect puzzled scholars and scientists until modern technology in the 20th century revealed its secret. The cup contained tiny particles of gold and silver dispersed throughout the glass, causing a phenomenon known as “plasmon resonance” when light passed through, selectively absorbing and emitting different wavelengths to create the striking color change.
The discovery and analysis of this cup reveal the remarkable expertise in material manipulation possessed by ancient craftsmen. This remarkable artifact exemplifies the captivating nature of colored glass and highlights the enduring fascination with the art and science of glass craftsmanship throughout history. From Medieval stained glass to Art Nouveau Tiffany lamps, colored glass has enchanted long since the enigmatic Lycurgus Cup. Below are ADORNO’s top picks for colored glass decor.
Tornasol – Polychromatic Mirror by Pernia Studio
Guillermo Pernia’s glass pieces exemplify his vision of merging functional design with artistic expression, meticulously crafted to evoke curiosity and provoke thought. Made from high-quality floated glass, this mirror transforms a simple reflective surface into a captivating focal point through a dynamic interplay of light and color. Combining traditional glassmaking methods with innovative techniques, Pernia’s production process highlights the structural and sculptural capabilities of glass, ensuring each piece meets the highest standards of quality and beauty.
This unique piece encapsulates a timeless landscape of sunset colors.
Bombastico Pink Haze by markus emilsson
Bombastico is a series of eye-catching extravagant vases with sculptural values. These big, bulging, colorful vases bring the extraordinary into your everyday life. The artist applies opaque and transparent glass colors in different layers, creating shifting color combinations and patterns. He blows the vases in a semi-open mold, allowing the hot glass to partly expand freely.
This process creates a certain randomness, resulting in vases that vary slightly in shape and volume. Bombastico Pink Haze combines red, pink, and white tones with splashes of golden amber. The artist partially sandblasts and then oils the vase for a smooth, gentle surface. Markus Emilsson designs and produces Bombastico at the Glass Factory in Boda, Småland, Sweden.
Rainbow X Mirror by Julia Siewak
Julie Siewak’s Rainbow X mirror is a whimsical, Space Age delight. The wood-framed mirror features custom-designed handles shaped like “waves” for versatile hanging. This design offers a color-changing reflection, showcasing bold, coastal hues from pink to orange to fresh green depending on the viewing angle.
Bror 20 by Noidoi Design Studio
Bror is a range of hand-blown glass containers/vases that are based on the iconic potpourri vessels made by the Gjøvik Glass Factory in Norway in the 18th century. The shape of the vessel takes a potpourri scent as it takes its inspiration in form from the cinnamon stick. The amber glass infuses a subtle energy reminiscent of mid-century modern design.
Deflated Glass Vase by Sticky Glass
The Deflated series playfully showcases the art of glassblowing with a collection of hand-blown glass vessels that highlight the often under-appreciated burdens of domestic responsibility. These whimsical, maximalist vessels serve as objects of utility and as queered artifacts that spark dialogue, questioning the traditional roles they fulfill. They express empathy tangibly, resonating on an emotional level with those who encounter them.
“Panes” Vase by Kim Thomé
The Panes Vase offers a minimalist fusion of form and color. The designer thoughtfully crafts this vase from an array of differently hued glass panes, assembling them to create a dynamic interplay of colors from every angle. Part of a minimalist series exploring glass as a versatile structural material within the realm of domestic design, these vases showcase the designer’s innovative approach to craftsmanship. They come in a range of classic glass colors, including blue, green, bronze, and grey.
Fire Stained Glass by Bigtime studio
Bigtime Studio presented this vibrant stained glass window in a small chapel in the south of France, specifically in Arles, called the Chapel of the Madeleine. The window draws inspiration from the famous stained glass works of the nearby Saint-Trophime Cathedral of Arles. Its shapes, colors, and patterns evoke the movement of a virulent fire, bringing a delightful, maximalist, and eclectic character to a variety of spaces.
Flow Vase – Rose by STUDIO MILENA KLING
The Flow vases by Milena Kling come in a lovely, translucent palette of colors ranging from warm pastels and rose to vivid spritz hues and soft opaque shades. The fluid silhouettes and raw surface is reminiscent of its copper mold origin.
By exposing the filigree copper moulds to the artisan craft of mouth blown glass and blowing fluid glass bubbles into the soft copper mesh moulds, each object is one of a kind and emphasises the potential of traditional production. Small differences in timing, heat and flow create unique patterns, textures and seams
Espinhos Vases by Carol Gay
The ESPINHOS Collection, offers a striking assortment of hand-blown glass pieces, in a variety of colors. Traditional glassblowing techniques have been expertly manipulated to create distinctive spikes resembling pointed thorns. These thorns are arranged in both linear patterns, encircling the glass like a crown, and asymmetrical designs, freely adorning the surface of each piece.
Natures Visual Sound Vessel by Sandra Keja Planken
Ever wondered what nature’s sound would look like? This sculptural glass vessel ventures to capture the essence of that curiosity.
Twirling, twining, combining and morphing the glass into a peacefully transcending collectible piece. Sandra’s handmade art and sculptural pieces are always created with materials at hand, and therefore unique and might be slightly different from the pictures. Truly one of a kind.
Fractical Neon Table Lamp by Dace Sūna
Fossil Vase by Elis Monsport
Stone fossils of beach-shaped plants blown into vases, mirrored in the varied colours of nature. That is the main idea behind this vase which is “engraved inside out”. The decor is first engraved and modelled on one prototype, then formed and multiplied with wax and plaster moulds. Each colour then reflects the natural elements and therefore its essence, which speaks back to the personality of its owner.
105 Ltr Forms – Beryl Green Handmade Glass Object by Vogel Studio
Crafted from hand-blown glass, the 105-liter forms are molded using fireproof fabric, resulting in a patterned exterior marked by indentations and stitches. This technique blends the smooth, elegant aesthetic of glass with the traditional, time-worn appearance of woven cloth. The outer seams give the illusion of holding the forms together, culminating at the neck where the fabric transitions into polished glass. This collection beautifully juxtaposes the raw, tactile qualities of fabric with the refined elegance of glass, offering a truly distinctive visual and tactile experience.
Vital Friction: Calescent by Studio Lisa Sacco
There is a misguided division between the human world that is alive and bustling and the “dead” background material that supports us, lying in wait to be animated by our use. We recognize that material has a potent effect on our energy. Vital Friction is a material intersection of an industrial steel off-cut and mouth-blown glass which awakens our innate sense of material intelligence.
“Polline” Murano Glass Vase / Low by Laura Sattin
“Polline” is a collection of delicate and elegant Murano Glass vases, mouth blown and shaped free-hand using “oro soffiato” technique (literally “blown gold”) on the clear glass. Tiny golden particles – at times copious, at times sparse – create unique patterns on the minimalist surface of the glass and give a warm golden glow in low light, and are brilliant in sunlight. This gold dust reminds of the pollen of flowers, therefore this collection is named “polline”, and offers a calming, boho chic character.
“Blend Vases” Red/Blue by Norwegian Designer, Runa Klock
The glassblown Blend vases by Runa Rock showcases a distinct visual character. Independent of flowers, its inner shape is highlighted by a maximalist blend of two colors, creating a unique look for each vase
Organic Dodecahedron by Gala Fernandez
This Murano vase by Gala Fernandez was born from the harmonious fusion of fluid glass and confining metal, capturing the essence of limitation, protection, and custody. Expert craftsmen blow liquid glass into hand-woven geometric structures and existing objects, transforming them into forms that transcend their past lives. The interaction between colored glass and metal merges two distinct materials, giving rise to unexpected and captivating figures. Each vase brings a unique and eclectic character.