Friday Five with Design Glut

The ladies of Design Glut, Kegan Fisher and Liz Kinnmark, are amazing: they’re talented designers, avid bloggers, super decorators, and they’re so nice! Their philosophy is to create objects that “start conversations, cause you to crack a smile, or add something meaningful to your life.” Their products attempt to convey messages, sometimes political in nature or social commentary. ask you to “think for yourself, and consume intelligently rather than mindlessly.”

Today, they’re sharing five of their favorite blown or molded glass objects.

How cool is glass blowing? What an incredible craft — heating the glass to molten temperatures and somehow forming it into a beautiful object. Here are a few things we’re mesmerized by right now:

1. Carafes by Etienne Meneau
These carafes are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Well, it’s kind of like veins, or fractals, or river tributaries. But it’s certainly like nothing I’ve ever seen on a dining table! We love how they show off the liquid they hold. Completely surreal.

2. Domsai by Matteo Cibic
Absolutely adorable. Hand-blown domes cover little cacti, and are exactly fitted to the shape of the cactus. Not only that, but the cactus grows on top of little legs! A combination of things that’s so crazy it just works.

3, Inflatable animal lamps by Thelermont Hupton
Speaking of cute things with legs, these blown-up animal lamps are irresistible. The clear glass mimics balloon animals, but thankfully these won’t pop.

4. Crazy light bulbs by Dylan Kehde Roelofs
These insane glass sculptures make me think of The Future, as it was envisioned years and years ago, like in Metropolis. Exposed filaments are so romantic, somehow. I’d love one as my bedside lamp.

5. Crystal Virus by Droog
The Droog website says these glass pieces “can be used as vases,” which is probably true, though I’m not sure who has room for a 10-foot table that does nothing but hold a few flowers. That aside, I think it’s an absolutely incredible art piece and love seeing the burn marks which the hot glass left behind in the wood. It speaks to the process of glass-blowing in a really beautiful way.