Tag: design

Fall Highlights for Celebrating this Season

jamesmurray27Leave a comment

As the holiday entertaining days approach, Simon Pearce designed a variety of new items to enhance good times with family and friends. With the popularity of the recently launched Shoreham whiskey glass; we extend the unique gesture of its curve into a complimentary decanter and double old-fashioned.  The decanter’s streamlined silhouette is a statement piece for any bar, and feels great in the hand when pouring and serving for celebratory times this season.

A wonderful new entertaining item is the Hampton chiller. Pursuing design concepts that are both functional and beautiful, we brought together hammered stainless steel and our glass to create a stunning combination.  The spherical glass shape can be filled with crushed ice, and the benefit of the 18/10 stainless insert is to keep your wine or champagne bottles chilled without them getting wet sitting in the ice. Separately, the metal component can be used as a tabletop sleeve like a coaster to place a bottle in, while the glass shape can double as an ice bucket or even a vase.

 

Exploring interesting material combinations is a hallmark of our design pursuits.  Expanding on our popular barware category,  we brought together a smooth sculpted wood handle with a stainless steel element to create a few quintessential bar tools.  As a great gift for the home bar user, we created a grey leather/suede pouch to conveniently put the tool set away when not in use. 

As our forest of glass evergreen trees keep growing, we explored other mediums that our unique tree design can be interpreted in.  After sculpting our trees as prototypes to be made out of beeswax which were launched last year as tree candles, we then took the same models to cast the trees in our own pottery.  Two options of glazes are available of a classic white dove, or the reactive green glaze called moss glen that has interesting tonal detail along its edges.  The new pottery evergreens make a great addition to any glass tree forest to create a striking decor statement.

We developed the technique of adding a watery swirl around a glass vessel first on a Waterbury tumbler and then a lamp.  To add a touch of expressiveness and swirl to our wine glass collections, we brought this concept into a classic red and white wine glass shape.  Each Waterbury glass is entirely unique resulting from a small gather of molten glass added on the glass floor while the vessel is being formed.

Our perfectly imperfect form and edge treatment of the Burlington Hurricane shows off the unique characteristics of our glass.  This year, it has been interpreted into two new sizes.  The new small and large sizes combined with the medium are great as a grouping in clusters of all three items on a table, console or mantel.  Perfect for illuminating a holiday table for gathering.

Awards in Design

jamesmurray27Leave a comment

Pratt Fashion Visionary Award

As part of a larger design community, Simon Pearce has cultivated relationships with several higher education institutions, and promoted the awareness of handcrafted Design and the cultural impact it has on our lives. An example of this, is Pratt Institute’s Fashion Visionary award, which is a glass object designed and handmade here at Simon Pearce to celebrate the accomplishments of a designer in the Fashion Industry. The development of the award changes from year to year, with new forms being explored in R&D, that can express the nuances of fashion in glass.

Our most recent creation started with a hand rendering, and was the result of working with riverstone shapes in glass, applied around the form of a modern vessel.  The organic characteristics of the hand formed stone shapes, show off the quality of the glass, particularly with the way light refracts through them.

IMG_0228 (1).jpg
 This year, the award was given to Kerby Jean-Raymond, for his notable achievements in Fashion Design as creative director at Pyer Moss.

A prior award design that we provided, took inspiration from a twist of fabric pulled around a shape. The Initial sketches lead to building an armature, that Jan Mollmark masterfully assembled with a wood buck, that he used to locate exactly where the steel wire needed to be to create the creases in the glass form.

IMG_2017

The result was an alluring vessel with curving surfaces of glass, that are accentuated by the creases that form the twisting look of a flowing dress.

IMG_1991
Rose Byrne presenting the award to Francisco Costa

Past recipients for this glass award have been,

Gabriela Hearst, Created her own brand of luxury ready to wear and accessories, and is well respected for her commitment to quality, sustainability, and social activism.

Francisco Costa, Creative director of women’s Calvin Klein collections.

Fern Mallis, Fashion Industry Lifetime Achievement Award from Pratt Institute – presented to her by designer Calvin Klein.

 

 

Designer James Murray featured in Surface Magazine

simonpearceglassLeave a comment

portrait
James Murray pictured above, full article in Surface Magazine here.

“Whether ideating biomorphic chandeliers or sleek barware sets, the glassblowing aficionado searches for exciting new ways to honor Simon Pearce’s ethos of combining character with function.” -Ryan Waddoups

Some of the featured Simon Pearce products below.

alpine

“I’m most excited about Alpine, my soapstone and glass barware collection. The soapstone elements can be frozen, and once chilled, can keep drinks cold. It’s been well-received and demonstrates how uniting different materials can be a great source for new design concepts.” -James Murray

As the weather turns warmer, and we look for ways to stay cool, sipping chilled drinks can do the trick.  Ice is the usual cooling element, but if you don’t want to water down your drink we propose using frozen soapstone, paired with our handcrafted glass as an optimal way for tasting drinks, particularly bourbon.

The Alpine Collection was also featured on this blog here and on our website here.

vine chandelier

“The Vine chandelier is a new direction for Simon Pearce—we can combine glass in near-limitless combinations with metal for lighting.”

In partnership with the Modern American Blacksmiths of nearby Hubbardton Forge, this handcrafted light fixture is designed to illuminate your dining table, kitchen island or entryway in beautiful hand-forged metal and handblown glass.

The Vine Chandelier was also featured on this blog here and on our website here.

Future development in streamlined, glass-handled bar tools, prototypes shown above, also mentioned in the article.

Check out the full article in Surface Magazine here.

The Waterbury Collection

jamesmurray27Leave a comment

dsc4845.jpg

In design, we continue to be inspired by the natural surroundings here in Vermont. The immersion in Nature easily influences our perspective on developing objects, as the natural elements are filled with interesting forms, textures and colors.  When we consider a new glass line, we strive to capture the artistry that comes from the handmade formation of glass, and the impressions that Nature makes on us.  Fluid and malleable glass is almost unlimited in the possibilities of what can be achieved, and we impose our ideas and reflections on it.

While hiking the Waterbury Trail, we happened upon a small waterfall, and were stuck by how the element of water is always a delight for sense of sight, sound and touch. We also ventured to nearby Moss Glen Falls for a more dramatic experience.  We  wanted to capture the essence of water flowing and the swirling textures that occur in a new glass.  We started R&D of the glasses based on sketches, but looked to the glassblowers to turn out each glass with a unique interpretation of the watery impression.  Each glass captures a moment in time, with an artistic gesture.

p1180016.jpg

The collection started with a tumbler, and then we scaled the same design up to a hurricane shape, which looks incredible with candlelight going through the swirling effects.

To compliment the tumbler, we created a carafe with a simple elegant form that lends itself to the layering process of gathers to create optic effects.

waterburylamp_6.27.18_SP.jpg

Thinking about lighting, and the interaction with gathered glass effects, Simon created the Waterbury lamp in two sizes, to compliment the collection.  As the glassblowers work with these voluminous shapes, the layered effects of the double-gathered glass give a feeling of water movement that is visually stunning.  The lamps come to life when you see the light going through the glass, much like the dynamic impression from the streams and waterfalls of Vermont.

P1170768

Make Gatherings Merry & Bright

jamesmurray27Leave a comment

RS4357_SP_DiningRoom_rgb

Every holiday season, the design team presents new ways to entertain family and friends, around the table. Set a striking tablescape using our glass evergreen trees, down the center of the table with an expression of lightness.

unnamed

Our intention is the make the highest quality artifacts of glass and pottery, to be enjoyed for years to come. We have a vibrant team of highly skilled craftsmen whose talents bring life to our fine products everyday.

4

2

At the heart of our mission, we want to inspire and delight everyone, with new additions to our holiday decor; this year we have several new ornaments to add to any collection.

Holiday2017-1337 copy
Brunswick Charity Ornament & Snowdrift Ornament

The Bristol Collection

jamesmurray27Leave a comment

 

The Bristol Collection originates from studying the “Golden Section” Proportions found in nature. Yet, no matter how refined the design or how forward-looking the concept, hand-crafting is required.

FullSizeRender (3) (1)

For the Bristol Collection, James Murray, Simon Pearce’s VP of Design, began with ideas for a flute and a tumbler that he carefully rendered on paper. After making numerous revisions, the process of manufacturing began, which required blowing, shaping, sculpting, cutting, trimming, molding, and cooling in our workshops, of Vermont and Maryland.

 

“For the Bristol Collection, we use old-world techniques and real, basic tools to make something that is decidedly modern,” says James.

 

Bristol Flute & Tumbler Sketch
Bristol Caviar Sketch

Visitors to our workshops can witness the process.

Design Matters

jamesmurray27Leave a comment

Adam.jpg

Growing up in a family of artisans, where aesthetics and attention to detail is a part of everyday life, each piece carries a story from the design origin to the act of handcrafting these artifacts. We’ve built success in designing and producing exceptional handmade glass and pottery for over 40 years.

_I8A2508.jpg

RS3202_sp_dec_glassblowerspotter-35.jpg

Design explores directions that stretch out the imagination and yet remain true to the brand heritage.  We push boundaries to express new forms and textures in our materials; the artisans have a muscle memory for making our products that typically bring new ideas back through a Simon Pearce lens.  We search for character, and then blend that with function, to turn out something that is beautiful.

We strive to inspire with handcrafted excellence. This is what we do every day…

Designing the PURE Oxide Rim Bowl

jamesmurray27Leave a comment

“When I set out to design this bowl, I wanted its form to lift off the table surface, have side walls that created plenty of volume, and be useful as a salad bowl—or be just a beautiful centerpiece, that could stand on its own.” —James Murray

 

OxideRimPottery.jpg
PURE Oxide-Rim Bowl

 

Today, with so many expectations of total perfection, most people typically look to objects or technology to represent it. In contrast to that philosophy, in our design work at Simon Pearce, we look to project character and uniqueness—a bit of artistic imperfection—as real expressions. It is this very quality that evokes our love and connection to the work.”

Master potter Mike Trempe throws these bowls on a potter’s wheel. To intentionally allow the mark of the potter to be a visible part of the design, we deliberately leave Mike’s throw lines on the bowl’s sidewalls. Master potter Matt McFarland created the glaze by applying an oxide effect on the rim of the bowl that blends into our signature white glaze. The result is a reactive interplay of textures, colors, and form that is unique to every bowl, surprising us in every rendition of this design.