Glass therapy

Glass has a very calming, almost hypnotic, effect on me.  Perhaps it's the texture. Or the fluid lines. Maybe it's the heft when I hold it in my hand, which is often surprising, considering the fragility of the object. Whatever the reason, glass is magical to me, and I'm in a glass mood today. Here are some pieces that make me take a deep breath and relax.

Gul vases by Otto Brauer for Holmegaard
retroware.wordpress.com

Tapio Wirkkala Kantarelli vase
artartworks.com

Decanter by Bertil Vallien for Kosta
antiquehelper.com

Bowl by Timo Sarpaneva
jacksons.se

Kaleidescope vase by Tapio Wirkkala
modernity.se

Tapio Wirkkala satinated Lichen bowl
antiquehelper.com

Midnight  vase by Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta
retropolitan.bigcartel.com

Coquille bowl by Paul Kedelv for Flygsfors, in our store

Vase by Bertil Vallien for Kosta
trocadero.com

Vases by Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta
modernistglass.com

Tapio Wirkkala Kugelvase collection
curatedobject.us

Best of both worlds

I have tremendous admiration for Kosta Boda glass designer Bertil Vallien. I also love Dansk candleholders, so when I found that Vallien designed the silver plated spiral candleholder we just got for the store, I was delighted.

He's been retained by Kosta Boda since 1963, so I'm still trying to find out when and under what circumstances Jens Quistgaard got him to design for Dansk. The piece we have is 5" tall and 4.5" wide and holds twelve of the 15" tall tiny tapers that are .25" in diameter. Once the candles are in place, it has quite a presence. Some other sellers have taken beautiful shots of it from very interesting angles that I just have to share too.

Our Dansk candleholder

ebay.com

circlethesquare at etsy.com

thegroove at etsy.com

Add caption

Vallien (1938- ), one of Europe's most respected artists in glass, is known for his sculpted boat forms, as well as for his figurative faces or heads with masks. Sometimes the faces are contained within another modernist form, "suggesting a trapped soul," according to a biography. He also makes beautiful, functional vases and bowls.

The Reader, cast and cut glass
schantzgalleries.com

Apology, cast and cut glass
schantzgalleries.com

Vallien altarpiece at Brännkyrka church south of Stockholm
sverigesradio.se

Vases and bowls
worthpoint.com