A vibrant field of grasses and wildflowers swaying in a late-summer breeze; a forest’s fallen amber leaves, dancing in the first winds of autumn—precious vignettes of nature embody Dancing Leaves and Herbarium, two show-stopping designs from Czech lighting and glassware maker Lasvit.
Dancing Leaves, pictured above, features blown glass sculpted by hand and arranged to evoke movement and dimension as light refracts off the curves of each leaf, and the intentionally-placed bubbles within the glass itself. “The concept is based on leaves in the wind, floating and eventually flying away,“ says designer Luděk Hroch. Based on a Lasvit sculpture commission for the Peninsula Paris hotel, each size and arrangement of the fixture uniquely captures the balletic display of falling leaves.
Herbarium, pictured below, channels botanic inspiration of a different sort: a combination of dried and gilded flowers, herbs, and even small tree branches are imprinted into molten glass. “What we wanted to do in Herbarium was to capture the wilderness, so anyone can take home a piece of Bohemian meadow frozen in glass,” says Mária Čulenová, the chief designer who led the creative team behind Herbarium. The flora turns to ash, but not before leaving its distinct shape encapsulated within glass, which is blown into organic formations befitting the origins of the design.
