Designed by Esther Patterson and hand-blown by master glassmaker Fabio Fornasier, our latest light brings the authentic touch of Murano Glass to our collection.
The Venetian Island of Murano has been heralded as the pinnacle of glass blowing craft for centuries, and for the last 20 years, Murano glassmaker Fabio Fornasier has been wowing the glass world with his contemporary take on traditional Murano style. From oil lamp chandeliers to experiments with glass acoustics, he has combined an innovative artistic curiosity with expert craftsmanship. With this in mind, it’s not a surprise that his creations have caught the eye of designers and makers all over the world – one of which is our head designer, Esther Patterson.
Fabio is known for large statement pieces, chandeliers comprised of hand-blown glass shapes that appear to be moving and change appearance from wherever they are viewed from.
Fascinated by the history of Murano glass and their centuries-old specialist techniques, Esther visited Murano in 2016 and was able to see Fabio create his signature tapering style glass pieces in person. Describing the experience, she said “watching Fabio at work was truly amazing and a privilege – he truly is a master at work.” It was then that she was inspired to work with him, seeing a possibility to “combine the Curiousa simplicity of form with a dash of Fabio’s flare”.
The resulting design for the light takes elements of Fabio’s fluid style with his long tapering stems, enhanced further through its luxurious hand-silvered mirror finish. The hand-silvering technique is a Murano specialism, whereby liquid silver nitrate is poured into the cooled glass and creating a luxurious mirror effect.
With this light, Esther blends his tapering style with a more linear approach, a style that you can see through her collection in Sculptural Stacks and Stemmed pieces. The piece consists of the hand-silvered Stem, transparent glass Shade and glass ceiling rose known as a Canopy. The elegant style gives it a versatility that allows it to be positioned as a single statement light or grouped together as a Multi-Drop Chandelier.
Fabio’s mastery with glass as well as the materials available within Murano have enabled Esther to realise this particular creative vision, and we are thrilled to be able to offer this authentic Murano glass piece as a part of our collection.
We will be launching the Fabio this year at Decorex International from 16th 19th September, where it will be displayed as an exclusive Six-Drop Chandelier, made by Fabio especially for the launch. Come along and see it in person.
View Fabio’s website here, and find out the details of this product here.
