Collaboration between Saint Louis x Hermès x Design Academy Eindhoven 

This highly experimental project focused on creating innovative moulds to blow crystal glass into. The generosity and openness of the St. Louis crew allowed for a lot of safety with making mistakes and freedom to try unconventional solutions.

My projects aimed at using natural materials:

• C2
  I liked the idea of the crystal being blown into crystals. Therefore, I made this mould out of salt. The simple cubical shape was inspired by the shape of crystals that the table salt naturally creates. In the process of blowing, the salt created a natural glazed surface, which resulted in a very smooth and transparent finish. For the final object I wanted to combine the luxurious crystal and rather pedestrian acrylic sheet. The popping colours make the final lamp suitable for young consumers.
• Cumulus
  For this mould – made out of papier-mâché – I again played with the opposites: the heat of the molten glass and the flammability of paper. The cloud-like texture of the material became a starting point for the form of the object. The addition of the water-filled tubes allows to further play around with the arrangement.
• Cuppa
  The last mould was made from the used coffee grounds. I tried to give a new life to the material that is usually considered a waste. Technically, this mould was the most challenging, because the grounds tend to crumble away easily, if not strongly bound. The process of blowing glass required the use of only natural materials, so some compromises needed to be made in terms of the glue. The nature of the mould was the inspiration for the final object, which is a coffee server.