We are proud to present the first collection of vases designed for us by Klára Janýpková and Tomáš Kučera. This collection of vases pays homage to the classic still life with flowers, celebrating delicate forms, tenderness, fragility, and colors, and invites us to surround ourselves with plants and bring a fresh and lively touch to our interiors.
Klára Janýpková is a product and interior designer and a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at CTU. Tomáš Kučera is a designer, sculptor, and a graduate of Rony Plesl’s studio at UMPRUM. Both are united by their love for applied arts and glass, which they transform into their own collections and glass products. Currently, they are both collaborating on new collections for our glassworks. "First and foremost, we were looking for a product that the glassworks lacked. There are many beautiful drinkware sets in the portfolio, but not a single vase, even though the very name of the glassworks suggests it," explain Klára and Tomáš. "With this collection, we aimed to highlight the strengths of the glassworks, such as the craftsmanship of glassmakers to create truly thin-walled pieces, and the work with colored glass," the designers add. The collection will be available not only in the crystal-clear variant but also in eight colors, which is only half of the color palette the glassworks works with. "We chose rather subtle transparent colors that stand out beautifully in the curves and along the top edge," explains Tomáš.
The vases appear very delicate, as if floating in space, but our crystal glass is very strong and flexible, thanks to the addition of titanium to the glass batch. Both designers have been at Květná for a few months, and we decided to interview them further. Specifically, Klára, who is more involved in the communication and management of their joint projects.
And to make it authentic, the questions are asked by none other than Lucie Anovčínová, whose family has taken over the glassworks since the new year.
Let’s summarize it once more: what inspired you to create these vases?
We wanted to create elegant objects that would serve as subtle yet interesting additions to interiors. We drew from the technical and color possibilities of the glassworks. The glassmakers are able to blow very thin-walled shapes, where the colors beautifully come through in the curves. The thin walls and soft colors also connect with the character of flowers, which are the key inspiration for the vases, creating the final object together with them.
What makes these vases special for you?
For us, their thin walls are truly unique. Blowing such a shape with thin glass is actually much more difficult than making a thick-walled vase, and not every glassmaker can do it. The vases look very fragile, as if they might break at any moment, but in reality, they are quite durable because the glass from Květná is very flexible.
How has your collaboration with Tomáš been? Do you divide tasks between you, or do you work on everything together?
We don’t have it completely divided; we both do everything more or less. We have a task list, and we each pick what we have time and energy for. Tomáš knows more about production technologies, so he generally focuses more on communicating with the glassmakers, while I handle more of the management.
It seems like you work together very well. What do you enjoy about collaborating with our glassworks Květná?
We greatly appreciate the skill and openness of the glassmakers and other people involved in the production. The quality of the products is truly at a high level.
Can you tell me about any upcoming projects?
We definitely have more planned. In addition to new products, we are preparing for Designblok, where we will present the glassworks and its products through our installation.
I’m really looking forward to Designblok. So, one last question: what is your favorite product from Květná? Do you have anything at home?
We both really love the wine glasses – drinking wine from them is a completely different experience, and we hardly want to use anything else now. I have a few glasses from the Telesto and Mimas collections, and Tomáš has Auriga, and of course, we’ll be adding the vases now too.