Iittala unveils Sabine Marcelis glassware
Finnish glassmaker Iittala has launched Unda, a three-piece collection of lamps and vases designed by Sabine Marcelis.
Storied Finnish glassworks Iittala has unveiled Unda, its debut collaboration with designer Sabine Marcelis. The range of lamps and vases required the development of a whole new production technique with the company's glassblowers.
Named after the Latin word for wave, the three-piece collection uses mouth-blown glass to recreate the undulating reflections of light on water. "I'm fascinated by the way sunlight or moonlight hits rippling water," Marcelis told Dezeen. "It's a mesmerising, ever-changing dance. I wanted to capture that in a more permanent way."
Marcelis is known for manipulating reflective and translucent surfaces, as seen in her Candy Cubes and the best-selling IKEA doughnut light. Her work with the 145-year-old company behind the Aalto Vase is a natural extension of these investigations.
A New Technique for an Old Craft
To capture the quality of Finnish light glinting off water, Marcelis worked with glassblowers at Iittala's workshop in Finland. This facility is the largest glass factory in the Nordics and the only one left in the country. Together, they developed a new method for pressing a ripple texture into the inside of the glassware using welded metal grids.
This makes the pattern appear part of the material itself, not something applied from the outside. "Pressing the pattern onto the inside of the object is something Iittala has never done before," said creative director Janni Vepsäläinen. "It proved challenging, but through several trials and workshops, we finally succeeded."
The Unda Collection
The result includes a cylindrical table lamp with a subtle wave pattern that becomes more pronounced when lit. The collection also features a vase, available in a standard size and a limited-edition jumbo version nearly half a metre tall. Only 500 of the large vases were produced.
All pieces are available in one of three colourways, each inspired by the shifting quality of light.
A Legacy of Capturing Water
Vepsäläinen sees Unda as a continuation of Iittala's long history of using glass to immortalise the qualities of water. "Exploring fluidity and water is part of Iittala’s DNA," she stated. She noted that the first designer to capture the essence of water ripples for the company was Aino Aalto.
Aalto's rippled drinking glass series was introduced in 1932. It remains the oldest design still in production at Iittala. The company's ongoing fixtures of classic and contemporary designs highlight this enduring legacy. Marcelis's new technique adds a fresh chapter to this story, focusing on the interplay of light and form.
The photography for the Unda collection is by Sofia Kulianu.
