HG INSIDER
84 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
Clear winners
NEW COLLECTABLE
F
innish brand Iittala has a proud history of collaborating with
renowned designers to produce highly collectable glassware;
indeed, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the release
of the iconic Alvar Aalto vase. The latest collectable collection
on the block is Ruutu (above) by French design duo, brothers
Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec (below).
Ruutu, which means diamond in Finnish, is a collection of
10 blown-glass vessels that are timeless in design, but
interactive in nature. “The delicate, watercolour-like colours
[across the collection] intermingle when the pieces are
combined,” says Erwan. “It creates a game of composition
with sophisticated colours and enables the user to produce
an individual arrangement.”
While the pieces look simple, they are very challenging to
produce. Each vase takes seven craftspeople 24 hours to
complete and involves colouring and manipulating the molten
glass by hand. “One of the greatest challenges was creating the
symmetry of the vase, yet maintaining the handmade look and
feel,” says Ronan. “Glass is a material that
naturally likes round shapes and organic
forms – like those in the Alvar Aalto
vase. We wanted to test the limits of
the material and thanks to the
expertise of the Iittala
craftspeople, we were able to
produce something really special.”
Ruutu vases are priced from
$125 (11.5x8cm) to $449
(20.5x27). Iittala; iittala.com.au.ART MEETS LIFE NEW
WALLPAPER BRAND FEATHR
TAKES WORK FROM TATTOOISTS,
PHOTOGRAPHERS AND GRAPHIC
DESIGNERS AND TURNS IT INTO
WALLPAPER THAT IS MORE ART
THAN DECOR. PICTURED IS
BLOOM SHADOW, $280/ROLL,
AVAILABLE FROM RADFORD;
RADFORDFURNISHINGS.COM.STYLE & SUBSTANCE
Collection 2016 by Zaha
Hadid is the final homewares
range personally overseen
by the late architect. Priced
from about $44 to $627,
now everyone can own a
little Zaha masterpiece.
zaha-hadid-design.com. >CHILL THRILL
Delicate embroidery packs
a punch in Frost Garden,
one of three new textile
ranges by Akira Minagawa
for Kvadrat. $154/m;
kvadratmaharam.com.Currency conversion correct at time of printing.