Via Lucis by LASVIT at Palazzo Serbelloni

INTERGALACTIC DYNAMIC SCULPTURE by Petra Krausova and Libor Sostak, at the entrance Lasvit’s Via Lucis exhibition at Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The spectacular ceilings inside the Sale Napoleoniche of Palazzo Serbelloni, where Napoleone Bonaparte resided during his stay in Milan. Wowee! LASVIT recently restored the precious Bohemian crystal chandeliers created for Napoleone to it’s former glory. Pretty spesh stuff. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Via Lucis by Lasvit at Palazzo Serbelloni, Milan Design Week, Photo © Nick Hughes / Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Installation view of Lasvit’s Via Lucis exhibition at Palazzo Serbelloni. Left: EMPRESS chandelier by Jakub Berdych, inspired by the traditional shape of chandeliers popular during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa. The contemporary reflection on the iconic style brings refreshing new details whereby the production of its individual trimmings is stopped prior to their final cutting and polishing, showing the pressed glass including its overburden edge. This effect captures the sense of glass being exposed to heat and pressure, sustaining a sense of motion. The impression is further enhanced by using the technique of metal-coating of glass that adds depth, sheen and iridescence.

Right: The mesmerising LUDWIG by Maurizio Galante. Well, at least I was mesmerised by it. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: MEMENTO MORI by Maxim Velcovsky reflecting in the mirror at Palazzo Serbeloni. Right: FACET by Moritz Waldemeyer and (close to the corner) LOLLIPOP by Boris Klimek. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Personal favourite from Lasvit’s new collection – TAC/TILE by André Fu Living, inspired by Maison de Verre. Oh and that’s André posing for someone else from the press, but the opportunist in Nick couldn’t resist the chance to capture the moment. So sneaky. P.S. Lovely to see you, André! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Czech manufacturer of bespoke lighting and unique works of glass, LASVIT, knows a thing or two about leaving an impression during Salone del Mobile. This year, LASVIT’s showcase was more spectacular than ever – the company presented “Via Lucis”, a journey through unique and contemporary projects enhanced by the experience and skills of master glassmakers.

Set inside the Sale Napoleoniche of Palazzo Serbelloni, where Napoleone Bonaparte resided during his stay in Milan, the exhibition took place under the precious Bohemian base-building’s crystal chandeliers created for Napoleone, which was recently restored to it’s original splendour thanks to LASVIT. A pretty excellent move and great way of making sure you can secure such a spectacular setting for your Milan show. Tick!

Past met the future at “Via Lucis” where renowned names such as Andre Fu, Moritz Waldemeyer and Maurizio Galante, alongside Czech legends and young designers, reinterpreted the Neoclassical taste of chandeliers with a contemporary twist by combining Czech glassmakers’ artisanal know-how and craftsmanship.

For the Salone del Mobile, major designers, including Daniel Libeskind, the Campana Brothers and Arik Levy, continued their collaboration with LASVIT reinterpreting their past collections, focusing on the theme art de la table with extraordinary glass objects and tableware. In addition, LASVIT premiered a dynamic lighting sculpture Intergalactic created by Petra Krausova and Libor Sostak, which sat at the entry of the palazzo.

Andre Fu Living TAC TILE for Lasvit | #Milantrace2016

TAC TILE by Andre Fu Living for Lasvit. Celebrating Fu’s signature language of ‘relaxed luxury,’ this collection is an ode to a truly tactile material that embodies religious, institutional and monumental architecture. TAC/TILE was inspired by the iconic 1932 Maison de Verre (a.k.a. House of Glass), Czech metropolitan passageways, traditional Chinese tiled roofs, the Flatiron Building, as well as modernist glass blocks. The purist triangular profile became the core form adapted into a spectrum of applications – from table lamps and floor lamps to suspended pendants.

Maurizio Galante Ludwig Chandelier for Lasvit | #Milantrace2016

Ludwig Chandelier by Maurizio Galante for Lasvit. The design of this collection seeks to establish a balance between the past and the future. The bygone romantic era with its neoclassical proportions is reinterpreted with slick, streamlined forms. While the contours remain loyal to their neoclassical style chandelier references, the use of industrial glass tubes imbues this family of spectacular lights with an airy and strikingly modern elegance.

Stanislav Libensky Praha for Lasvit | #Milantrace2016

Praha by Stanislav Libensky for Lasvit. This lighting sculpture is a set of original pendants designed for and installed in the Hotel Praha, a prominent architectural project completed during the 1980s. Although presenting the best of contemporary design, the hotel was later torn down on the premise of being “too large to operate.” Civic efforts to preserve it as a cultural monument failed and these lights are among the few remaining artifacts. Libensky used varying thicknesses of glass to create a play of rays and shadows on the fixtures themselves as well as the surrounding interiors. Natural light creates a positive/ negative image pattern directly on the glass. Amassing fixtures in a variety of shapes and heights enables diverse effects from a fireball look to more delicate forms resembling a kaleidoscope.