Dezeen promotion: glassware brand Nude presented three new collections in an installation by London designer Sarah Izod, which took inspiration from the hidden gardens of Milan.
From tableware to decorative accessories, the three glassware collections – Silhouette, Ecrin and Opti – have been designed respectively by Danish studio Space Copenhagen, German designer Sebastian Herkner and Turkish industrial designer Defne Koz.
The new products were showcased in a conceptual installation created by Izod called The Garden of Shadows, which was informed by the gardens of Milan that are often tucked away in courtyards in the city.
Situated in the Paşabahçe store in Milan, The Garden of Shadows was on show during the city's annual design week.
The installation drew on the concept of secret gardens to create a colourful and enchanted scene that passers by could spot a glimpse of from outside the store window.
Inside the store there was a garden-inspired scene with glass vessels from Nude's latest collections filled with spring flowers, arranged in a series of still-life-like compositions.
Izod introduced different sources of light that played with the glass vessels to cast compelling shadows across the space, forming what she called "kinetic wall murals".
"The beauty of this creation lies in its simplicity, employing the versatility of glass to propel beautiful, striking shadows that highlight the elegance and delicacy of each piece, encapsulated by the compelling concept of Milan's hidden gardens," said Izod.
Danish studio Space Copenhagen designed a family of three serving vessels for Nude, which took inspiration from the fluidity and transparency of glass.
Characterised by tapered sides and solid lines, each object in the Silhouette collection is available in two sizes and two colours – caramel or clear glass.
"This is our first collection with Nude and we were impressed by the very deep dedication to the craft of glass-making they have," said Space Copenhagen.
"Called Silhouette, the pieces reflect the name in many forms; they are glass, transparent and reflective. The name derives from a constant passion of ours to have a consistency of things to have a sculptural, aesthetic appeal."
Koz looked at how different textures and reflections within glass can add fluidity to objects when designing her Opti collection for the glassware brand.
Each of the curved vessels feature a vertical ripple effect that casts patterned shadows across the surface it stands on.
Herkner drew inspiration from the natural landscape of Northern Italy for his Ecrin collection for Nude. Comprised of a trio of storage vessels, each of the pieces are designed to resemble the earth pyramids of Ritten.
Like the pyramids, whose spires are topped with large rocks, Herkner's glassware objects feature smooth, "orb-like" lids on chunky, crystalline canisters coloured in petroleum green, red, caramel or amber.
"Ecrin focuses on creating a beautiful container to store objects," said Herkner. "For me it's always important to design something that becomes a companion for life. I find glass is a very emotional material and this is reflected in this collection we have created."
Find out more about Nude on its website.