WonderGlass presents Melt, a new cast glass furniture and table top collection designed by Nendo, which further exemplifies WonderGlass’ expertise and dedication to the extraordinary design possibilities within the glass realm.

The collection will be presented in an exhibition celebrating Nendo as AW Architektur & Wohnen magazine’s 2019 Designer of the Year. The exhibition, to be held across Monday 14th to Thursday 17th January at 25hours Hotel The Circle in Cologne, will see the furniture and table top collection curated by Oki Sato and accompanied by a photographic exhibition. The exhibition will be a preview of WonderGlass’ upcoming installation at Salone del Mobile in April 2019.

The creation of Melt was a unique and complex production. Nendo’s Oki Sato was inspired by watching the craftspeople in the WonderGlass workshops working with molten, melted glass. His intention thereafter was to allow the material to direct the design process. This resulted in a method of laying hot glass sheets over steel pipes, and suspended between steel bars to allow the natural drape of the material to reveal its form.

This concept created a challenge to the craftspeople who had to determine an exacting method of timing and temperature to create the desired result as Oki Sato states:

“I was inspired by looking at the workshops, looking at the people working, using the melted material. The main idea was to let the glass flow by itself using gravity and using the weight of glass itself. In a way, doing less and achieving more is the most complicated thing to do”.

WonderGlass founders Maurizio and Christian Mussati state:“We are delighted to have collaborated with Nendo on the Melt Collection, working together to push the boundaries and capabilities of cast glass. Nendo has explored the molten liquid nature of the material with incredible skill for Melt. Together with our master craftsmen in Venice, they have created a beautiful collection of furniture that focuses on simplicity and the form created by the flow of gravity.”