Glorious glassware for sake sophisticates is our Best Spirit Lifter
A Lobmeyr drinking set by Hans Harald Rath, and Aldo Bakker vessels for J Hill’s Standard win Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 for a whimsical take on traditional glassware
The best way to savour sake, we have found, is to present it in dreamy glass vessels. One of our perennial favourite glassware sets is by Hans Harald Rath, who, in 1952, created the ‘Alpha’ series for Viennese crystal specialist J & L Lobmeyr. Inspired by a copper beaker from the Middle Ages, the simple pitcher (above left) and tumblers are made of crystal-blown muslin glass and remain a timeless way to serve sake, water or wine.
Our two other vessels of choice, ‘HopStep’ (above centre and back) and ‘Cloud Pipe’ (above right), were designed by Aldo Bakker for Waterford crystal specialist J Hill’s Standard. Featuring the Dutch designer’s signature whimsical shapes (see more in the exhibition ‘Aldo Bakker: Pouring Vessels’ at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, until 7 May 2023), they represent, respectively, a bouncing tick mark and the puff of smoke produced by a pipe.
Honoured in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 as our Best Spirit Lifter, this glorious glassware deserves a toast. Kanpai!
Pictured top: ‘Alpha’ mini sake pitcher, €110; ‘Alpha’ sake tumblers, €36, all by Hans Harald Rath, for J & L Lobmeyr. Limited-edition ‘HopStep’ crystal vessel, price on request; ‘HopStep’ in brown glass, £129; ‘Cloud Pipe’ in amber glass, £86, all by Aldo Bakker, for J Hill’s Standard. Assemblage 2 sake, £125 for 72cl, by IWA, from Hedonism Wines. ‘Assam’ fabric in 0008, £151 per m, by Sahco
The winners of the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 are revealed in the February 2023 issue, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Léa Teuscher is a Sub-Editor at Wallpaper*. A former travel writer and production editor, she joined the magazine over a decade ago, and has been sprucing up copy and attempting to write clever headlines ever since. Having spent her childhood hopping between continents and cultures, she’s a fan of all things travel, art and architecture. She has written three Wallpaper* City Guides on Geneva, Strasbourg and Basel.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published