CGD

The Květná 1794 glassworks is nestled in a deep valley in the White Carpathians bordering Slovakia. After a long period of intense growth and achieving international renown, there followed a period of struggle due to changes in property and ownership. Top-notch designers had been collaborating with the glassworks since 2005, but it nonetheless ran into trouble. In 2023 the glassworks received a new owner and a fresh start. The position of creative directors was taken by the young, dynamic designers Klára Janypková and Tomáš Kučera, and last year the glassworks launched two collections that made an impact: the elegant collection of cups and saucers titled Drop and the Haoto collection designed by architect Kengo Kuma.

The collection by Klára Janypková and Tomáš Kučera builds on the style of famous architect Bohuslav Fuchs’ glassware set which is among the glassworks’ bestsellers. The collection is simply called Fuchs and evokes the aesthetics of functionalism and the European avantgarde. Fuchs originally created the set in 1935 for the AKA brand that he developed in tandem with his wife, which marketed their designs of functional interior items. The contemporary designers made good use of the immensely skilled glassmakers and the unique qualities of soda-lime glass, retelling Fuchs’ story in contemporary language. The cups’ elegant shapes are accompanied by charming color schemes of grey, blue and pink. The composition of the glass batch used by Květná 1794 also includes titanium, due to which the products are much more durable while retaining the same degree of flexibility and remaining lightweight. The glass stems are just a few millimeters thick, yet they remain flexible and durable enough for any washer.

The collection designed by Japanese designer Kengo Kuma required the development of entirely new technologies. The radically simple cylinders made of thin, hand-blown glass seem delicate and ethereal but remain stable and comfortable to use. Every item furthermore has an imprint of a leaf on the bottom, including its fine vein structure; this small detail gave the entire collection its name – Haoto means “the sound of leaves” in Japanese. The jury appreciates the work of Klára Janypková and Tomáš Kučera who made Kengo Kuma’s original vision a reality, as well as the brand’s marketing strategy that has catapulted them onto the Japanese market.

Tereza Kozlová