Illuminating Tradition with Volker Haug

Across more than two decades, the Brunswick East design practice has built an international reputation for creating pieces that balance atmosphere, craftsmanship and sculptural beauty. Their latest collection, Pilz, continues this approach through a thoughtful exploration of one of the world's most celebrated glassmaking traditions.  

Inspired by a 4,000-year-old glassmaking technique later refined by Venetian artisans in the early sixteenth century, Pilz brings together centuries of craftsmanship with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. Each piece is hand-blown in Murano, Venice, drawing upon the region's enduring legacy of glassmaking while introducing a fresh and playful design language.  

Defined by its soft mushroom-like silhouette, the collection combines clear blown glass with intricate murrine patterns, decorative motifs created by layering and slicing coloured glass. The result is a series of luminous objects that feel both familiar and unexpected, with every lamp carrying its own unique composition of colour and pattern. No two pieces are exactly alike.  

The collection is the product of a longstanding creative partnership between Volker Haug Studio and skilled Murano artisans. Travelling from Melbourne to Venice, the studio worked closely with makers on the ground, fostering a collaborative exchange that allowed traditional techniques and contemporary design thinking to inform one another.  

Available in a range of scales, Pilz is equally suited to intimate residential interiors, gallery settings and hospitality spaces. While deeply rooted in heritage craftsmanship, the collection feels undeniably modern, balancing delicate detailing with a quiet sculptural presence.  

In Pilz, Volker Haug Studio demonstrates how enduring craft traditions can continue to evolve through thoughtful collaboration and contemporary design. The result is a collection that celebrates the beauty of handmade objects while bringing a sense of warmth, character and atmosphere to the spaces they inhabit. 
 
LEARN MORE: https://www.volkerhaug.com/