BEHIND THE DESIGN Expert advice to help you choose the perfect glassware
If you liked our edit of cocktail glasses, read what the experts have to say on buying the perfect vessels
‘I LOVE at-home cocktails to feel as indulgent as they would in a bar and glassware plays a big part in that. With the increasing popularity of open shelving and glass display cupboards in kitchens, I look for design details that elevate pieces beyond the standard; this could be anything from engraved patterns to gilded details and rippled glass.’ LYNDSEY GOODGER, co-founder, Rose & Grey ‘WHEN entertaining during the summer, look for heavy glasses as evening breezes can play havoc with open-air gatherings. I also like to encourage mixing with total freedom: new and vintage, tall and short, transparent and coloured, minimal and maximalist – mix and match always wins!’
DARIO BURATTO, Stories of Italy ‘COLOURFUL glassware has been a popular category with our customers. Bright tones are an easy way to make entertaining at home more joyous. With a more minimal, pared-back aesthetic I always look for glassware that offers an interesting design twist. From the hexagonal shape of Luisa Beccaria’s ombre highballs to Lobmeyr’s delicate Alpha tumblers, which have a subtle tint that changes colour depending on the light.’
CHELSEA POWER, senior home buyer, Matchesfashion
“FOR ME, THE DELICACY OF A VESSEL IS KEY. THE THINNER THE GLASS, THE LESS THERE IS BETWEEN YOU AND THE COCKTAIL, AND THE LIQUID BECOMES THE STAR. LOOK FOR SUBTLY FLARED RIMS TOO – THESE DESIGNS DIRECT THE DRINK TO THE CENTRE OF THE TONGUE TO MAXIMISE FLAVOURS”
REMY SAVAGE X NUDE GLASS ‘THERE are a few rules you should always abide by; a champagne cocktail like a French 75 will taste better when served in a flute, whereas an
Old Fashioned should only ever be served in a cocktail tumbler. Crystal is a classic choice, but like everything, the beauty of glassware is in the mix. Green glass became popular in the Georgian era and nowadays there’s much more room to play with colour. When it comes to shape, we tend to look at classic styles for inspiration and reimagine the designs in a contemporary way for our new collections. This way, you can mix inherited antiques with new styles of glassware easily.’
SUE JONES, co-founder and creative director, Oka ‘I LIKE to be exuberant with coloured glass to go with the experimental flavours and combinations I have been perfecting. One of my favourites is a pink bubbly tumbler by New York brand Sticky Glass in which I serve a tart rhubarb gin and tonic – even better still, I make a pitcher of it in the matching jug. A glass straw is the ideal colour contrasting detail.’ BRYONY SHERIDAN, home buyer, Liberty