Elegant Handcrafted Glass: The Design Led Alternative to Single Use and Plastic

by Elizabeth Shields

It’s hard to go a full day without hearing doom-laden predictions about the future of the planet. Hearing worst-case scenario predictions about the impact of rising carbon emissions, the depletion of scare resources and ever rates of micro-plastics littering our oceans. Yet too many of us are still wedded to our consumerist and wasteful lifestyles. Focusing on the problems and the way in which the planet is suffering doesn’t seem to be a quick motivator to radical change. Bringing about change can feel like turning a heavily laden container ship: slow and cumbersome. Ironically, like one of the very container ships so often packed with single use, and unsustainable cheap products.

It’s for this reason that Esque Studio, world leaders in innovative handcrafted glass pieces, are changing the focus by creating a different story around environmental concerns: one which focuses of the beauty, design and elegance of glass products as an alternative to single use and plastic items. Esque Studio’s commitment to the environment combines zero waste living with zero compromise on functionality and elegance.

The statistics around plastic use, particularly single use and disposable plastic items are staggering. Yes, 5 trillion pieces of plastic are already floating in our oceans. Yes, 73 percent of beach litter is plastic: filters from cigarette butts, bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, and polystyrene containers. Yes, predictions are that by 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic. Most plastics never make it to recycling facilities - in 2019, of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic produced globally, 6.3 billion metric tons became plastic waste. The vast majority of plastics, a depressing 79 percent, accumulates in landfills or as litter. And yes, there are alternatives to plastic and single use products. Yet, knowing this doesn’t seem to be sufficient motivation.

Existing alternatives to plastic and single use items rarely inspire awe and delight. Consider how you feel when you think of or touch the standard metal or plastic refillable water cannister that sits on your office desk or in front of you during the board meeting. Both offer a functional and viable alternative to single use plastic bottles. They allow you to refill and reuse. Slowly, they are beginning to replace throwaway single use plastic bottles. But it’s unlikely you feel joyous and inspired by the product. It would be surprising if you found yourself moved by the canister’s beauty and elegance. It’s hard to feel that the item adds value and enrichment to your experience of life or inspires you to creativity. Yet, as Esque Studio are demonstrating, functionality and beautiful design can go hand in hand, offering a something far more than the parsimonious and frugal approach so often taken by eco- alternatives.

Kishu Pitcher and Cup with Charcoal Water Filter

For something altogether different, the quirky PET Pitcher provides functionality as 1-liter food and water storage whilst also offering a tongue-in-cheek nod to the insanity of society’s reliance on throw-away culture. Tactile and beautiful to handle and touch, the PET Pitchers come in clear, daffodil, steel blue, and fuchsia color options. Each piece is a one-off, revealing the skill and craftmanship that blown glass requires and will be a real talking point at any dinner party table. Talk which focuses on the choices we can make for a sustainable future. Suddenly the narrative around our planet’s future is less about the negatives, and more about potential.

It's this design led approach to creative alternatives that has driven master craftsmen, Justin Parker and Andi Kovel, to create Esque Studio’s beautiful and functional glass pieces. Skilled in the traditional art of glass production, the Oregon-based duo are creating glassware that explores possibilities, both in the logistics of production as they shape and trial new and experimental pieces, and also in the vision they have for sustainability and challenging our love of all things plastic. They aren’t alone. The meteoric rise of Etsy, the online marketplace allowing artists and crafters to showcase their handcrafted original pieces, clearly indicates the demand for design led work. Etsy was the sixth-fastest growing online marketplace worldwide from 2019 and 2021. With 4.702 million sellers on Etsy at the end of March 2021 (up 67.1% from the previous year), its clear that there’s growing demand and supply of beautiful, handcrafted pieces as viable alternatives for mass-produced.

Glass blowing is a Heritage craft, thought to have originated from in the Sidon and Babylon regions in the 1st Century BC. The Ancient Romans adopted the technique, creating unique and functional glassware by blowing air into molten glass with a blowpipe to form a bubble that could then be shaped and molded. These techniques existed long before the advent of plastic, and amazingly, ancient glass antiques have survived in almost pristine condition, demonstrating the true longevity of quality glass. Perhaps the most famous example of Ancient Glassware is the Portland Vase, a Roman cameo glass vase that is about 2,000 years old. Produced using the same glass blowing technique that form the basis of Esque Studio’s pieces, the vase also features the dip-overlay method and intricate gem cutting skills. Currently, the Vase is housed at the British Museum, an exhibit that tells the story of design and quality craftmanship, inspiring very different feelings and reactions than that elicited by the standard metal or plastic refillable water cannister.

Esque Studio create beautiful glass pieces to last the test of time. Elegant Venetian inspired Glass Party Cups, fridge compatible Purify Pitchers that perfectly fits a standard Britta water filter with style and grace and handblown and hand polished faded glass stacking Aerie Bowls. Each of these glass pieces straddle the line of Heritage craftmanship and design, and sustainable functionality. So, for a design led alternative to single use and plastic, consider investing in elegant, handcrafted glass.