In Bohemia glass was already made in the 13th century, and from the court of the Habsburgs the sparkling crystal set forth to conquer the world. But it was in 2007 that this tradition led to a case of pure innovation: with the company Lasvit (meaning ‘love’ and ‘light’ in Czech), founded by Leon Jakimič, born in 1975.
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With an international degree and a family with six generations of glassmaking experience, the young entrepreneur has nurtured the qualities of this magical material. Installations by Lasvit glow in thousands of hotels, residences, cruise ships and public buildings all over the world. The headquarters in Nový Bor is itself a glass gem, which received the Czech Architecture Award in 2020, assigned by an international jury, as well as the Dezeen Award 2020.
Lasvit tests the limits of crystal with unprecedented avant-garde techniques, creating tailor-made light installations, but also collections “ready-to-shine” for the home and for extraordinary works of architecture.
The company has worked with many international talents (including Nendo, Zaha Hadid, Alessandro Mendini, Ross Lovegrove, the Campana Brothers, Arik Levy), and continues its experimentation in new collaborations, also with up-and-coming young talents.
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Hidden Light, Sanctums collection by Lasvit, Design Jan Plecháč & Henry Wielgus
Many installations by Lasvit for Milano Design Week have made history: from the ‘frozen’ chandelier by Daniel Libeskind (2014, then also at the Venice Biennale) to The Theory of Light (Euroluce 2019), a voyage through the science of refraction and creativity, all the way to the new kinetic creations of 2021 (by Stefan Mihailovič and Jana Růžičková).
Frames, Sanctums collection by Lasvit,
Design Maria Culenova
Upside Down, Sanctums collection by Lasvit,
Design Boris Klimek
The most magical of all the works to date is probably the ‘Monster Cabaret’ in 2018, winner of the Milano Design Award thanks to its “extraordinary ability to make products enter a dialogue with the context and the viewers, staging the spectacle of material and creativity in all its shadings in an ironic, surprising way,” the jury explained.
This year Lasvit is back at Milano Design Week with ‘Sanctums,’ curated by Maxim Velčovský, art director of the company: here the focus is on domestic ‘sanctuaries,’ personal spaces in which to regenerate and find new inspirations. The initiative includes projects by designers like Yabu Pushelberg, David Rockwell, Jan Plecháč & Henry Wielgus, Stefan Mihailović and many others. We will also have a chance to see (and interact with) the performances of the artists involved in the event: the appointment is for 7-12 June at Tenoha, Via Vigevano 18, from 10:30-20.00.
Constellation, Sanctums collection by Lasvit, Design Rockwell Group
