In their studio, young Czech designers Jan Plecháč and Henry Wielgus produce purist designs with real personality.
A creative force from the Czech Republic
Jan Plecháč and Henry Wielgus are shaking things up in the sedate design world. The two young designers, who met studying at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design (AAAD) in Prague, combine their creative energy to astonishing, innovative effect. Plecháč and Wielgus fashion their elegant, pared-down lighting and furniture elements from simple materials like old wooden boards and a few nails, often using traditional craft techniques.
They only founded their studio together in 2012, though by that time Jan Plecháč’s designs had already featured in diverse exhibitions and garnered prestigious prizes like the Elle Décor International Award. The duo’s declared objective is to blur the boundaries between architecture, art and design. The studio was quickly discovered by those in the know: today, just three years after its inception, Plecháč & Wielgus’ designs can be found for sale in all the top interior shops in London, Milan and Copenhagen.
Their POLYGONS and Moulds lighting collections are particularly striking examples of the studio’s purist style, juxtaposing traditional glass-blowing methods with contemporary minimalist design.
Tradition meets pure modernity
They designed their third series, POLYGONS, for the bespoke Czech glass manufacturer Lasvit. This unfussy ceiling lamp, with its network of geometric lines, is made from hand-blown glass fixed with stainless steel. Light radiates very subtly from behind the pastel tones of the shade. The POLYGONS collection, while making gentle reference to Czech history, is contemporary and uncomplicated. It produces a calm mood and would also be suitable for use in a bathroom, for example. The light concept adds warm highlights to interiors, particularly in interplay with minimalist elements such as the ME “pure” bathroom range.
Contrasts in the limelight
Unlike POLYGONS, the Moulds series of pendant light fixtures virtually blends into its surroundings – or would do, were it not for the solid oak mount that sharply contrasts with its otherwise purist style. Moulds demonstrates Czech crystal glass at its most elastic and dynamic. The series captures a very specific moment, namely when molten glass resists its expected shape and freely escapes from the mould as a random, amorphous bubble. The result: striking lamps in a range of sizes that create engaging visual effects through the contrast of glass and wood. Not only that, but when it is fired in the kiln, the end of the glass bubble becomes charred; an LED light source is then immediately inserted in it, creating the impression that the heat and energy from the glass-blowing process continue to radiate from within the lamp.
Like glass-blowing, ceramic production is a centuries-old skill that continues to produce innovative designs today. Both processes also involve fire: the pre-glazed ceramic pieces are fired in shuttle or tunnel kilns. They are first heated gradually, then fired at a temperature of approx. 1280°C. The entire process including cooling takes around 13 hours. After firing, a thorough final inspection is carried out. Not until this last check has been passed can the finished designer item leave the Duravit production site.