Heart of glass

Born and raised in Riga, Latvia, Amsterdam- based designer Germans Ermičs works primarily with glass, although he refutes the idea that he’s a glass designer. “That’s just not me,” he says, “I work with colour and the material is the vessel.” 

Regardless of how you compute his work, it’s impressive. He’s created hundreds of pieces and collaborated with brands ranging from Instagram (he made a coloured glass beach-front pavilion for the social media platform at Cannes Lions) and Bang & Olufsen (who partnered with Ermičs on an experimental touch-activated speaker), challenging popular conceptions of the material’s role in our society. “I want people to look at glass, not through it,” he explains. 

His Ombré Glass Chair, for example, has become something of a signature piece; pure in its form and confident in its proportions. It pays tribute to a 1976 Shiro Kuramata design and is mesmerising in its simplicity – four glass panels that almost float before you.

Since its unveiling in 2017 the Ombré Glass Chair has been a vehicle for countless colour combinations, from rich purples, pinks and greens, to cool, icy blues. The colours will be determined both by the client and by Ermičs’s instinct. The start of each new commission comes with a slew of questions. “I love to make my own sense of everything,” he adds with a shy smile. “I want to stay true to my intuition, and true to my vision of how I want to work.”  

To discuss a commission, email info@germansermics.com or visit germansermics.com. Alice Morby is senior design editor at Hypebeast.