Created by Melbourne glass artist Hamish Donaldson in collaboration with Adele Winteridge of Foolscap interior design studio, a new collection of eight unique glass vases is on display at Pieces of Eight Gallery in Melbourne’s CBD.

Glass has always captured imaginations, from the first glass beads of Ancient Mesopotamia to the Murano glassblowing artisans of Venice. And since Blown Away first aired on Netflix in 2019, a renewed fascination for glassblowing has been bubbling away across the globe.

If you’ve been swept away by endless reels and timelapses of glass creations coming to life, then you’ll want to see the new collection of glass vases on show at Pieces of Eight. Created for Open House Melbourne 2026, which took place over the weekend, these limited-edition handblown glass vessels celebrate design, craft and architectural narrative.

From waste to sculptural beauty

Each vase is formed from clear glass embedded with reclaimed coloured offcuts, creating a unique kaleidoscope of colour and light. As the molten inclusions settle naturally during the glass blowing process, no two vessels are alike – resulting in one-of-a-kind, unrepeatable work.

A collaboration between Pieces of Eight and Foolscap Studio, the interior architecture practice behind the gallery’s flagship space on Russell Place, the project transforms ‘cullet’ (reclaimed raw glass offcuts from the glassblowing process) into a thing of beauty. 

Each piece was blown in Donaldson’s Red Hill studio and evokes the values of Pieces of Eight: reuse, restraint and a little wonder.

About the collaborators

Adèle Winteridge is the founder and design director of Foolscap Studio, a cross-disciplinary design practice known for forging meaningful spatial experiences, including the distinct architectural identity of Pieces of Eight’s Melbourne gallery.

Hamish Donaldson is an award-winning Australian glassblower celebrated for his technical precision and expressive approach. His work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Victoria Ian Potter Centre

The exhibition runs at Pieces of Eight until Saturday 8 August, and there are also limited edition art prints of the glass close-ups available for sale.

Images: Supplied.