Modern Glass Vessels / Fish Tanks By Vanessa Mitrani

above: The No Limits Bowl, glass and porcelain.

Amongst her large repertoire of work, French artist Vanessa Mitrani creates beautiful and functional hand-blown glass decorative vessels that can also function as fish tanks or fishbowls.

The latest of these objets d'art/aquariums is her No Limits Collection which features porcelain or aluminum cast fish half in and half out of their glass surroundings. As if escaping from their habitats, the fish create a sort of optical illusion, floating between their world of captivity and ours.

Dish (glass and porcelain):

Round bowl and Giant Cylinder (glass and porcelain):

In addition to the larger pieces (shown above) that can actually be used as aquariums, the collection includes a vase, water glasses, mugs and cups:


Her Aquarius Collection has been featured in various magazines and on design blogs touting their modern shape and convergence of nature and design.

Simple and Double:

Panoramic and Bottles:

Building and a recent piece from Salone del Mobil (name unknown):


And finally, her Oxygen Collection consists of two pieces; a large and small version of fused round bowls that appear as connected bubbles, weightless and suspended in air.



Glasssware is only a small part of Vanessa Mitrani's work. She also designs textiles, display products for merchandisers and works in porcelain. She has an impressive client list, having created pieces for Salviati, Ligne Roset and Roche Bobois, to name a few. Many of her pieces are carried by exclusive galleries or high end boutiques.

About the artist:

Vanessa Mitrani trained in furniture design at ENSAD, under the tutelage of Jean Claude Maugirard, spent a year at ADAC studios and worked with with the glass artist Pedro Veloso.

After graduating from ENSAD in 1999 she embarked on a professional career, the following year obtaining the VIA Label and created her first edition of vases for Ligne Roset.

In 2002, she started Vanessa Mitrani Creations which developed original objects, products, furniture design, and produced pieces for Roche Bobois, Salviati, Neiman Marcus, l’Occitane en Provence and the Conran shop. Mitrani also collaborates directly with factories in France, Portugal and India several times a year.


Vanessa Mitrani

Places where you can purchase some of her pieces:
Les Site Des Createurs
The Conran Shop
Roseland Gallery

Wheel Of Nutrition Plates, A Tasteful Collaboration By 3 Designers

Wheel of Nutrition Dinner Plates
Are you eating right?
The wheel of nutrition is a dining plate that reminds us of the fundamental values of healthy eating. The plate comes in three types: Diet, Extra ordinary and Supersize.



These plates have different proportions for people with different needs. The archetype of the ceramic plate is enhanced with explanatory graphics and distinctive colors.



This product was developed by product designer Rui Pereira with Hafsteinn Juliusson for HAF, in collaboration with Joana Pais.


photos by Rui Pereira

Fishes Eddy Serves Up Pills, Intervention & Urban Tableware

Fishs Eddy, the tableware and restaurant supply store in New York is always a blast to browse and three of their newest collections do not disappoint.

Pills, Intervention-ware and Urban Palette all capitalize on today's society of over-medicated, over-eating urbanites with hilarious dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe tableware.

Pills is a fun new collection consisting of a small oval tray, a mug and coasters that feature photographic images of capsules, pills and other meds.



Small oval Pills tray. The Pills mug features a light blue interior:


Pills coasters are sold in a set of 12:

Buy the Pills collection here.


Intervention-ware features a dinner plate and a salad plate designed to make you think twice about whether or not you truly need to indulge.


Dinnerplate, 10 1/4" diameter:



The text on the border reads:
Do you really need that second helping? It's hard to be around you when you eat like this. Please stop eating. We're worried about you. For the love of god stop eating.


Salad Plate, 8 1/4" diameter:

buy Intervention-ware here.

The Urban Palette Dinnerware was clearly inspired by the Pantone Collection of dinnerware (which they used to carry), but this is different -and exclusive to Fishs Eddy.



In lieu of the color blocks being labeled with PMS colors and numbers, they have handwritten words that describe the colors of the city, such as East River, Pigeon, Great Lawn, Knish, Postal Blue, Chrysler, etc.



Soup bowls, 9 1/4" diameter:

Dinner plates, 11" diameter:

mugs (12 oz):

Buy the Urban Palette collection here.


or just browse the many fun things you can find at Fishs Eddy.

East Meets West in CeramiX by CTRLZAK

CeramiX = (East + West) ceramics

China has a long tradition in the production of ceramics and especially porcelain. Europe has, for many centuries, tried to copy the Chinese in that field. Nowadays our world is invaded by Chinese products that in most cases attempt to imitate those Europeans… CeramiX is a reflection upon the irony of history through the world of ceramics.


above two images courtesy of Domus magazine

After an initial research in the traditional techniques, methods and evolution of both Chinese and European ceramics, the CTRLZAK team identified certain key elements that identify both cultures.

Subsequently the project was divided in two phases: The first involved the acquisition of original pieces of both origins that represented these clue elements identified during the research, then the objects where sliced in half and recomposed bringing together east and west in new unique pieces; the results of this phase constitute the art collection of the project.

The found European and Chinese plates, prior to the project:

The sacrifice:

The method:

The unorthodox reunion:

The art collection:


The second phase is inspired by the experience and the forms of the first creating a brand new collection of plates, bowls and cups in glazed ceramic which constitute the design collection of the project.

The first plate:

Katia examining a bowl:

with ceramics model specialist sig. Mario:

Giada at work:

the results:




CeramiX will be presented during Milan Design Week 2010. The collection will be launched during a dinner-event upon invitation at the wine bar "Le Rosse".


above: Thanos Zakopoulos, Katia Meneghini of CTRLZAK

CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio is a multidisciplinary team founded by Thanos Zakopoulos & Katia Meneghini operating internationally in the field of contemporary art and design.