Kreativno staklo Srbije

Creative Glass Serbia

Kreativno staklo Srbije

Creative Glass Serbia

Andreas Berlin: Vintage glass as the foundation of an artistic concept

Detalj stola Never Before, iz serije Vaza stolova (Vases Tables), vintidž staklo; dizajn i izrada: Andreas Berlin || fotografija: ljubaznošću Andreas Berlin
Detail of the Vases Table named Never Before; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin II photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin

Andreas Berlin: Vintage glass as the foundation of an artistic concept

Detail of the Vases Table named Never Before; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin

Andreas Berlin is among the first European artists who grounded their creative expression in glass found within their surroundings. In 2016, his conceptual work Vases Tables earned him one of Germany’s most respected design honors – the Jury Prize at the International Design Festival DMY. Three years later, Roddy Clarke, editor of The interiors series in the Financial Times, included Vases Tables among the finest European creations made from recycled glass. And Andreas is still working on that concept, producing a wide range of variations that stand out both as original artworks and as functional objects.

Detalj stola Big Brown Eyes, iz serije Vaza stolova (Vases Tables), vintidž staklo; dizajn i izrada: Andreas Berlin || fotografija: ljubaznošću Andreas Berlin
Detail of the Vases Table named Big Brown Eyes; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin

„Brave, strong and consequent concept“

The Vases Tables are single-legged side tables which, according to their function, complement main pieces of furniture such as sofas, armchairs, or beds. By their form, however, they are artworks capable of filling an entire space. What makes them distinctive is the leg composed of stacked glass and ceramic vases. Andreas sources these pieces at flea markets and antique shops, and today his studio houses nearly two thousand assorted vases and crystal bowls.
Even with such a large fund of materials, creating the right combinations is far from easy. While the selection of vases must form an aesthetic whole, it also turned out that the diameters at the transitions between the vases must be almost identical. Because of their varying shapes and sizes, the original technical construction that holds the pieces together and ensures the table’s stability has to be individually adjusted for each work. Andreas carries out all this work himself, which also makes him a highly skilled craftsman.

I tried sorting the vases by size, surface, color, etc., but then realized that this actually limits the process. So I try to mix things up and embrace the chaos. Vases can be used "right side up" or "upside down," only the transitions (diameters) should be the same size; everything else is open.

– Andreas Berlin, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

Inspiration

His main source of inspiration comes from the artistic practice of his wife, Sabine Dehnel, with whom he shares the studio. Dehnel is a conceptual artist who uses photography, painting, and scenography to create optical illusions and explore the space between reality and fiction. Influenced by her work, Berlin creates carefully thought-out compositions of the Vases Tables, and the chosen words to describe them are – magic, collage, and sculptural.

I've learned that light and cut glass form a magical symbiosis... Since I always combine two, three, or more pieces, it's not just the individual shape and surface that's important, but rather the interplay. I might not like a vase individually best, but rather the way it's part of a whole. I always find this process fascinating.

– Andreas Berlin, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

Vaze stolovi - Real Wild Child; dizajn i izrada: Andreas Berlin || fotografija: ljubaznošću Andreas Berlin
Vases Tables, Real Wild Child; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin

I've learned that light and cut glass form a magical symbiosis... Since I always combine two, three, or more pieces, it's not just the individual shape and surface that's important, but rather the interplay. I might not like a vase individually best, but rather the way it's part of a whole. I always find this process fascinating.

– Andreas Berlin, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

Drawing also on the aesthetics of Art Deco, the work of Eileen Gray – the Irish pioneer of modern design and architecture; the architectural studio Herzog & de Meuron, David Bowie, and other artists, he usually names his tables after songs of bands and solo artists he listens to – Joe’s Dream (Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes), Come To Me (Björk), or Summer’s Song (Villagers), etc. Although each table is irrepeatably unique, all are united by a clear underlying concept, which also makes them easy to group together. Additional links can be created through their tops, most often made of black glass, and bases concealing the counterweight, usually crafted from black plexiglass.

The best way to get timeless beauty is a brave, strong and consequent concept.

– Andreas Berlin.

Vaze stolovi - Candy; dizajn i izrada: Andreas Berlin || fotografija: ljubaznošću Andreas Berlin
Vases Tables, Candy; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin
Andreas works independently of current and upcoming trends, having no specific goals regarding the themes he should explore or the number of pieces he should create. Without thinking about time, he simply experiments within his original concept, striving to produce the highest-quality work possible, which also involves continuous improvements to the table’s technical construction.

It's only important to me to achieve a certain uniqueness and independence from trends. The works should be slow and valuable, intended for the moment and for tomorrow. The stored time should be palpable in the works.

– Andreas Berlin, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

It's only important to me to achieve a certain uniqueness and independence from trends. The works should be slow and valuable, intended for the moment and for tomorrow. The stored time should be palpable in the works.

– Andreas Berlin, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

Pros and cons of working for the industry

With the Vases Tables, Berlin launched his own signature collection and brand. Before that, he spent nearly twenty years working for various clients in the design industry. His experience began long before 1990, when he enrolled in design studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden. Early on, he trained and worked as both a cabinetmaker and a metalworker in furniture design studios and architectural firms. And during his studies, he was exposed to the strong influence of the Bauhaus tradition, which is something he still highly appreciates. After earning his degree in design engineering in 1995, he began working independently on interiors and furniture, gradually building a portfolio that won him important clients.
Vaze stolovi – Another Place To Go
Vases Tables, Another Place To Go; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin
For luxury furniture brands such as Interprofil / ipdesign by JAB Anstoetz, Leolux, Dieter Knoll, and others, he designed sofas, tables, and similar pieces that proved both successful and long-lasting in the market. His designs have been nominated four times for prestigious awards, and in 2007 he won the renowned RED DOT award. It was for the design of the modular B flat sofa for the Dutch brand Leolux. Thanks to his extensive knowledge and experience, his university invited him to serve as a guest lecturer in 2006/07, leading a semester-long course on furniture design.

During this period, his work was exhibited at major design fairs in Milan, Cologne, Vienna, and elsewhere, and featured in magazines such as Elle Decoration, AD, Vogue Living, and Welt Iconist. His designs also earned a place in books and annuals, including the md – International Design Magazine Yearbooks, the RED DOT Awards (2007/2008), and classics of German furniture design published by DuMont Buchverlag. Andreas himself was also included among the 40 Berliners featured in Michael Wickham’s eponymous book and photography series.

Signature brand and collection

Although he was an established designer in the furniture industry, Berlin had long dreamed of creating his own brand. In 2010, he officially adopted his current artistic name – Andreas Berlin – while previously signing as Reichert. Following the birth of his twins, he took a longer break, and that was the year when he decided to focus on building his own collection. In contrast to what he had done up to that point, he turned his attention to one-of-a-kind pieces and limited editions. Seeking to create objects that would bring soul and strong character to interiors, he was also visiting antique shops, and this is how the idea for the Vases Tables, the work he is now best known for, came to life.

Zidna ogledala Saturn 177f III i Saturn 1610a; dizajn i izrada: Andreas Berlin || fotografija: ljubaznošću Andreas Berlin
Vintage Wall Mirrors, Saturn 177f III & Saturn 1610a; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin

Although he was an established designer in the furniture industry, Berlin had long dreamed of creating his own brand. In 2010, he officially adopted his current artistic name – Andreas Berlin – while previously signing as Reichert. Following the birth of his twins, he took a longer break, and that was the year when he decided to focus on building his own collection. In contrast to what he had done up to that point, he turned his attention to one-of-a-kind pieces and limited editions. Seeking to create objects that would bring soul and strong character to interiors, he was also visiting antique shops, and this is how the idea for the Vases Tables, the work he is now best known for, came to life.

One day in an antique shop, during the winter in 2014, I understood vases not as products but as forms you can play with.... as segments of a sculpture..... Fascinated from this idea of repurposing, I bought about 200 vases in the next weeks. This was the starting point of an unique experiment which brought me on the way to the first extraordinary series, the "small tables".

– Andreas Berlin

Over time, he expanded his work with vintage objects to include a collection of wall mirrors. For these, he treats antique glass and crystal bowls as mirror frames. Each bowl/frame is mounted to the wall with a single dowel, while the mirror is held in place magnetically. Thanks to this invisible construction, designed by Berlin himself, the mirrors appear to float in space. Another series of wall mirrors, called Sunset Wall Mirrors, he makes from colored plexiglass panels whose multitude of optical and color effects give the whole a sculptural character.
Vaze stolovi - Shut Your Eyes; dizajn i izrada: Andreas Berlin || fotografija: ljubaznošću Andreas Berlin
Vases Tables, Shut Your Eyes; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin

The power of imagined worlds

After a long career in the industry and regular appearances at major design fairs, Andreas Berlin now exhibits his work in art galleries, such as Galerie Johann Schwab in Wertheim, Raumverk in Munich, and 21.06 in Ravensburg. Despite all the limitations of his artistic material – from the availability of vintage pieces to finding technically sound connections – he has been successfully creating intriguing compositions of Vases Tables for ten years, while also introducing wall mirrors as a new line of work. He seeks complete expressions of the unusual – forms that can harmonise with the present while also fitting into the unknown worlds of the future.

I'd love to see some of the Vases Tables in the lobby of the Hotel de Rome in Berlin. With its beautiful historic glass roof and its opulent yet stylish furnishings, you're immediately immersed in another world. I'd also love to see tem featured in a future science fiction film like Star Trek or the Norwegian series Beforeigners.

– Andreas Berlin, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

To date, he has produced around a hundred unique pieces, obviously achieving what he considers the most important goal of design – having an idea behind the concept that has enough power to fascinate many, many years.

References