Kreativno staklo Srbije

Creative Glass Serbia

Kreativno staklo Srbije

Creative Glass Serbia

Studio Kalff: Vintage glass as an artistic material

Roos Kalff’s Amsterdam studio is a treasure trove of vintage glass – tiny plates, compote bowls, small glasses and cups, candle holders, vases, perfume bottles, and all kinds of glass curiosities. She regularly hunts for these pieces in antique shops, flea markets, and vintage fairs across the Netherlands and Belgium. Every now and then, she comes to the studio with a carload of old glass, thinking even while driving about what she might make of it.
Visilice JULIET, deo istoimene kolekcije Ateljea Kalf (Studio Kalff) || fotografija: Jonathan Herman, ljubaznošću Studio Kalff
JULIET Pendants, from the eponymous Studio Kalff collection || Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff

Studio Kalff: Vintage glass as an artistic material

JULIET Pendants, from the eponymous Studio Kalff collection || Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
For Roos Kalff, vintage glass is both a major source of inspiration and her primary material. She turns it into lamps, glasses, candle holders, vases, and centrepieces such as cake stands, bowls, and larger vases. She stacks antique pieces on top of one another, threads them onto light cords, or simply glues them together. The result is unique compositions that give discarded and seemingly worthless glass a new purpose, form, and value.

Whether it's a candlestick or a lamp, every glass object I make is again a search for the right combination. That's challenging, but also sometimes a hassle.

– Roos Kalff, for vtwonen, 2020

Vintidž i novo staklo; dizajn i izrada: Studio Kalff || fotografija: Jonathan Herman, ljubaznošću Studio Kalff
Part of the Glass Table Pieces collection, designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
What makes her work especially captivating is the way she combines vintage glass with pieces of new, hand-blown glass. With these elements, available in practically every shape and colour, she can fully realise her vision for an old piece, enhancing it with new forms and hues, and meet clients’ preferences for colour palettes. Because glassblowing is a demanding technique, Roos collaborates with a glassblowing studio in Amsterdam for the larger pieces, while in her own small studio she casts only smaller ceramic elements.

I'm not a glassblower myself, but I collaborate with a glassblowing studio in Amsterdam. For certain shapes, I have moulds made in the Czech Republic. My main focus is on achieving the right colours, sometimes that requires a lot of precision. But honestly, I find almost every colour in glass beautiful.

– Roos Kalff, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

Interior architecture studies at Rietveld and the beginnings in glass

In her youth and during her student years, Roos Kalff didn’t think much about glass. She studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, a small yet prestigious art and design school in Amsterdam, renowned for its modern programs that attract students from around the world. The academy had a department in glass and ceramics, but Roos studied interior architecture. Provocatively named Inter-Architecture, the program introduced her to an interdisciplinary approach to designing spaces, preparing students not only for building planning but also for creating installations, public-space interventions, stage designs for theatre productions, exhibitions, and any other environments that enhance people’s daily lives.

Because the program placed equal emphasis on critical thinking about space, research methods, and hands-on craftsmanship with various materials, Roos graduated in 2009 as an interior architecture engineer and a maker with a thoughtful, conscious approach to the world. Her early school and professional projects were massive and structural – far from the delicate pendant lights she is known for today – but they already demonstrated a deep understanding of the nature and life cycles of different materials.

Pendant lights from the Fireflies collection, designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff.

Because the program placed equal emphasis on critical thinking about space, research methods, and hands-on craftsmanship with various materials, Roos graduated in 2009 as an interior architecture engineer and a maker with a thoughtful, conscious approach to the world. Her early school and professional projects were massive and structural – far from the delicate pendant lights she is known for today – but they already demonstrated a deep understanding of the nature and life cycles of different materials.

Part of Studio Kalff’s candle holder collection II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
She turned her attention to glass when she realised she was captivated not only by the beauty of the baroque shapes, colours, and sparkling facets of vintage pieces, but also by the ways they could be combined. Her early experiments with transforming old glass produced simple yet fascinating results, earning her recognition and support from the local design scene. These included hybrid candle holders created by stacking bowls, glasses, perfume bottles, and cups, as well as double-sided glasses made by glueing the bottoms of two glasses together. Roos still makes these today, and in the meantime, she has expanded her vintage glass range to include lamps, vases, bowls, and stands.

Design duo DeJongeKalff and the Louis XV writing table

Her studies at the Rietveld Academy also brought her a lasting friendship with Jennifer de Jonge, a fellow student with whom she co-founded the brand DeJongeKalff, collaborating on several commercial and artistic projects. While de Jonge focused on food design, Roos worked with functional glass. They won the Mercure Hotels award for Best Table Design in 2011, crafted glasses for the first tasting of Halbe craft beer (2012), and collaborated on various similar projects.
Detail of a pendant lamp from the JULIET collection; designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
Detalji stolnjaka Table Skin || fotografija: Jonathan Herman, ljubaznošću Studio Kalff
Details of the Table Skin tablecloth, designed and crafted by DeJongeKalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff

As a design duo, their greatest recognition came for the conceptual project Table Skin, a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional Dutch damask tablecloth. The Table Skin is a silicone cast, convincingly replicating the thickness and texture of tablecloth fabric, with embossed patterns that mimic the intricate embroidery of classic damask. Using silicone as a creative twist, this elegant tablecloth preserves tradition while offering modern practicality. It doesn’t need ironing, is waterproof, and resists stains from food and drinks – perfect for today’s young hosts and hostesses.

The project received further acclaim when Studio Droog and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (via the Rijksstudio platform) commissioned a special edition of Table Skin, featuring a tablecloth pattern inspired by an early sixteenth-century woodcut by Albrecht Dürer. It was showcased at the 2013 Milan Furniture Fair (Salone del Mobile) as part of a functional dining concept rooted in heritage. Not long after, the same work but with a different traditional embroidery pattern was acquired by the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.

I work with different materials, not just glass, also porcelain, wood and silicone rubber. I like it when the materials lead me to the design. An idea executed with different materials could ultimately turn into a different product. The relief in the silicone tablecloth that I made for Droog Design and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has shades like a damask table- cloth. It’s the properties of silicone that make that happen.

– Roos Kalff, za One Design, 2018.

Another significant venture into furniture came in 2015, when Roos participated in the Fuorisalone in Milan, the main alternative event during the Milan Furniture Fair. There, as an independent project, she presented the neo-Baroque Louis XV Writing Table, handcrafted from ceramics and wood. She repurposed classic ceramic tableware to form the desk’s legs, while the tabletop features oak inlay. Both dramatic and elegant, this table was presented as an ideal workstation and exhibited alongside her glassware collection.

Pendant lamps from the JULIET collection; designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
Ceramic & Glass Droplets, designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff

Vintage glass, Francis Bacon, Dutch painters, and iconic designers

Vintage glass remains Roos Kalff’s greatest source of inspiration, whether it’s for pieces adorning tables at a Cartier dinner (2023), staircases in a restored Danish castle, or modern hotels. Drawing on it for her approach to contemporary functionality and sustainability, she has developed ten collections that seamlessly fit into a wide range of interiors: LOUIS, JULIET, Ceramic-Glass Drops, Glass Drops, Fireflies, Glass Table Lamps, Candle Holders, This Side Up glasses, Glass Table Pieces, and Vases. Three of these collections are made entirely from vintage glass (Fireflies, Candle Holders, This Side Up glasses), while the others combine old and new glass.

She often says she uses vintage glass “the way a painter uses colour” – combining and layering shapes intuitively, experimentally, and by feel. While design is far more important to her than upcycling or circular artistic practice, she loves the idea that something old and discarded, like a dusty little plate, can be given new life in a lamp or decorative bowl and bring joy, even to an international clientele. Roos doesn’t follow rigid design rules or any fixed formula. She simply trusts her instincts. While working, she relies on intuition and strives to keep her mind open.

She often says she uses vintage glass “the way a painter uses colour” – combining and layering shapes intuitively, experimentally, and by feel. While design is far more important to her than upcycling or circular artistic practice, she loves the idea that something old and discarded, like a dusty little plate, can be given new life in a lamp or decorative bowl and bring joy, even to an international clientele. Roos doesn’t follow rigid design rules or any fixed formula. She simply trusts her instincts. While working, she relies on intuition and strives to keep her mind open.

From the Glass Table Lamps collection, designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
Visilice KAPLJICE i JULIJE u bojama Rembrantove slikarske palete, lampe iz istoimenih kolekcija; dizajn i izrada: Studio Kalff || fotografija: Jonathan Herman, ljubaznošću Studio Kalff
Glass Droplets and Juliet pendant lights in colours inspired by Rembrandt’s palette; designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
Portable table lamps LOUIS designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff

She draws inspiration equally from great artists and their works. Roos is a great admirer of Francis Bacon, the old Dutch masters, and iconic designers. Her Droplets and Juliet pendant lights presented at the 2019 Fuorisalone in Milan, were rendered in colours inspired by Rembrandt’s palette. The LOUIS lamps pay a subtle tribute to Louis Kalff, the Dutch pioneer of corporate and industrial design and a distant relative of Roos. Among contemporary artists, she particularly admires Antonio Marras and Vincenzo de Cotiis, whom she discovered during her frequent stays in Milan.

The designs of Louis Kalff are certainly inspiring, and the Louis table lamp is a subtle nod to him. He happens to be a distant relative, and the lamp is also named after my little nephew, who was named in his honour.

– Roos Kalff, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

Techniques used at Studio Kalff

Apart from glassblowing, which for Roos Kalff’s work is done in a specialised studio, her other techniques are relatively straightforward. She stacks, layers, cuts, drills, and glues vintage pieces. In most of her collections, glueing is a key technique. She uses UV adhesive, ideal for glass, as it allows UV light to pass through and cure the glue. Within seconds, two pieces of glass are precisely and securely joined with a transparent adhesive that leaves no trace. Because the joints are resistant to water, heat, and chemicals, all Studio Kalff products are durable and dishwasher safe.
Juliet pendant lights, designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
Glass Droplets pendant lights; designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
In creating her lamps, Roos has also mastered the skills of integrating LED lights into glass and crafting ceramic casts. Because many of her lamps feature multiple tiers, she has learned how to run the LEDs through all levels, ensuring even illumination along the entire length of the piece.
For a long time, she worked exclusively on commission, striving to connect with interior designers who might want to incorporate her pieces into their projects. Recently, for the sake of more stable business operations, she keeps a stock of ready-to-sell products and increasingly designs entire interiors herself. She has always been very open to collaborating with clients, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she developed effective methods for remote work. When clients choose a particular item, such as a cake stand or a table lamp, they can easily participate in composing the piece and selecting colours for both vintage and new glass.

From a local Christmas market stand to Salone del Mobile and VOGUE Casa

The media, especially fashion and interior design magazines, have taken a keen interest in Roos Kalff’s work. Following her appearances at major fairs and renowned galleries, Studio Kalff has been featured in Dutch magazines RESIDENCE and COLLECT (aimed at collectors), the magazine of French Le Monde, ELLE Decor, VOGUE Casa, and many others.

For her most significant appearances, Roos highlights MILANTRACE (2015), the London Design Festival (2016), Salone del Mobile (2016, 2019), ICFF & Colony Design Gallery in New York (2019), GLUE Amsterdam (2020), EDIT Napoli (2021), Dubai Design District, and Maison & Objet Paris (2023). All of these were group exhibitions, such as Masterly – The Dutch, through which the Netherlands showcases its talents.

Part of the Vases collection, designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff

For her most significant appearances, Roos highlights MILANTRACE (2015), the London Design Festival (2016), Salone del Mobile (2016, 2019), ICFF & Colony Design Gallery in New York (2019), GLUE Amsterdam (2020), EDIT Napoli (2021), Dubai Design District, and Maison & Objet Paris (2023). All of these were group exhibitions, such as Masterly – The Dutch, through which the Netherlands showcases its talents.

When I presented my ‘Droplets’ at the Salone di Mobile in Milan a lot of people asked me if the glass I use was Murano glass. That was a great compliment to hear, especially at a place like that.

– Roos Kalff, for One Design, 2018

Studio Kalff has been especially relevant in recent years, as design fairs increasingly focus on sustainability and visions for design resilient to global crises. At the first Maison & Objet fair held after the COVID-19 pandemic, dedicated to the circular economy, new bio-based materials, and fresh perspectives on old objects, critics noted that Roos Kalff’s reinterpretations “perfectly align with the principles of sustainability.”
Visilice Juliet, vintidž i novo staklo; dizajn i izrada: Studio Kalff || fotografija: Jonathan Herman, ljubaznošću Studio Kalff
Juliet pendant lights, designed and crafted by Studio Kalff II Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
Yet the success of Roos Kalff is perhaps best illustrated by local curators who have followed her work from the beginning. Upon acquiring new pieces from Studio Kalff for their store, the editorial team of the Dutch design magazine WOTH Wonderful Things noted that “years ago, we already bought Upside Down Candlesticks at a stand where Roos sold her first designs during a Christmas market at Pastoe. That’s all changed, got better and more beautiful. Today we see objects by Studio Kalff at wufte stores such as Mint in London, The Frozen Fountain or in the Rijksmuseum shop”. This enduring success comes from Roos’s fascination with the interplay of glass, light, and colour, and her constant dialogue with vintage pieces that tell their own stories. It is this engagement that continually motivates her to refine her techniques and create unique combinations of old and new glass, each telling its own extraordinary tale.

At the moment, I'm most inspired by colour and the endless variety of forms found in vintage glass. There's something magical in the way glass, light, and colour come together — always unexpected, always new. I don't see vintage glass as finished objects, but as material full of potential, shape and colour waiting to be reimagined. Each piece carries its own story, and from each one, a new idea is born. The process feels like a continuous conversation, full of surprises and infinite combinations.

– Roos Kalff, for Creative Glass Serbia, 2025

Glass and the furniture of the future

Despite the complexity of her unique lamps, candle holders, vases, and stands composed of numerous parts from different periods, each piece carries the unmistakable signature of Studio Kalff. While some design reviewers describe her mastery of historic glass pieces as playing with time, she believes her work is actually between times – a bridge connecting past and present.

Having developed an original aesthetic language that draws functionality and sustainability from historical glass, she can also view contemporary trends from a distance and build bridges toward the glass of the future. Considering her other collaborative and solo conceptual projects, Table Skin and the Louis XV Writing Table, it’s clear she has immense potential to design a wide range of innovative products. Meanwhile, her current works, made from both old and new glass, are already shaping spaces where people live more meaningfully and beautifully.

My biggest dream is that 150 years from now my work will inspire someone to design something that will fit in his or her time.

– Roos Kalff, for One Design, 2018

References