Hialina, 1973

 

with Lluís Clotet

Producer: Bd Barcelona Design

www.bdbarcelona.com

 

Delta de oro 1974

Delta “25 años” Mejor Diseño 1961/1986

Hyaline, an adjective signifying "glassy" or "glass-like". A shelf designed with Clotet and produced by Bd in 1973. The original idea was to attach the glass directly to the wall so as to create a subtle shelf surface. The challenge was to come up with an alternative to the usual bulky and inelegant shelves common at that time. An extruded aluminium frame in the shape of a cornice serves as a support for the glass shelf surface. A fluorescent light can also be incorporated into the frame, projecting the light upwards and outwards through the glass to the rim.

    The effect is magical, since the objects on the shelf seem to float on air. The design is semantically rich; on the one hand it is minimalist, virtually immaterial, and on the other it anticipated the postmodern in its dual role as classical cornice and shelf support. All in all, a timeless design which is still in demand. In 1988, elimination of the glass and widening of the cornice led to the Cornisa model, a moulding-cum-shelf.