Norwegian Hadeland Glassverk is not only the oldest glass producer in the country, but also the longest-standing Norwegian industrial company of any kind
“Working with glass is like magic,” says Maud Gjeruldsen Bugge, artistic director of Hadeland Glassverk, Norway’s oldest glass producer. “The colours, transparency, softness and the fact that you are working in a process that is irreversible, in a team with the best craftsman.” Located in Jevnaker, Viken, a short drive north of Oslo, Hadeland Glassverk is not only the oldest glass producer in Norway, it is the oldest Norwegian industrial company of any kind.
Founded in 1792, Hadeland’s vases and glasses, bowls and dishes continue to populate well-curated homes across the country. However, their most breathtaking and instantly recognisable glass creations are their lights. Perfectly round, candy-coloured or clear and hung in a cluster, Hadeland’s bespoke Crystal Sphere lighting was designed by Bugge to marry Hadeland’s traditions with a more modern design aesthetic. In fact, the lights are crafted in much the same way they would have been over 260 years ago.
Working with glass is like magic
Maud Gjeruldsen Bugge
“The tools, the techniques are more or less the same, and the craftsmen are often fifth generation glassblowers,” says Bugge, who began working at Hadeland in 1989, directly after graduating from Oslo’s Royal College of Art. Once the glass is blown, the diamond patterns are cut by hand. Small variations in pattern and colour are par for the course – nearly imperceptible imperfections that indicate the artisanal nature of the process.
There is something inherently Norwegian about the lights. Bugge attributes it to the “simplicity of the shape and the choice of colours”. Earthy browns, soft blues and sunset pinks mimic the hues of Norwegian nature. A swipe through the brand’s Instagram reveals their customers’ seemingly innate desire to install the crystals against a window, where they can distort and enhance a scenic backdrop, catching the natural light.
Still, Bugge’s favourite Hadeland designs aren’t her own, but rather those from the brand’s extensive archive. “For me, the quality of the archive collection tells you a lot about a design that is more than a trend,” she says. Hadeland’s greatest achievement hangs not in a personal home, but in Oslo’s Opera House: a 7.5 tonne, 50-square-metre chandelier illuminating the magnificent space. As Bugge puts it, when it comes to what Hadeland can achieve with glass, “there are no limits”.