“I’m passionate about colour, real materials and working with artisans,” explains German designer Sebastian Herkner. “With the Tricolore Vases, I played with a spectrum of colours, gauging which third colour would appear when the two colours overlap. How the colours would interact with sunlight. And fine-tuning the density of the glass to get just the right nuance. There are three sets of two vases, each in a different colour, height and diameter. Just like I experimented with the choice of colours, people can play with colour, too. They can place any of the individual vases wherever they need a little colour in their life.” Craftsmanship played a key role in achieving a personal sense of perfection. As Herkner sees it, knowledge of artisan crafts is passed on from one generation to the next, but too often they are destined to disappear. “Each vase passed through many expert artisan hands in the process of creation. Using wooden moulds is very tricky for glass blowers. It’s a challenge to get the sharpness and the precise 90-degree edge on top. Then there’s the process of cutting, sanding and polishing. We used an old fashioned technique to hand blow each vase. The hand craftsmanship makes it more beautiful and more human.”