The timeless style of Val Saint Lambert

"Fashion is what you're offered four times a year by designers... style is what you choose."

–Lauren Hutton.

The ins and outs of fashion’s trends can be hard to keep up with but there is something transcendent about the timeless pieces that defy them all, both on the catwalk and in the world of interiors.

It’s as true with fabrics and furnishings as it is with decorative lighting and never more so than in the glassware of Val Saint Lambert, a name synonymous with quality craftsmanship and design innovation that has stood the test of time.

Our limited collection of elegant, mid-century twisted glass table lamps by Val Saint Lambert are a clear (pardon the pun!) example.

Monastery to Manufacturing

Founded in 1826, Belgian glassmakers Val Saint Lambert are part of Belgian industrial heritage. For over 200 years their master glass blowers have designed and shaped unique pieces in pure crystal from a factory on the site of the former Cistercian monastery of Val Saint Lambert, on the bank of the River Maas just outside Seraing.

In 1796, following the French Revolution, the one-time home of the Cistercian monks was closed, remaining dormant until its purchase in 1825 by chemist François Kemlin and engineer Auguste Lelièvre, former employees of the Vonêche glassworks. Their ambitious vision for the ruined buildings of the Abbey brought it back to life in 1826 as Belgium’s first and (to date) only crystal glass maker, the "Val Saint Lambert Glass Manufacturing Company". It would go on to become one of the most respected names in glassmaking, admired and sought-after to this day.

Royal warrants to Russian tsars

Val Saint Lambert’s refined coloured crystal came to public attention under the patronage of Belgium’s Albert II, who raised the company’s stature to imperial glassworks. Many accolades were to follow: a gold medal in 1841 at an exhibition of Belgian industrial products in Brussels, and in 1894, the attention of a global audience at the World Fair in Antwerp. High profile commissions included two crystal chandeliers, at the time the largest in the world, for India’s Jai Vilas Mahal palace, built in 1874 by the Maharaja of Gwalior.

By the beginning of the 20th century and with the emergence of the Art Nouveau movement, Val Saint Lambert’s designs were at the peak of popularity, with over 5,000 workers and artisans employed at the factory and an illustrious clientele, not least the Tsars of Russia.

Art glass avant-garde

Two World Wars had their impact but Val Saint Lambert has stood the test of time, riding the waves of fashion from Art Nouveau to Art Deco and from classicism to contemporary collaborations with designers including Samuel Herman, Borek Sipek, Philippe Starck and Martin Szekel; even the world’s tallest crystal rocket by interior designer Eric Delvaux for the World Expo in China 2010.

Collectable - from classic to contemporary

This innovation, along with an enduring sense of style has ensured Val Saint Lambert’s pieces today remain a favourite of interior designers and a discerning clientele. Not only timelessly elegant, the company’s adherence to centuries-old craftsmanship makes them highly collectable.

Haslam West’s classic twisted glass table lamps are completely handmade from wonderfully weighty crystal glass and mouth-blown by Val Saint Lambert glass blowers. Using techniques similar to the Italian “sommerso” tradition, vibrant, jewel-like coloured glass is layered and twisted—the purity of the crystal giving a remarkable clarity and brilliance that defies its thickness, and a refractive quality which captures the light in just the right way.

Pair these beautiful vintage lamps with a linen lampshade for a contemporary “twist” on a classic theme. Mid-century style – timeless elegance!

For the whole collection, please visit www.haslamwest.com/vintagelighting