Women in Glass Design: Celebrating the Visionaries Behind Lobmeyr’s Legacy
This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the remarkable women in glass design whose artistry and innovation have helped shape one of the world’s most storied craft traditions. Through their collaborations with Lobmeyr, the Viennese glassmaker founded in 1823, these designers have brought fresh perspectives to a centuries-old medium, proving that handcrafted excellence and contemporary vision are not just compatible, they’re inseparable.
From delicate hand-painted motifs to sculptural minimalism, each of the women featured here has reimagined glass as both a functional object and a work of art.
Věra Lišková, Geometric Minimalism in Fine Glassware
A true pioneer among women in glass design, Věra Lišková pushed the boundaries of form and structure in ways that still feel radical today. Her Drinking Set No. 1003 for Lobmeyr is a testament to her avant-garde vision — geometric, spare, and striking in its simplicity. With each piece, Lišková demonstrated that glass could function as an architectural element, and that artistry and utility were never at odds.
Tatiana de Nicolay, Hand-Painted Luxury Glassware
Illustrator and product designer Tatiana de Nicolay brings a distinctly painterly sensibility to Lobmeyr’s collections. Her No.267 Alpha Garden of Paradise series (2019) transforms the brand’s wafer-thin “Alpha” tumblers — originally designed by Hans Harald Rath — into a canvas of hand-painted birds and floral motifs. Inspired by her global travels, de Nicolay infuses classic forms with color and life, making each piece feel less like tableware and more like a keepsake.
Myung-il Saba-Song, Luxury Champagne Flutes Meet Conceptual Design
Designer Myung-il Saba-Song brings a background in fashion and fine art to her work in glass, and the result is something entirely her own. Her SONG Champagne Flute (2014) is as much a statement piece as it is a vessel: its muslin-thin flute balances on a hand-cut crystal base, refracting light in the manner of a chandelier. It’s a seamless meeting of luxury and conceptual thinking, and one of the most visually distinctive pieces in Lobmeyr’s modern canon.
POLKA (Marie Rahm & Monica Singer), Contemporary Craft for Everyday Elegance
Vienna-based design studio POLKA, founded by Marie Rahm and Monica Singer, is known for reinterpreting traditional craftsmanship with a modern, livable sensibility. Their Drinking Set No. 280, Wiener Gemischter Satz, designed for Lobmeyr, is a refined yet approachable collection intended for everyday enjoyment. Inspired by Austria’s deep-rooted wine culture, the set includes oenological wine glasses developed in collaboration with Viennese winemakers, alongside classic champagne coupes. Each piece is mouth-blown from Lobmeyr crystal, embodying POLKA’s signature balance of function, sophistication, and craft.
About Lobmeyr: A 200-Year Legacy of Glass Design
Founded in Vienna in 1823, Lobmeyr has spent two centuries at the intersection of tradition and innovation. The brand is known for its ultra-thin muslin glass, its extraordinary chandeliers (including those in the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York) and an unwavering commitment to handcrafted quality. Its ongoing collaborations with contemporary designers, including the women featured here, ensure that Lobmeyr remains not just a heritage brand, but a living one.
Explore Lobmeyr Collections at kneen & co
Notable women in luxury glass design include Věra Lišková, whose geometric work for Lobmeyr redefined minimalism in glassware; Tatiana de Nicolay, known for her hand-painted Alpha tumblers; Myung-il Saba-Song, designer of the sculptural SONG Champagne Flute; and the Vienna-based duo Marie Rahm and Monica Singer of POLKA, who created the Wiener Gemischter Satz drinking set.
Lobmeyr is renowned for its muslin-thin crystal glass, a technique that produces some of the lightest, most delicate glassware in the world. Founded in Vienna in 1823, the brand combines centuries of handcraft tradition with collaborations with contemporary designers, making each piece both a functional object and a collector’s item.
Shop for Lobmeyr hand-blown muslin crystal glass at Kneen & Co. Find us on the web at kneenandco.com, in the showroom at 980 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 650, Chicago, IL 60611, over the phone at +1 312 643 1190, or contact us via email at [email protected].
The Alpha series is a collection of ultra-thin crystal tumblers originally designed by Hans Harald Rath. The series has since been reimagined by contemporary collaborators, including Tatiana de Nicolay’s Garden of Paradise edition, which features hand-painted bird and floral motifs.
At Kneen & Co, we curate luxury objects made with intention — pieces that carry history, craft, and the perspectives of the designers behind them. Explore our Lobmeyr collection and discover glassware worth living with.