December
2016
New website coming soon...
The positive association of sea shells make them ideal for incorporating into superyacht design interiors – particularly in areas of relaxation / leisure such as the beach club and the swimming pool. Often collected as holiday mementos whilst walking on the beach, snorkelling, or diving; sea shells are synonymous with the sea, the beach, and leisure time. So much so that a quick search for `sea shells` on the popular travel website TripAdvisor reveals over 100,000 restaurants, lodgings, attractions, or holiday rentals with it in the name.
This sample design was created by Daedalian Glass Studios’ founder and creative director, Davia Walmsley. Her first task was to source the shells – assorted species and sizes to create a collage of marine life. Silicon moulds of these sea shells were then made and filled with wax to create individual wax models of each. Davia then arranged these wax sea shell models into a flat rectangular pattern and set then into a wax base, textured to resemble the seabed. At this point, the individual pieces began to resemble the end product.
Studio technician, Imogen, was then tasked with fettling this wax mould and ensuring the highest intricacy of accurate surface detailing was present – a process taking over 20 hours to complete. This required Imogen to study the organic patterns that naturally occur on the surface of the sea shell and patiently carve them into the shells one at a time.
The next stage was to build a rudimentary box around the wax mould allowing silicone to be poured over – forming a negative of the design. An important consideration here is to ensure that air bubbles do not get trapped underneath the silicone – ruining the surface of the mould. There are a number of ways to avoid these costly air bubbles, these include de-gassing the silicone solution, improving pouring techniques, and using a vibrating table to shake any trapped air to the surface.
Through similar processes, this silicone mould was then turned into a refractory plaster mould. A refractory mould is one that is resistant to heat and therefore suitable for placing in the kiln and using to create the final glass design
Once the glass panel was created, the final task for the studio team was to polish the faces and edges until they became transparent and smooth. After this coldworking, the panel was complete – the culmination of days worth of human labour by the studio team (for larger panels this process might even take months).
At Daedalian Glass Studios, the production focus is very much towards producing the highest quality glass designs. With larger and more extravagant superyacht projects announced each year, our customers may not be able to guarantee they have the largest superyacht but they can ensure that they have a one of a kind, completely bespoke design.
If you would be interested in discussing a project with Daedalian Glass Studios, call +44 (0)1253 702531 or send an email to [email protected].
The Old Smithy
Carr Lane
Hambleton
Poulton-le-Fylde
Lancashire
FY6 9DW
United Kingdom