Living through the light

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This article was published 10/05/2014 (4402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We drink out of it and look through it, but one company wants us to think less about the utilitarian nature of glass and see it for its sculptural and decorative versatility.

“Glass is a beautiful and noble material,” says artist Michel Mailhot. Along with business partner Bertrand Charest, Mailhot runs ThinkGlass, creating stunning pieces for national and international clients, from underlit countertops and bars in Ottawa to a soaring chocolate fountain for the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

Staircases, floors, murals, furniture, almost nothing is off limits for this imaginative pair, who began in 1999 in the basement of a suburban Montreal home and are now recognized around the world.

The 57-year-old Mailhot describes glass as a ‘light magnet,’ saying its relationship with light creates a key distinction among materials. A piece of glass on a sunny morning won’t reflect light the same way it does at sundown, he says. “Glass is living through light.”

To create his pieces, he uses a process called thermo-forming, which involves fusing sheets of glass together with heat, then cutting, shaping and polishing. Each custom piece is handcrafted and often inspired by nature. It’s durable, non-porous and 100 per cent recyclable. Mindful of the environment, ThinkGlass uses water-recycling systems and avoids using sealants and harsh chemicals.

Denise Walters of Ottawa fell in love with ThinkGlass counters several years ago and hung onto the idea until she could finally order her own.

Describing her taste as “traditional modern and a little bit eclectic,” her four-centimetre-thick counters are textured and have LED lights in six colours to choose from.

“It’s just got a real wow factor to it, especially at night when it’s lit up,” she says, adding they make a great conversation piece.

In Ottawa, the NV Ultra Club recruited ThinkGlass to make an illuminated glass bar, which looks as if it’s been carved from ice.

The company has grown to 27 employees working from a 3,252-square-metre studio equipped with 21 mega-ovens. With more of a presence in the United States — that huge chocolate fountain, billed as the largest in the world, certainly helped increase the company’s profile — it now hopes to expand further into the Canadian market.

— Postmedia Network Inc. 2014