Glass Artisans Claire Lange and Lucie Roy of Ilaké
Surrounded by the alpine landscape of Saint-Laurent-du-Cros in the French Alps, glassmakers Claire Lange and Lucie Roy make fine tableware for chefs around the world. They also work with architects and designers to create custom glass lighting, contemporary stained glass, decorative glazing and other fine art accessories. Everything they produce is inspired by nature. Now available through The Wren, their luxury bespoke dinnerware and glass designs are all handmade by the duo in France at their exclusive workshop.
How did you get into glassmaking?
Lucie: I always had an interest in light. I fell in love with stained glass windows in high school. I later went to art school and specialized in stained glass windows in a glass school in a little village in the Northeast of France.
Claire: I went to business school and got really bored; I was looking for a job with a lot of different tasks so I wouldn’t get bored again! I met a stained-glass artist and got excited about the versatility of it—both the artistic part of drawing and painting and the technical part of cutting glass, soldering lead, painting glass and the masonry work on high scaffolding in the churches. I learned my profession by alternating between the stained-glass workshop and the school.
Lucie and I met in school and never left each other! Since then, we have collaborated.
What is different about your creative/production processes compared to others in the industry?
Our plates are created one by one, entirely by hand in our workshop. There are more than 10 stages of production, including five where we make different choices, such as shapes, colors and materials.
Our plates are therefore unique, and the creative possibilities are endless. What sets us apart from the industry is that we spend a lot of time researching patterns, materials and shapes, so our workshop is highly innovative and can adapt to new projects.
Who or what influences your work?
Our work is strongly influenced by the natural world around us, as we live surrounded by mountains and forests. We’re very inspired by Japanese culture and craftsmanship. We also draw a great deal of creativity from our contact with chefs!
Where do you draw inspiration on a daily basis?
Nature. We do a lot of walking and wild plant picking, and take photos of the plants in every season. The contemplation of our landscapes is inseparable from our creations.
What are you working on right now?
We work on several orders at once. A plate’s cycle begins with design, then prototyping and finally production. A cycle lasts approximately three months.
We’re designing for top chef Mauro Colagreco; we’re prototyping for restaurants like Quince in the U.S.; we’re currently producing an order for Swiss chef David Alessandria; and packaging an order for Le Meurice, Alain Ducasse’s restaurant in Paris.
What do you do in your free time?
Claire: Cooking, walking in the mountains, biking and skiing. We really enjoy cooking using the plants we pick. I make pickles or jam with them, and Lucie makes smoked salmon flavored with wild herbs.
What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
Each year, we have two or three very special projects for artists and haute couture houses, for which we sign confidentiality contracts. These projects are very challenging and make us very proud. The top-secret aspect makes us feel like spies!
