Milena Kling: Designer Of Processes, Curator Of Atmospheres

As we step inside her showroom, we experience first-hand how the energy around her objects unfolds within a space. Here, aesthetic elegance meets the notion of scientific exploration. Kling’s delicate designs, presented on shelves and custom-made pedestals, are purposefully arranged, all standing in dialogue. As the sunlight enters through the studio’s glass front, it interacts with Kling’s three-dimensional mirror sculptures, filling the air with mesmerising reflections.

We navigate the space to look closer at Kling’s creations as we discover carefully presented material samples, tryouts, and broken glass fragments. The way Kling displays these pieces, all testimonies of the creative process, underscores their importance to her practice. “Often, these samples and experiments serve as the starting point for new projects,” the designer tells us as she notices our fascination with these small collections. “It frequently happens that I stumble upon something during my explorations and then dive deep into this discovery, allowing it to evolve into an entire series of works,” she continues.

On one of the shelves, we spot vases that form part of the RAW series—a perfect example of how the designer reimagines traditional glassblowing techniques. In conventional practice, glass is blown into heavy wooden moulds to shape it. For her RAW objects, Kling re-designed this method. She utilises soft, copper-woven moulds instead of exposing the glass through mouth blowing to the sturdy forms. Introducing the flexible material to the process allows for a two-way conversation between the glass and the metal, giving rise to welcome imperfections. The outcome is a gentle and textile sensuality manifested within the glass.