Of Sand & Ash: Taking Our Stained Glass Lighting in a New Direction
This summer, we were delighted to be invited to take part in Of Sand & Ash, a major exhibition of contemporary glass at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny.
For us, it was also an opportunity to try something new.
We decided to push our stained glass lighting in a more ambitious direction and create our largest lamp to date, a sculptural piece combining stained glass, timber, colour and light.
Celebrating contemporary glass in Ireland
Presented by Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) in partnership with the Glass Society of Ireland, Of Sand & Ash brings together more than 65 glass artists and makers and 99 works spanning a wide range of glass processes.
Rather than focusing solely on the finished pieces, the exhibition explores how contemporary glass is actually made, the materials, tools, processes, ideas and skills behind the work.
It’s an impressive picture of just how varied contemporary glass practice in Ireland has become, so seeing our work included alongside so many leading glass artists and makers was a very proud moment for us.
Creating our largest lamp yet
When the opportunity came along, we wanted to make something specifically for the exhibition rather than simply show an existing piece.
Our stained glass lamps have become an important part of what we do at Eirlume, and we’ve been interested in exploring what happens when we take them beyond the scale of a traditional table lamp and start thinking of them as sculptural objects in their own right.
This piece gave us the chance to do exactly that.
Charlie handcrafted a three-legged timber structure standing approximately 80cm high. We then created three identical stained glass panels, one for each side of the lamp, with a stained glass cap completing the piece at the top.
The design takes inspiration from the structure and craftsmanship of Tiffany stained glass lamps, but interpreted in our own way. Hydrangea flowers provided another starting point for the stained glass design, giving us a natural form to explore through pattern and colour.
The finished piece sits somewhere between a stained glass lamp, a piece of furniture and a stained glass sculpture.
With a stained glass window or door, we’re usually working with natural light and thinking about how it will change throughout the day. With a stained glass lamp, we get to work with the light source itself. That moment when a newly finished piece is lit for the first time never really gets old. We get so excited every time!
Stepping outside our comfort zone
There’s always a slightly nerve-racking point when we decide to make something bigger, or in a way we haven’t tried before.
We can draw it, plan it and work through the technical details, but eventually we just have to start making and see how the idea translates from paper into a three-dimensional object.
That’s also what makes projects like this exciting.
This stained glass lamp brought together several things we love working with: stained glass, timber, colour, craftsmanship and light. It also gave us an opportunity to combine our different skills within one piece, with Charlie creating the timber structure and the stained glass becoming an integral part of the piece.
Creating this piece pushed us to think differently about what an Eirlume lamp could be. We’d definitely like to explore this larger, more sculptural approach to stained glass lighting further.
Seeing it in the gallery
After all the designing, cutting, soldering, woodworking and problem-solving in the studio, seeing the finished lamp installed at the National Design & Craft Gallery was a special moment.
We were thrilled to see our work displayed alongside so many of Ireland’s leading glass artists and makers. Being part of an exhibition celebrating contemporary glass being made in Ireland today made it even more special.
Of Sand & Ash runs at the National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, from 6 August to 24 October 2026.
Admission is free.
If you’re in Kilkenny over the coming months, it’s well worth a visit. And if you do go, keep an eye out for our rather large lamp.
