Molten, unpredictable and shaped by hand
Before it becomes something still and refined, every piece passes through our Hotshop and Coldshop.
The Hotshop
Where Heat and Movement Shape the Piece
The hotshop is where each piece, once created by our artists, takes its most fluid and unpredictable shape. Working in intense heat, the artists must constantly move with the glass, shaping and adjusting as they go, since glass is an immediate medium that leaves no room to pause.
Each piece is unique, as every moment leaves a subtle trace in the glass and every decision becomes part of the finished work.
What happens in the hotshop?
01
Gathering
Molten glass is gathered from the furnace at over 1000°C, fluid, glowing, alive and constantly in motion.
02
Shaping
Formed through blowing, gravity and skilled hands. Every second counts, and the glass shifts with every decision.
03
Refining
Tools and movement define the piece's edges, curves, thickness and density. Each action here leaves its mark.
04
Cooling
Pieces are slowly cooled in the lehr, holding the final form and bringing each vision and experiment to life.
The Coldshop
Where the Final Character Emerges
Once sculpted and cooled, the glass is made stable and ready to be worked. Every piece continues its journey into the coldshop, where surfaces are cut, polished, engraved and refined entirely by hand, revealing a clarity and depth of detail that only patient, skilled work can achieve.
Every considered adjustment shapes the way the glass catches light and lives in your space.
What happens in the coldshop?
01
Cutting
This is where the transformation deepens. Surfaces are cut and shaped with precision, bringing definition and balance to the form created in the hotshop.
02
Grinding
Edges and contours are carefully refined by hand. Small adjustments here quietly influence how the finished piece catches light and occupies space.
03
Polishing
The surface is polished smooth and worked back, deepening reflections and revealing the patterns within the glass.
04
Finishing
The final details bring the piece together. Every surface is inspected, cleaned and considered before it leaves the coldshop and enters the gallery.
Experience it in person
It can be difficult to fully grasp the heat and scale at a distance. In the gallery, the hotshop is just metres away, where you can watch each piece being formed by our artists as it happens, moment by moment.
Visit the hotshop
Tue – Sat 10am – 5pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm
Find us
62–66 Bermondsey Street
London, SE1 3UD
Free entry
No booking required
All are welcome
Hands-on hotshop experience
Try glassblowing for yourself
Join one of our half-day glassblowing sessions and experience what it's like to shape molten glass in the hotshop, under the guidance of our talented artists.
3 hour sessions
Handcraft 2 pieces to take home
Only 2 people per session