When the cocktail glasses in Anni Cernea’s Cliffhanger series were launched, they became an instant success both in Sweden and internationally and can now be found in some of the world’s most exclusive restaurants and bars. This fall, the series is expanded with vases and bowls in the same uniquely expressive design.
The Cliffhanger cocktail glasses are inspired by exclusive, architect-designed glass houses that hang over cliffs and seem to defy gravity with an almost floating impression. Anni Cernea’s vision is to bring a tactile feel and a deeper presence to the moment, while the shape itself pushes the boundaries of how drinks can be served. The result is a series that is characterized by an innovative and playful design unlike any other. In a bold and visually
challenging balancing act, mouth-blown crystal glass and natural marble meet in the borderland between sculpture and functionality.
In Stockholm, the Cliffhanger glass can be found in the Cadier Bar at Grand Hôtel, where it is used to serve the bar’s signature drink, Whiplash, and at the Guide Michelin restaurant Etoile and its rooftop bar Celeste. You can also enjoy a drink served in Cliffhanger at one of the world’s most prestigious bars: The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel in London, and soon at the MO Bar (also one of the world’s most prestigious bars) at the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore and at the five-star Amigo Hotel in Brussels.
The new additions to the series are based on the same basic idea of houses hanging over cliffs, but at the same time, Anni’s goal was for the vase and bowl to be even more statement pieces, which visually also challenge the balance between sculpture
and functionality and are a bit more static than the glasses.
”Although I don’t believe that the Cliffhanger glasses should be hidden away in a cabinet, a vase, and a bowl are even more intended as interior accessories that are always on display”, says Anni Cernea.
Unlike the glasses, whose marble base has a hollowed-out bottom to make them a little easier to handle and move around, the vase and bowl are made of solid marble, making them much heavier (the vase weighs about 3kg and the bowl 6kg).
”I am a fan of contrasts. In this case, the contrast between the rock-hard marble and the fragile mouth-blown crystal, but I have also played with the contrast between the hard angular shapes of the marble and the round soft shapes of the glass part. I also tried to find a harmonious balance and played with the proportions of the marble and the glass to make them visually appealing and functional at the same time. They complement each other very well”, says Anni Cernea.
Product information Cliffhanger Cocktail vase
Color: Calcatta Viola, white, black, pink
Dimensions: W: 10,5×10,5cm, H: 21cm
Weight: 3 kg
Materials: Marble & Lead-free crystal
Price: SEK 5 800
Product information Cliffhanger Cocktail bowl
Color: Calcatta Viola, white, black, pink
Dimensions: W: 20x20cm, H: 12,5cm
Weight: 6 kg
Materials: Marble & Lead-free crystal
Price: SEK 6 800
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About Anni Cernea
Anni Cernea has a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute in New York – one of the world’s most prestigious art and design schools. After graduating, she started her career making jewelry, but her plan was always to start a wider design brand where she could express more of her many innovative visions.
Under her own design brand, she has quickly established herself as one of Sweden’s most exciting contemporary designers. Her guiding principle is to always create design objects that surprise and give an unexpected and playful experience – but at the same time never compromise on the design expression or choice of materials.
As a designer, openness, and curiosity are Anni’s greatest strengths. Even though she is well versed in all the ”rules” of design, color, shape, light, and proportions through her education and experience, she consciously seeks out new opportunities, challenges and approaches.
Or Anni explains: ”It’s just technical stuff – it means nothing if you’re not curious about life, have a desire to live, explore, be adventurous and open to all possibilities.”
It is this mindset that drives Anni to always push the boundaries beyond the ordinary and the standard – resulting in an experience of unbridled creativity.