Architect-designed glass houses hanging over the edge of cliffs, seemingly defying gravity with an almost floating impression. That was the starting point for the Swedish designer Anni Cernea, who has quickly established herself as one of the most exciting contemporary designers. The cocktail glasses in her Cliffhanger series can already be found in some of the world’s most exclusive restaurants and bars, where they enhance the tactile presence and experience of having a drink – and without a doubt pushes the boundaries of how drinks can be served.
Design objects that surprise and gives an unexpected and playful experience – but at the same time never compromise with the design expression or the choice of materials. That is the guiding star for the Swedish designer Anni Cernea.
Anni Cernea has a degree in industrial design from the Pratt Institute in New York – one of the world’s most prestigious schools for art and design. After her studies, she began her career making jewelry, but the plan was always to start a broader design brand where she could bring life to more of her many innovative visions. Through her education and experience she is of course well versed in all the ”rules” when it comes to design, color, shape, and proportions, but she consciously always seeks out new opportunities, challenges, and angles.
”As a designer, openness, and curiosity are my greatest strengths. I want to push the boundaries and question traditional forms and functions to create innovative designs that embrace unpredictability and arouse curiosity. Life doesn’t always have to be so strict or limited, which is the perspective I always want my design to reflect”, Anni Cernea explains.
Innovative and pushing the boundaries is, to say the least, an apt description for Anni Cernea’s Cliffhanger series. With its modern and minimalist shapes combined with a playful design, it is unlike anything else. In a bold and visually challenging balancing act, mouth-blown crystal glass and natural marble meet in the borderland between sculpture and functionality.
”I created the cocktail glasses to challenge and reformulate our perception of how a traditional cocktail should be served and instead offer a completely new drinking experience. Lifting the crystal cup to drink adds an element of surprise and an unexpected dimension to the experience. It also engages your tactile senses by requiring a little extra attention when the glass is lifted and put down, which automatically makes you more present in the moment.
The cocktail glass, where a crystal glass bowl rests halfway over the edge on a base of heavy and solid marble, was the first Cliffhanger product and was an instant success. In Stockholm, the glass can be found, for example, at the Grand Hôtel, where it is used to serve the signature drink Whiplash, and at the Guide Michelin restaurant Etoile. There, guests are greeted by a truly unique and innovative drinking experience which has been met with a highly positive response and a large amount of Instagram-friendly photographs. Cliffhanger is also used at one of the world’s highest-ranked and most prestigious bars: The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel in London.
Later this year, the Cliffhanger series will be expanded with both vases and bowls. The new products are based on the same design principle and function, although a vase or bowl usually has a more static presence at its base.
Product information Cliffhanger Cocktail glass
Color: White
Size: 20 cl
Dimensions: W: 4.5 cm, H: 9.9 cm
Weight: 25 g
Materials: Marble & Lead-free crystal
Price: SEK 3,200
Product information Cliffhanger Cocktail glass
Color: Green
Size: 20 cl
Dimensions: W: 4.5 cm, H: 9.9 cm
Weight: 25 g
Materials: Marble & Lead-free crystal
Price: SEK 3,200
Product information Cliffhanger Cocktail glass
Color: Black
Size: 20 cl
Dimensions: W: 4.5 cm, H: 9.9 cm
Weight: 25 g
Materials: Marble & Lead-free crystal
Price: SEK 3,200
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About Anni Cernea
As a designer, openness, and curiosity are Anni’s greatest strengths. Anni studied industrial design and graduated with honors from the Pratt Institute, so she knows the ”rules” when it comes to design, drawing, color, light, shape, and proportion. But as Anni states: ”It’s just technical stuff – it means nothing if you’re not curious about life, have the desire to live, explore, be adventurous, and be open to all possibilities”.
It is this mindset that always makes Anni push the boundaries beyond the ordinary and the standard – resulting in an experience of unrestrained creativity.