BESPOKE FEATURE | CABOCHON
Matthew McCormick Studio is pleased to present our latest bespoke collaboration project with BurdiFilek - Cabochon.
Designed and engineered after many months of experimentation and iteration, Cabochon stands as the primary focal point of a distinguished art collector’s home.
Engineered to suspend 30 feet from the ceiling without any visible fasteners, the Column boasts 750 artisanal glass cabochon pieces casting an ethereal reflection against the home’s three-story, sinuously curved limestone staircase.
The bespoke fixture was created in collaboration with BurdiFilek
co-owner and designer Diego Burdi, positioned as a beacon within the extraordinary home.
With the goal to create a jaw-dropping vantage point from every floor of the home, Cabochon is a piece with a personality - emanating the perfect refraction of light through every one of the hand-poured glass cabochon pieces, creating a unique and beautiful canvas on the understated staircase. The fixture is just as beautiful when the inner lighting structure is off, offering an evolving mosaic of reflection with every passing hour of natural daylight.
“THE COLUMN MORPHS FROM A STRUCTURAL PIECE TO A COLUMN OF LIGHT THAT IS ALMOST HYPNOTIC WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE IT IN PERSON. THE SCALE AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL ARE WHAT MAKES IT TRULY MEMORABLE.”
- Diego Burdi
Creating the Cabochon glass.
Creating the beautiful Cabochon pieces was a journey back in time, utilizing the traditional mechanics of a monkey press from 1890, a perfect marriage of old and new world glass artisanship.
The craftsmanship behind each cabochon glass ‘stone’ was a core attribute in the final look and feel of the piece, as we carefully evaluated the optics, clarity and colour in each and every one of the over 3,000 pieces created – just as you would a diamond.
A structure of this magnitude was no small feat to manufacture and engineer. The end result was more than 1,500 lbs in glass to be mounted to its inner metal frame, which we knew had to look effortlessly suspended from the ceiling.
We were elated at the final result which was monolithic, yet understated in terms of how we were able to elegantly embrace this beautiful connotation of artisanal glass.
“MATTHEW MCCORMICK’S COMMITMENT TO THE JOURNEY WAS UNWAVERING. ITS ESSENCE WAS TO EXUDE A REGAL, YET INVITING SENSIBILITY IN A WAY THAT COMPLEMENTED THE HOME’S RANGE OF DRAMATIC SIGHTLINES,” SAYS BURDI.
Photo: Doublespace Photography
Cabochon is a bespoke project from briefcase by Matthew McCormick Studio.
A platform where the rules relax and imagination can run untethered, briefcase is the stage where Matthew McCormick comes to play. A means to explore new creative territory through innovation and discovery, briefcase is also a public window into the process and ethos at Matthew McCormick Studio.