Hasta La Ideas

Shimmering reflective jewelry and vessels from a designer pushing the limits of light

When The Future Perfect owner David Alhadeff met Lara Knutson five years ago, he described the attraction to her work as “immediate and visceral, like a moth to a flame.” Comprised of reflective glass fabrics, the shimmering surfaces have that effect on most, especially when Alhadeff showed them at his Noho store recently during NYC’s design week.

Alhadeff gave the Pratt grad (she holds degrees in both architecture and industrial design) carte blanche in setting up the show—from which of her brilliant “Soft Chemistry” vessels and “Nebula” jewelry were included to the lighting design. “She is very particular about her work, compulsive about the details,” Alhadeff explains, describing how her ambition and intelligence shows in her work. “When I feel this way about a certain designer, I have no problem telling them, ‘Do whatever you want.'”

The resulting exhibit featured her glittering designs to show-stopping effect, which doesn’t seem hard when the microscopic glass beads that she incorporates into her fabrics magnify light 100 times. But the real trick is how they’re lit as the pieces dramatically change depending on the amount of light. This gives all the work an endlessly shifting character, with the sparkling reflections of light being completely absorbing—the jewelry manifesting anew with every turn of the wrist.

Lara’s work is available for purchase from The Future Perfect online or at their store.