Vitrum Iceland Nominated for the Icelandic Design Awards 2026

The Vitrum Iceland glass collection consists of a side table, wall lamps, vases, shelves and a chair, all made from recycled glass. With Vitrum, Johanna Seelemann collaborates with Íspan-Glerborg, glass artist Anders Vange and the lighting designers Hildiberg to give new life to glass that would otherwise end up in landfill. Vitrum Iceland is nominated for The Icelandic Design Awards in the category Project.

Through the Vitrum Iceland collection, Johanna demonstrates how designers can use their expertise and ingenuity to bring craftsmanship and industry together, creating captivating solutions, processes and objects.

The production process has been tailored to Icelandic conditions, taking into account limited material availability and production capacity. Johanna uses Icelandic glass that would otherwise be discarded, processing it with renewable energy and transforming it into durable products that retain the purity of the material, allowing it to be recycled again in the future.

Johanna builds on earlier research in which she developed a glassblowing technique that captures air bubbles rather than avoiding them. The technique results in a repeatable production process while ensuring that each piece is unique. In the jury’s assessment, the design and execution of Vitrum Iceland are both well-crafted and practical, resulting in a beautiful collection of glass objects that clearly interprets the principles of reuse and recycling. The air bubbles and other characteristics typically considered imperfections reference the material’s previous life and enhance the distinctive character of each object. The jury also sees considerable potential for further development and expansion into a comprehensive product line.

Vitrum Iceland is a beautiful collection of glass objects created using a distinctive technique developed over an extended period. By capturing traces of the material’s previous life, the designer highlights its potential for reuse while creating beautiful objects with a strong individual character.

Johanna Seelemann is the designer behind the collection, which she developed in collaboration with Anders Vange at Reykjavík Glass, Fjöl Works and Hildiberg Lighting Studio. The project was created for H,A,K,K Gallery using materials supplied by Íspan-Glerborg.

The Icelandic Design Awards 2026 ceremony will take place at Gróska on November 5th, accompanied by a related discussion. Save the date!

The Icelandic Design Awards highlight the importance and quality of design and architecture in Iceland, emphasising their impact on quality of life, value creation and sustainability for society as a whole. The awards will be presented for the thirteenth time this year, across three categories: Product // Place // Project. In addition, an award for Best Investment in Design and the Icelandic Design Awards Honorary Award will be presented.

The Iceland Design and Architecture Centre organises the awards in collaboration with the Museum of Design and Applied Art and the Iceland University of the Arts, with support from the Housing and Construction Authority, Business Iceland, Gróska, the University of Iceland Science Park and Blue Lagoon Iceland.