1989 Collection

1989 is a water carafe inspired by the returnable bottle of milk from the communist period in Romania.

1989 water carafe is made of mouth blown glass in the oldest glass factory in Romania, which has a wonderful history that started back in 1801.The name of this object is strongly anchored in a historical context: in 1989, Romania changed from a communist society into a capitalist society. This was also reflected in the local object design. Before 1989, in Romania, any object of “design”, be it an object of furniture or a household object, became iconic through lack of alternatives. Today, the definition of an iconic object refers to the ubiquity of that product. Through a change of function, the iconic bottle of milk became a water carafe, accompanied by a glass.

The initial bottle was improved from an ergonomic perspective by creating an elongated neck that makes the bottle easier to hold, without altering too much the “iconic” form. Since drinking water from a carafe is much more about the pleasure of the gesture and controlling the amount of water we drink every day, than it is about the need to drink, 1989 carafe and glasses have handmade engraved horizontal lines that help visualise the amount of water in the recipients.