6:AM REDEFINING MURANO GLASS ART

© Casawi

When you think of Italian design, you often picture finished objects. Polished surfaces. Clean forms. Murano glass sits in that space, known for its precision and history.
6:AM starts earlier in the process. The brand HQ is based in Milan while the production in the Veneto area. Inside the furnaces, where glass is shaped while still in motion. Design decisions take place there, not only on paper. Heat, timing, and manual control define the outcome.
This is not a reference to Italian craft. It is the production itself. The team works directly with artisans who have handled glass for decades. Pieces are made in small batches. There is no separation between concept and execution.
You can read this in the objects. Variations in thickness. Slight tension in the curves. Marks left by the hand. These details are not corrected. They stay visible.
We met the 6:AM duo during Milan Design Week. Their presentation focused on process. While many projects rely on scale or visual impact, their work stays close to material and method.
The result combines structure with manual input. Forms are controlled but not rigid. Each piece reflects how it was made. Murano is not an added layer. It defines the entire approach.

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You are rethinking the Murano glass tradition from a cultural point of view. How did you manage to bring artisans into this new vision?

6:AM: We succeeded in transmitting the desire to innovate glassmaking. The process presented a challenge initially. We faced hostility toward changing traditional techniques. After years of work, we convinced the artisans we are on the right path. Now the glassmakers trust us and follow our direction.

People often describe the relationship with artisans as a one-way transfer of knowledge. In your case, the exchange feels circular. How do techniques and processes evolve through this collaboration?

6:AM: We experience a mutual exchange. We bring technical and historical knowledge. The artisans provide practical production knowledge. We spent years understanding how things work before changing anything. We filter and reinterpret the information the artisans give us. We view ourselves as a contemporary filter. The Murano glass tradition merges with Italian design. We researched historical archives and studied past techniques. This research served as an excellent tool to communicate with the artisans and encourage innovation.

Why did you choose glass as the core material for your brand? What does this material allow you to express?

6:AM: We chose glass by chance. We arrived at the right time with the right intuition. We saw a lack of communication between the glass industry and the worlds of design, architecture, and art. We noticed the potential to achieve more. The early stages proved difficult. Glass is an unforgiving and expensive material. Prototyping incurs high costs. You pay even when you throw the material away. We value glass because the material is beautiful. We create clean, simple lighting structures. The warm, textured nature of glass enriches spaces without becoming an obtrusive presence.

Your pieces sit between design, sculpture, and everyday objects. How do you visualize these pieces fitting into your everyday life?

6:AM: We design simple, easily understandable items. Our stools use an archetypal form consisting of four legs with a central void. We simplify the concept behind a design. The goal is to make the design radical and strong. The object must possess good proportions. We separate functional lighting and furniture from more decorative, expressive sculptures.

You move across different scales, from standalone objects to immersive spaces. Where do you feel your design language comes through most clearly?

6:AM: We accept challenges beyond furniture. We create architectural installations interacting with monumental spaces. We also design ephemeral setups for events. Our pieces live independently of the context. We enjoy the freedom to work as we prefer. Unconventional projects allow us to experiment with new techniques and materials. We recovered industrial glass from a bank to create textured cladding surfaces. We enjoy stepping out of the comfort zone of Murano sculptures to build complex environments.

Is there a reason why pools keep showing up in your installations?

6:AM: Milano Sport offers interesting twentieth-century architectural spaces. These locations are no longer suitable for logistics or changing rooms. The fragmented layout of changing rooms is useful for displaying our products. As a Venetian, being near water is always wonderful