Glass with Class

Without missing a beat, a kiln was purchased, solar panels were installed, and the word went out to individuals and to businesses (restaurants, in particular) requesting empty glass containers. The community rallied, and within weeks Glass Roots had more than enough free, raw material with which to start experimenting.

Like all new projects, this one required trial and error. And since neither Pearson nor King had studied the craft of glassmaking (their collective careers combine software development for banks, marketing and real estate) there was plenty of experimentation that had to happen before the final, foolproof product emerged. And when it was born —that shimmering, translucent sheet of magic fused from cast-off bottles — there was good reason to celebrate: the moment had not come easily, but it had come.

Unlike opaque ceramic tiles, those produced by Glass Roots have a different type of sheen and reflection due to the inherent nature of glass. Pearson’s glass tiles are also charmingly imperfect, with thin, irregular lines (Pearson refers to them as “icicles”) and delicate, Champagne-sized bubbles naturally imbedded inside the glass, similar to those in the hand-blown French stemware from Biot. The tiles are, therefore, unique in the marketplace. Designers appreciate the tiles’ luminosity, versatility and beauty; all things that Jennifer’s husband, renowned architect Larry Pearson, encouraged her to achieve.