Louisa makes a range of functional pieces in hand-blown lead crystal which she hopes will bring joy to people every day. She feels there’s something intrinsically pleasing about holding an object which carries within it a spirit of authenticity, individuality and craftsmanship.

Her design ethic prefers simple tactile shapes in a palette of natural colours, inspired by the places she loves, such as forests and mountains. Louisa returned to glass-blowing recently, after more than 20 years away, not realising how much she missed being a glass-blower until she got back to the furnace!

“I’ve thought a lot about why I like working with glass so much. It’s a very instant medium, the process is quite fast and you need to think on your feet. I like the vague danger and excitement of it all, it’s quite a performance. I love the fact that the tools and techniques haven’t changed for hundreds of years. You only have a combination of heat, gravity, centrifugal force and hand tools to create a piece.”

She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1997, prior to that she trained at the renowned International Glass Centre, Brierley Hill, and Manchester Metropolitan University.