Life through the lens of glass blocks
What was once old is new yet again.
In 2023, I signed a lease on a second-floor apartment in a four-unit Art Deco building in Miami’s MiMo district built in the 1930s. The building was what I’d call ‘properly updated,’ meaning they kept the character and charm while upgrading the appliances and adding w/d to each unit.
When I toured, I had my pick of the two top-floor units that hadn’t yet been rented. The landlord said they were identical but I discovered that they weren’t. In the living room of unit 3 was a narrow door that opened to a single step up into a sun-soaked closet. Where a window may have been, was a wall of glass blocks, which I thought had just been a decorative feature when I pulled up and saw the exterior of the building. I signed the lease on unit 3 the next day.
Over the course of the year that I lived there, every time I opened the door, I smiled as the sun came in through the glass blocks. I especially loved that no one knew that suitcases, random art supplies, and cleaning products remained hidden behind the privacy of the glass block wall.
Glass blocks are such an interesting and functional design choice. They’re playful and whimsical in their looks, letting in light while also providing privacy. They’re timeless, feeling old and established even when they’re new.
Let’s lose sleep over glass blocks together, shall we?
Maison Hermès is a building in Tokyo, Japan. Constructed between 1998 and 2001 and designed by Renzo Piano.
Honorable mention for the way this building glows at night. Glorious.
Steel & Glass House in Chicago designed by Krueck & Olsen, 1979-80.
Max Núñez’s Greenhouse Pavillion in Pirque, Chile
Villa Stenersen by Arne Korsmo, Oslo, 1939
Lescaze House + Studio by Architect William Lescaze, Midtown, New York City, 1934.
Glassbook House in Tempe, Sydney, designed by Sibling Architecture.
Colored glass blocks serve as a privacy wall separating the shower in Dean Roper’s bathroom. Look at that reflection!!
At the new Bridges restaurant in Two Bridges, NYC, designed in collaboration with Billy Cotton.
Very honorable mentions to these use cases.
And in case you’d also like to see my head float around a screen talking about my affinity for glass blocks, I shared a Reel on the topic a few months ago…
Underrated indeed, more glass blocks please.
just what I needed in my inbox today - glass blocks are fun!!