With SILEX, Serax returns to the discipline it started out with over thirty years ago: glassware for flowers. While the brand has clearly evolved since then, it is very pleased to be able to return to those roots with Sylvain Willenz.For Sylvain Willenz, the design of the SILEX vases was an important study in form. When you look at the vases from above, they are not really cylinders, nor are they squares. The faceted corners are in stark contrast to the curves of the glass. “Not an easy shape to make in glass,” says Willenz. “It takes a lot of lung power to get the sufficient amount of glass up against those faceted corners. This is an additional difficulty you don’t face with round shapes.” Another challenge is the weight of the SILEX vases. This weight requires strong, experienced and specialised glass blowers who can deliver the vases in the right shape, reminiscent of the glass battery boxes that we once used to sort electricity cables, a shape that has a greater purpose than merely decorative. “By faceting the corners, you can arrange flowers in those corners to create a surprising composition. The two colours, amber and smoky grey, complement each other perfectly, allowing the user to pull out all the stops and mix different sizes and colours at will. Refraction of light ensures that each vase looks different from every angle,” Willenz adds.