In a world where mass-production is the norm, bespoke, one-off items are, it seems, only for the wealthy and most discerning of buyers. Handmade goods, especially those made in an advanced western nation like the UK, are invariably expensive, largely due to the costs of labour, and require commissioning skills and an understanding of the artist and materials. While this may be the case for many arts, Liberty Glass has managed to debunk the theories and offers an individual service at remarkably affordable prices.
Liberty Glass started life providing a transfer service; designing, creating and supplying waterslide transfers to tile retailers. One of the company’s founders, Chris Walklate, has a well-earned pedigree in tile technology. He studied ceramics before embarking on a career at some of the best known ceramic and tile manufacturers in the UK – Pilkington’s, Johnson, Wedgwood and Ceramic Prints – then set up his own company with partner Gillian Roberts in 1996. At the time transfers were still popular, as they had been since Victorian times, and tile retailers often had their own kilns so that they could offer their customers a value-added service – applying decoration to tiles to order to complement standard field tiles.
Liberty Glass now manufactures Bespoke Glass Splashbacks for the decoration of kitchens and bathrooms. Using the techniques from the manufature of decorative tiles and glass.