Product / Published on March 31, 2021
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BOUTIVERRE
Recycled and blown glass, from the townships to our homes…
Caroline Couture Plays with Fire and wins our interiors!
Blowing glass is an art that very few people can claim to have mastered. And yet, this material holds little secrets for glassblower Caroline Couture, 37, founder of the Boutiverre workshop-boutique, nested in the heart of Lac-Brome since 2015
Rescuing Bottles to Create Light
In the optic of giving a second life to the matter, the glass that enters the Lac-Brome workshop comes exclusively from neighbouring companies. It is recovered, recycled, fused and blown and comes out of the boutique in the form of lighting apparel and unique design pieces that give character and embellish residential and commercial interiors of all kinds.
Boutiverre mixes techniques, textures, blows and shapes the recovered glass to make glasses (no pun intended!), vases, bowls … but above all, objects of light! No secrets here … glass reacts brilliantly to light! “Light brings out the natural finishes that I give to glass! ”, explains, with passion, the craftswoman reached between two glassblowing sessions, the oven still fiercely hot.
Reusing a material is not only a coherent gesture to take in regards to the environment, the considerable energy saved in the process makes it possible to create original works both most affordable and made with the passion of the profession. “By having my own UL certified blown glass and lighting apparel creation workshop, I cut the outsourcing and offer a premium product at the manufacturer’s price with the personalization of service and a customized approach that simply cannot be compared!” adds Caroline with much deserved pride.
99 Bottles of Wine on the Wall
To create lampshades and lighting fixtures, bottles of water and sparkling wine pass under high temperatures of 1,200 degrees Celsius. “These bottles carry a story of their own. ‘For some designs, customers actually choose to bring their own raw material, meaningful glass bottles they might have shared at their wedding, for instance. “It becomes very intimate and touching to melt and morph their memories into unique and timeless pieces!”
GPS destination: Boutiverre
Now a go-to destination on a getaway road trip in the Eastern Townships, the workshop-boutique of the former grade school teacher turned glassblower, popularizer by profession, becomes a classroom to discoveries the mysteries of glass-blowing. “It is a real pleasure for me to welcome in my creative workshop people who are curious and sensitive to art, to instruct them on the process and, above all, the thousand and one customizable options that can be personalized to their desires, their needs!”
Caroline Couture: Bio Notes
Trained in Québec in the DEC in Glass Arts from Cégep du Vieux-Montréal, Caroline completed her training with an internship in New Zealand, deepening the fields of production and sales. She went on to found Boutiverre in 2012 during a 2-year residency program at Espace Verre, Montréal. In 2015, she set up the storefront workshop-boutique in Knowlton and has been immersing herself in the beauty of the village, day and night, ever since. A well-established craftswoman, Caroline surprises with her original and ecological creations. She blows, shapes, textures and etches with sandblasting bottles collected in regional vineyards and restaurants and creates modern and elegant design products.
A brand and passionate talent to discover…
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