04 May, 2023

Crackle Circular by Åsa Jungnelius wins the prestigious Red Dot Award: Best of the Best

Crackle Circular – a product series featuring three vases and one bowl produced using upcycled waste glass in Kosta (Sweden) – has been awarded one of the world’s leading design awards: Red Dot Award in the category Product Design ‘Best of the Best’.

Red Dot Award – based in Germany – was introduced in 1955 and is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious international design awards. The Red Dot: Best of the Best prize is awarded by an international jury for groundbreaking design and is the highest distinction in each category.

The Crackle series, designed by Åsa Jungnelius and mouthblown in Kosta, is a tribute to cracks, beautifully preserved in glass. The mold is dug out of clay by hand and the cracked surface is formed using an old craft technique where the hot glass is dipped in ice cold water.

Crackle Circular is part of Kosta Boda’s circular glass initiative using excess waste glass from other production at Kosta Glassworks. The waste glass is first sorted by color tone before being reentered into the production of new items. As a result of the color sorting and the small bubbles that occur in recycled glass, each product ends up with a unique color ID and surface.

The result is a series of iconic products whose expression changes depending on perspective and distance, reminiscent of sculptures made of colored ice.

”I am incredibly thrilled that Crackle has received such a prestigious international award. Both form and technique stem from a shared objective with Kosta Boda to deliver an inclusive, honest, and sustainable product design that despite using traditional craftsmanship is progressive albeit imperfect up close. A great honor for a product series with a strong yet exposed personality,” says Åsa Jungnelius. 

”Crackle more than personifies Kosta Boda. A contemporary product series rooted in traditional Swedish design and craft with a result that feels as conspicuous as it feels unique. A new responsible Kosta Boda design icon by Åsa Jungnelius and our experts at Kosta Glassworks,” says David Carlson, Creative Director Orrefors & Kosta Boda.



About Åsa Jungnelius
Åsa Jungnelius (b. 1975 in Stockholm), is an established international designer and artist based in Stockholm and Månsamåla.

Jungnelius takes an interest in the monumental expression within a social and structural context and space. Exploring the relation between matter and human – including movements and changes that set in and are recreated over time – Jungnelius looks to objects and material as significant representations for bodily identity and scope.

Since the early 2000s, Jungnelius has been exhibited internationally and in Sweden, she has initiated and managed Residence-In-Nature, WeWorkInAFragileMaterial and LASTSTUDIO. Åsa Jungnelis is widely recognized for her work in glass and has collaborated with Kosta Boda since 2007. Exhibitions include: Spazio Nobile Gallery (2022), Galleri Glas (2022), Market Fair (2022), Artiepelag (2020), Stene Project (2020), ArkDes (2018-19), He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen (2019), Vandalorum (2019) and Luleå Biennalen (2019). Recent important public projects include the Snäckan (‘Sea shell’) installation at the new Hagastaden subway station in Stockholm and the process based installation at Södra Hamnen in Norrköping, Sweden.

Jungnelius has won multiple Swedish and international design awards including Swedish Designer of the Year by FORM AWARD and EDIDA (Elle Decoration International Design Award), two-time recipient of Elle Decoration Swedish Design Award as well as the Bukowski Born Classic award and, in 2023, the Red Dot Award: Best of the Best.

Displays of Jungnelius’ work can be found at: Moderna Museet (Stockholm), National Museum (Stockholm), the EU Parliament, Malmö Art Museum, Växjö municipality offices, Ebeltoft Glass Museum (Denmark), the Public Art Agency of Sweden, Stockholm province offices, Skövde Art Museum, Röhsska Museum, Småland Museum and the Glass Factory.

Jungnelius was awarded an Honorary PhD at Linné University (Faculty of Arts & Humanities) in 2022.

About Kosta Boda
Founded in 1742, Kosta Boda offers inspiring contemporary interior design objects and art glass derived from Swedish design tradition. Targeting modern lifestyle, Kosta Boda’s progressive assortment delivers premium products integral to everyday use driven by relentless curiosity and creativity.

Find out more about Kosta Boda at www.kostaboda.com.