Crafted to perfection

Quirky shapes

Bottles, when filled with the desired liquids, are definitely a pleasure to own. But once emptied, they find themselves amidst mounting garbage. What if these disowned items hopped out of the garbage and got a rapturous makeover? Wouldn’t they be a pleasure to own?

Adhering to the philosophy that the products are a pleasure to own and to use, ‘Glass Hoppers’, a quirky start-up started almost five years back, is reimaging used bottles with “elan and chutzpah”. Unlike the usual paintings done on bottles, this start-up looks at redefining the shape of a bottle with a touch of creativity. The usually cylindrical and hourglass shaped bottles take on a more flattering and unconventional appearance.

The initiation of such an unconventional style of upcycling took place when Ronson Anthony, the owner of ‘Glass Hoppers’, was gifted an unusually-shaped ashtray made from an ‘Absolute Vodka’ bottle by his wife Dhanya. “The bottle was crushed and shaped like an ashtray. This concept was very new to me and I wanted to explore how this was done,” says Ronson. Here began his probe on the internet, where he researched about techniques used to shape bottles to get a desired look. After the research, it was time for the experimentation.

The used bottles were heated to somewhere between 800 degree celsius and 1,000 degree celsius, to redefine their shape. The cylindrical figure of the bottles was flattened and they were turned into cheese platters and serving trays. Their looks were impressive and what began as a hobby soon turned into a business. The art evolved with each try, and the couple, with the help of another friend Gajendra, painted them with abstract art to give them a new look.  

Clocks, ashtrays, serving bowls, bed lamps, platters, plant holders; there is a whole new range of products available with artsy colourings that can make for refreshing home decor. Ask Ronson where he sources so many bottles from and he replies, “Bengaluru does not have a dearth of used bottles!” Given by friends and collected from restaurants, the bottles are upcycled to make customised products as per a client’s requirement.

Now an expert in the art, he says that there were many trial and error runs where the bottles were overheated and resulted in breakage and at times, took on ugly forms. But the couple overcame the challenge and now their products are one-of-a-kind and are in great demand from the art-loving Begalureans.

Taking inspiration from some online sites, the couple gives their twist of creativity to these bottles and charge a minimum of Rs 300 for each of the quirky artworks. However, “Depending on the effort that goes behind making them, the prices can go up to a maximum of Rs 3,000,” he explains.