about ixora
Process | Materials | Craft
Meticulously handcrafted with passion and precision, each Ixora vase is a made with care in Amsterdam.
Inspiration
Ixora vases draw inspiration from a myriad of sources, including nature, historical art forms, cultural aesthetics, and modern design trends. The fusion of these inspirations results in a harmonious blend of timeless elegance and contemporary allure.
Timeless Design
Ixora vases are designed to be statement pieces, adding a touch of elegance and style to any space. Whether placed in a living room, dining area, or office, these vases serve as captivating focal points that elevate the overall aesthetics. They effortlessly complement various interior styles, creating a harmonious ambiance.
The creation of Ixora vases involves a meticulous process that showcases contemporary and traditional techniques. These vases are handcrafted using high-quality materials including concrete, resin and plaster and more. Each vase undergoes careful molding, shaping, and casting to achieve its desired form and strength.
Process
1
The design is modelled in a computer program that can handle complex geometry. Each piece starts off from an X and transforms into an O at the top (the X and O from IXORA) with doubly curving geometry in between.
Variations are produced using parametric coding which allows us to change different parts of the form to achieve the sculpture we’re looking for.
2
The designs are converted into commands that the CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) router can understand.
The digital sculpture is sliced into pieces that match the thickness of the material that is going to be milled, whether it’s plywood or another scrap left over from other projects. It’s like the reverse of slicing pepperoni, cutting out each piece from a sheet before stacking them together.
3
The CNC router cuts out the individual layers that can be stacked up to form the rough shape of the sculpture.
Since the pieces are relatively small compared to the architecture sized work that is done in the workshop, there’s lots of room leftover on the sheets for these prototypes.. This reduces waste and means the prototypes are made from various materials like Baltic birch plywood and coloured MDF.
4
The individual pieces are removed, cleaned and stacked up to form the rough shape of the sculpture. Once the correct order of pieces is established, they are glued together to form a solid piece that’s ready for shaping.
5
We use of belt sander for the bulk shaping of the sculpture, taking it from a staggered stack to a smooth surface that comes close to the final shape of the piece.
This process shifts the design away from the computer and CNC based form to one that is more intuitive and sculptural, making sure the form is exactly what we want it to be.
6
The final surface is sanded by hand to make sure the shape is perfect as well as making it smooth and removing any imperfections.
Progressing to finer and finer sandpaper, this step takes the longest as we make sure the end result matches our original intention or that it evolves into something even better.
7
The “positive” shape of the sculpture is used to make a two part “negative” mould. We build a small box around the prototype and then pour silicone into the box around the shape. In this image, you can see the recangular shape of the box that formed the silicone shape on the left, the conical silicone piece that forms the internal cavity, and the original plywood prototype on the right that gives us the shape.
8
The silicone mould can then be reused again and again for new casts. It maintains the shape of the original form but is flexible enough that the casts can be pulled out.
The exciting thing about the mould is that it can be used with lots of different materials. It can be used to cast concrete, resin, jesmonite, plaster and just about anything else that can be poured and sets as a solid. This is where the variety of IXORA products comes from.
Andrew Choptiany
Dreamer | Designer | Doer
Trained as an architect, Andrew lived in Canada, America, Japan and a houseboat on the canals of central London before renovating a 1930’s row house in to a home and work studio. He has his fingers in many pies, including architecture, writing fiction, and taking photos. He makes an IXORA vase just about every day to keep his hands dirty.
Find his other work here:
