Walking distance from the studio, you could combine your stay with one of our signature experiences, or just immerse yourself in our workshops to discover the process of art glass as it happens. Sip cappuccino at a funky, chunky mosaic table in the Glasstronomique café. Surround yourself in a secret garden of sculpture, glass and living designs that enchant and inspire.
For the perfect weekend getaway, contact office@kitengela.com for rates and availability, or just click the links above.
The classic bowl - a product with more uses throughout the home or restaurant than can be listed here. And ours are also elegant just by themselves.
Contact office@kitengela.com for more information or if you don't see something you like, or to check what's in stock at the studio.
Have you ever sat in the shade of a tree, toes wriggling in the grass, and watched glittering particles of dust dance in the rays of light that stream through the branches?
That is chanyado - respite from the sun.
It is this spirit of glittery dancing dust that is imbued in every piece Aleya Kassam creates. Her philosophy is delight.
Alongside creating jewellery, Aleya is a writer, storyteller and performer - each creation begins with a story and ends with a flair of drama. Her pieces have been referred to as performance jewellery; they shimmer and jingle, move and groove, and are designed to stand out. Hers is not jewellery you forget you are wearing, however, she does insist on comfort and tests each piece herself before it leaves her hands.
Featured in Vogue 2020 for a wedding piece, her jewellery has comprised of commissions and bespoke gifts. Nairobi Flora is Aleya Kassam's first public collection for sale.
"From March 2020, mum and I walked around our neighbourhood a lot. A lot.
Every day we'd tie our shoelaces, tie cloth masks around our faces, place little plastic bottles of sanitiser in our pockets and we'd go off for a walk on the same path.
We'd talk. And some days we wouldn't talk.
Every day we'd notice the flora; the budding and blooming and drooping and withering and falling, the explosions of colour and intricacies of pattern, the shapes and shades, the unfurling and folding, the surprise flowering and carpets of petals, the disease and blossoming, the constant there-ness and so many ways of being.
Nairobi flora offered beauty at a time we needed it. It offered a moment of pause, of presence of gratitude, an invitation to come closer, inhale deeper, seek from a different angle, bend low, look high, close your eyes."
Feel. Imagine. Be.
This collection is a praise song for nairobi flora.
The sensory searches for form in a series of sketches - an idea begins to germinate.
Then the beades, shapes, colours, textures; like characters in a story, if you listen to them whisper, they reveal the journey they are on - the design emerges slowly (sometimes with difficulty) always beautifully.
For a moment, the piece rests.
The elements that are typically covered up in a piece of jewellery become part of the design, and the flaws transform into points of curiosity - the goal is not perfection but delight.
When the designer is delighted, that's when the piece of Nairobi Flora is ready, and sent off with a hand-written love note for the wearer.
Touching fire (one hour’s notice) - 15 minutes at a bench, shaping a paperweight. 2,500/-
Blown to life (one week’s notice) - 30 minutes, making a glass from start to finish. 5,000/-
Catching light (one week’s notice) - 60 minutes, two objects, some colour. Can be shared with up to two other people. 10,000/-
We make a lot of stuff, 1000's of different items. 90% of it we can't show here, as it would overwhelm you (& us). But what we can do is show you what's newly out of the oven, or things that may be out of our usual remit.
Contact office@kitengela.com for more information or if you don't see something you like, or to check what's in stock at the studio or our shops.
The now iconic 'garden jewellery' adorns discerning houses and gardens around the globe - bursts of coloured glass catching sunlight and giving glassy joy to many people. Works a bit like Lego - mix and match whatever combinations you want - up to 7 metres long.
Kitengela Hot Glass love the jua-kali (hot sun) ethos - and are used to keeping stuff outside, which has created an entire range of sculpture and adornment for exterior applications.
Contact office@kitengela.com for your custom needs or to see what's in stock at the studio.
There’s blowing, and there’s casting.
We make things like salt and butter dishes by dripping molten glass into molds on our steel table (marver). Also toothpick holders. Or wasabi or soap dishes.
Hand pressed to get a dimple or recess, and voila - a chunky piece for everyday use.
Also great for paperweights, trophies, giveaway slabs.
Our bedroom collection. Malazi is a derivative of "lala", the Swahili word for sleeping.
Because our glass works everywhere, in all walks of life. Its gentle ergonomics fit a sleeping chamber well. From a twinkling nightlight to the bedside table, the decanter on that table, or the water glass that finds your lips in the middle of the night.
Contact office@kitengela.com for more information, if you don't see something you like, or to check what's in stock at the studio or our shops, or if you have a dream you need us to make into reality.
The result of an exciting new collaboration between Simply Inspired woodworkers and Kitengela Hot Glass. We’ve been looking for a partner in carpentry for a while, and this is a very promising beginning.
Lovingly made from recycled Russian pine with hand made glass details from scrap windows..
All our products are individually hand made from recycled glass in small batches, and could differ slightly from the photo in colour.
Contact office@kitengela.com for more information or if you don't see something you like, or to check what's in stock at the studio or our shops.
