Treehugger

Taking their name from the suffix, and the idea that the world doesn't exist in a vacuum, Esque Design [www.esquedesign.com] relies on their knowledge of the past to assemble their future. The Portland, OR-based glass artists Justin Parker and Andi Kovel have been collaborating to create clever hand-blown glass for the past seven years; their collection includes an assortment of vases, lighting, drink accoutrements (like punch bowls and pitchers) and other art and home decor.



They've been expanding their line recently, to include more artwork and artifacts, with stunning results; "HotPop" and "Sleeping" represent a foray into more abstract, more artful forms. They also produce lighting [www.esquedesign.com] and some very chic terrariums [www.esquedesign.com], if you like your art to be functional as well. We aren't the only ones to have noticed Esque's fine work; it's been spotted on the set of "Sex & the City" and is in every suite at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City. Each modern, striking, sensual piece is hand-blown from recycled glass stock and processed in an electric furnace that's powered by wind energy. Beautiful, functional art powered by alternative energy? That gets the TreeHugger seal of approval every time.



Some of their collection is available at Velocity [www.velocityartanddesign.com] and Branch [www.branchhome.com] also carries some selected varieties of their work; much of it can also be ordered directly from the Esque Design studio [www.esquedesign.com].