New Canaan Holiday Shopping: The Glass House Design Store

For today’s installment in our local holiday shopping series, we talk to Dominica Baharian, manager of The Glass House Design Store and the Visitor Center. The Design Store at 199 Elm St. is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Dec. 21.

Here’s a transcription of our conversation.

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Snow Globe — An elegant addition to any desktop, the Glass House has been expertly rendered and encased in a glass sphere, enveloped by gently falling snow ($80).

New Canaanite: How has the holiday shopping season been here?

Dominica Baharian: I think it’s been lovely, really nice. Our effort for the Holiday Stroll went very nicely, the ‘Sip and Shop.’ 

Generally speaking, what are people interested in? You have so many different types of items here.

It runs the whole gamut here from clever little stocking stuffers—the Iconic Architecture Game ($18.50) has been a great seller—it’s from Cinqpoints in Paris, and they featured us two years ago. They asked to feature us in this family card game. It’s good for ages six and up, which is great, and we’re selling a lot of these. We always sell our heart bowl ($45) from Prague, Lukas Urbanec, which is a fabulous little porcelain bowl with a heart that comes out of it. Also we have the Gravity Tray ($95), the Gravity Centerpiece ($290) from Fundamental- Design by Mathematics in Berlin. These are selling like hotcakes. They’re just beautiful sculptures to live with.

Skott Bud Vase ($82). Design: Broberg and Ridderstrale—Klong, Sweden. The vase itself creates an extension of each stem, giving plants and flowers a particularly attractive form. It is made of solid brushed brass and the surface is varnished to avoid the need for polishing.

There’s a very unique process that this shop acquires things through. Talk about the acquisition process and what your thought process is as you decide what to sell here.

I never really stop sourcing. I’m looking at all design blogs all over. I make a trip to Maison et Objet in Paris, the international vendor show, every other year to source things there. I was invited to Vienna by Carl Aubock, with whom we have done four exclusive collaborations. I was invited to a two-day event for Aubock and really got to see the fabulous craft that goes into our Aubock pieces, but also the craft that goes into Augarten Wien ($225), these champagne bowls. Just the amount of time and the painting and the expertise that goes into these very beautiful objects is incredible.

The Glass House 75th Anniversary Exclusive designed by Carl Aubock IV in Vienna ($225). This solid brass paperknife exudes everything Aubock” charm, whimsy, balance and beautifully weighted in the hand. The blade is articulated on both sides allowing it to be used by the right or left hand.

What would you tell someone who hasn’t come in here yet? The shop is a little off the beaten path. I’m sure a lot of people haven’t come here either because they didn’t know it was here or where to park or when it was open or whatever. So what would you say about the Design Store as a destination shop?  

Well, we are open throughout the season, which is an eight-month season. If you ever wanted to shop off-season, we have an online presence where you can shop all the time, but I’m always here by appointment. So my phone number just call me and there’s no obligation to that—you can come and browse. I’m always here, working in the office and it’s not a problem at all to open for shopping.

What do we want to say about the rest of this week? I know you’re through Dec. 21. And then are you cutting it off there? 

Yes. The back office is closed, so at that point even online orders will get filled in January. 

The Brick House Fortuny Journal ($120). A numbered limited edition handcrafted from the remaining Fortuny fabric which currently adorns the Brick House walls. This limited timepiece offers a tangible moment in Venetian history, intertwined with the legacy of Phil Johnson’s Glass House and Brick House.

Talk more about your decision-making here.

I bring things in that speak to whatever exhibitions we’re having. So this year, we have toast plates ($65) made by Masayuki Yanai in Tokyo. And because of the Shigeru Ban exhibition, I brought this artist in because I think they have similar ethos with humanitarian housing, and this fellow’s ethos is: Whatever is discarded should be beautiful. He works with Japanese waste woods and these are walnut, light and dark walnut. This is called the ‘toast plate.’ It is for toast or sushi or absolutely anything. But if you just wanted to enjoy the sculpture, he makes a stand and you could just get one for that. I want people to be able to purchase something for a very small price point up to a high price point, but make sure it has the gravity of the aesthetic that they experience. I want this to be, for visitors, a very seamless experience, so what they see here is just as exquisite as what they’re going to see up there [at the Glass House property]. So it will be reminiscent of the aesthetic that they experienced. That’s really the heart of it for me. So for instance, we have a mushroom brush ($45), made by the last horn carvers in England called Abbeyhorn. This is ethically sourced horn from a landfill, actually. So this is beechwood, horsehair and horn. It’s just. A mushroom brush is used to clean mushrooms, because you’re not supposed to wash mushrooms. It takes the flavor off of them and makes them absorb water, causing them to lose their taste.