Wanders, hedonist designer and poet, imbued from childhood with his Dutch roots has been the high priest of the brazen and offbeat style of early 21st-century design ever since the Dutch school emerged as a seminal influence. Baccarat has also joined in, claiming Marcel Wanders as one of its own, for his whimsical inspiration drawn straight from the Arts Décoratifs. Channeling the natural world, Marcel Wanders dreamed up “United Crystal Woods” for Baccarat, a collection bringing together several facets of the company: “La Fôret des Songes,” multipurpose candle jars decorated with a lace pattern etched to various thickness; “Les Rois de la Fôret,” monumental cut vases of polished metal or marble bases (the latter available as a limited edition only); “L’Ivresse des Bois,” a set of utterly elegant wine glasses and carafes. And finally, the pinnacle of this imaginary forest, “L’Esprit des Bois,” an improbable family of deer and stags, made of polished stainless steel and wood en¬cased in etched crystal; in candlelight, these poetic, graceful shapes look like dreams come to life.
