Last week, I was fortunate enough to score an exclusive (albeit whirlwind) tour of famed Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly‘s Boathouse on Lake Union. Say what you may about his work, but I was blown away by the space — the colors, the glass, and the collections (oh, the collections), as well as the design aesthetic. I’ve got so much to show from such a quick run-through I’ve decided this *has* to be broken up into appropriate parts. We’ll start our journey the way I did: through the hot shop, the studio portion of Chihuly’s live/work space.

Seen above: samples of Chihuly’s forms and his custom molds. Click for more photos of Chihuly’s Hot Shop!

The hot shop: furnaces, glory holes, and annealers, oh my! The glassblowers were on lunch break when we got there, sadly.

Color rods ready to become a sea form or a chandelier tendril, perhaps? Note the wall covering of tin-ceiling tiles — this is used with great result throughout the Boathouse.

Another wall of samples — to show off to high-end clients such as Bono (and average joes like yours truly).

The gorgeous glass rondel door leading into the main house from the studio. Stay tuned for what’s behind it later this week! — Megan B.