About Us

One of the problems with modern life in general, and with the Internet in particular, is that there's too much choice.  I think that eventually a lot of people work out that life is too short to spend searching for the absolute best bargain - you don't want to spend hours or years looking for a fool who'll do the job or sell the product for much less than it's worth (and who doesn't have a lot of incentive to be reliable).  You're better to find someone knowledgeable and trustworthy whose quality you can be sure of - in short, you find a competent professional you trust.  Once you find that plumber, or lawyer, or Mexican restaurant or whatever, you don't have to waste any more time searching - you can go back to them again and again.  In terms of vintage art glass, that's the niche we fill.

Modernistglass.com Ltd is owned by Pete and Viv Hattaway.  Our founding principle is:  we only sell beautiful glass.  This is the niche that we're trying to operate in - a good range of beautiful vintage glass, good service, good prices but not fire sale prices, and absolute integrity.  We absolutely love our glass. There's a lot to be said for doing something you love. 

Our stock is either in Sweden (most of it) or New Zealand where Viv and Peter live in the beautiful city of Christchurch.  Most of our European purchases go to our Swedish agent, who sends them direct from Sweden to our customers wherever in the world they may be.

We buy smart so that we can on-sell at low prices.  We take the grief of dealing with all those people who make bold guesses about their glass, don't know how to find chips and repairs, and don't know how to pack it safely, so that you don't have to.  Here's why you should buy from us:

• If you're new to glass collecting, you should buy from us primarily because you can trust us.  There are lots of less honest or less knowledgeable sellers out there who will tell you something was designed by Flavio Poli because it looks a bit like something else that someone else thought was Flavio Poli. 
• In fact, if you've ever had disappointing experiences in buying glass over the internet - undescribed damage or repairs, pieces that don't turn up, glass that is described as one thing but which turns out to be something else - you should buy from us.  You'll enjoy the difference.
• If you're an experienced collector, you'll buy from us because we have some great glass, at fair prices, and you can trust us to treat you right.  We don't hold out for the best price.  We want to make a mark-up and turn our stock over quickly, and if that means giving you a bargain, that's great!
• If you're looking for a particular mid-century art glass design, or designer, and we don't have it in stock, you should talk to us.  Maybe we can get it.
• If you're looking for a present - particularly a present that has a touch of class, shows your individual taste, and is difficult to guess the price of - you should buy from us.

How did our business happen?
Identifying Murano glass
Glass made for mundane purposes can be beautiful
Shipping glass - cost and safety
This is us