Comments on Things That Inspire: Japanese Glass Floats

Hi there, Great uses for floats! You can put the...

2010-06-26T16:29:21.856-04:00

Hi there,

Great uses for floats! You can put them anywhere & they look beautiful!

I actually go pick these up off the beaches of the Aleutians in Alaska. I have been doing it for 6 years now & have picked up thousands & thousands of floats. What was once a hobby has turned into a successful business. If anyone would like more information about glass fishing floats, feel free to check out my blog. I also have a website.

Dear Holly, I love the imperfect quality of these ...

2010-01-11T16:37:58.538-05:00

Dear Holly,
I love the imperfect quality of these floats. Also thought you'd like to know that the opening photo (reproduced as the #4 photo) is actually a room that was designed by Annie Selke that appeared in the February 2009 issue of HOUSE BEAUTIFUL (pages 66-67). The fabrics are all from the Annie Selke Home Collection and are available at the Calico Corners - Calico Home stores or at www.calicocorners.com. Hope you're recovering from Arctic Atlanta!

I love these and want to start using them more oft...

2010-01-10T19:22:54.542-05:00

I love these and want to start using them more often. AT artwork is on my list...

The image of the one float in you sister's gue...

2010-01-10T17:30:17.818-05:00

The image of the one float in you sister's guest room is still my favorite. That float just glows in front of the window.
I also love how sculptural the three floats look on your mantel. The color is just the perfect accent for your special artwork.

xo
Brooke

I have some that I hang outside in my garden. I...

2010-01-10T15:35:12.445-05:00

I have some that I hang outside in my garden. I've used fishing line to hang them from a pergola and from some tree branches. They look beautiful in the sunlight and the survive the weather perfectly.

I have been using them in beach located projects f...

2010-01-10T15:30:51.096-05:00

I have been using them in beach located projects for years for the same reasons that you love them. I used them at the Kiawah Island Beach Club, The Tides (restaurant) in the bookshelves in the bar area. It was a little easier a few years ago to find wonderful ones in all sizes. I used the larger ones with the knotted rope. We had used a very pretty Kathy Ireland aqua linen large check fabric on some slipper style sofas and chairs and the colors worked beautifully together.

I also just completed a condo at Kiawah this past fall and we used them in a glass bowl on the dining room table. Again we had soft blue colors in Cowtan and Tout fabrics in the room and they looked beautiful. Those pictures are on my computer at the office. I will try to remember to send those to you next week.

I constantly am amazed by your wonderful posts - keep up the good work!

Judy Long

I have been entranced by floats for years now and ...

2010-01-10T12:50:28.206-05:00

I have been entranced by floats for years now and currently my collection is in a birdbath in my garden which glow when the light hits them and glisten in the rain...Of course they are my fav colors!

This post has really struck a chord with me. When...

2010-01-10T08:45:08.599-05:00

This post has really struck a chord with me. When I was dusting off my floats my son reminded me about the Jan/Feb Jekyll Island "float hunt." The floats are the creations of very talented artists and are gorgeous. The floats are hidden on the beach. We have never found one, but its great fun to treasure hunt and a lovely time to visit the island.

Aloha, A lot of these in these islands. I was just...

2010-01-10T04:34:49.502-05:00

Aloha,
A lot of these in these islands. I was just at a friends house for the Holidays and they had a lovely collection...thanks for sharing...glass always seems to be so very tranquil somehow?

Enjoyable...Mahalo
Brandi

LOVE THIS POST! my father was a navy captain, and...

2010-01-10T04:28:51.227-05:00

LOVE THIS POST!

my father was a navy captain, and when he took the ships and submarines he commanded out on their tours of the pacific, he would often find the balls floating in the middle of nowhere. i have a bowl full of them that he personally fished out of the pacific, proudly displayed on my dining table at all times. they are beautiful decorative objects as well as a personal reminder of my father, so i love and treasure them for both reasons. (i also use the floats for clients all the time- those, i buy on ebay!)

my dad's, in my dining room:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GSBoGQa_9BE/StqHoS-TtNI/AAAAAAAAEfU/uC-vC8NacTI/s1600-h/m21-dining-room.jpg

and in a client's entry hall:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GSBoGQa_9BE/Stp9l6s4VgI/AAAAAAAAEdE/r_pEN3_2uKo/s1600-h/entryshell.jpg

ps- your painting is beautiful, what a great way to celebrate your bday.

How funny! Although I've never seen these on t...

2010-01-09T22:52:34.686-05:00

How funny! Although I've never seen these on the Chesapeake, I was at my friend's salvage company today and they'd just gotten in about a dozen of these in. They're basketball sized and a beautiful green. I plan on picking one (or two) up! I will be posting about them tomorrow and linking back to you!

What a great post. I a collection although I have...

2010-01-09T21:04:58.488-05:00

What a great post. I a collection although I have never found a nice big one, I do have several "rolling pins." I used to display them in a big bowl on my coffee table but banished it to the lower shelf of my hutch. After reading your lovely post, I am going to scatter them around the house where I can enjoy them! As always, thanks for the inspiration and sharing.

You've taught me something today. Thank you. ...

2010-01-09T20:10:19.591-05:00

You've taught me something today. Thank you. I have been using these glass balls for years in my design and now I know what they actually are.

I love your Amanda Talley painting. I love Amanda and I'm trying to figure out exactly where the right place for one of her paintings is in my home. She is a doll.

Thank you again for the great post.

Gwen Driscoll
Ragland Hill Social

What a great post. My parents had a huge Japanese ...

2010-01-09T16:49:18.684-05:00

What a great post. My parents had a huge Japanese glass float in their living room sitting on the raised fireplace hearth. It was given to them by a Norwegian fisherman. If I find an old photo, will be sure to forward. The colors and how they evoke the sea makes them so charming.
Great weekend to you ~

The chandelier in the dining room picture (which i...

2010-01-09T14:04:58.717-05:00

The chandelier in the dining room picture (which is actually from a home designed by Meridy King) looks like the Italian chandelier by Niermann Weeks. It is a beautiful chandelier!

One of my favorite desingners, Charlotte Comer, us...

2010-01-09T13:28:09.008-05:00

One of my favorite desingners, Charlotte Comer, used Japanese floats in an interesting way in a sunroom. I blogged about it here:

http://covetabledesigns.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=437

I'll e-mail you the photo directly. It's really lovely. She does such beautiful work.

These are neat. I like them as a single accent or...

2010-01-09T13:26:18.160-05:00

These are neat. I like them as a single accent or on the mantle in a row...very effective. I was taken with the demijohn trend and went out and bought several of them (I wrote a post on it awhile ago), but I really like the simplicity of these too!

Great post!

2010-01-09T12:54:02.760-05:00

Great post!

Beautiful! I'm going to see if there are any ...

2010-01-09T12:36:43.939-05:00

Beautiful! I'm going to see if there are any on eBay. Do you happen to know who makes the chandelier in your sister's dining room? We're moving into a new home from an apartment and I'm looking for the perfect chandelier and that's it! Any info you could get me would be appreciated!

Growing up in the 60's in Southern California ...

2010-01-09T12:05:48.968-05:00

Growing up in the 60's in Southern California I used to hear about these washing up on the shores of our beaches, having traveled all the way from Japan. Can this be true? I do remember seeing collections at neighbor's houses. They were pretty much everywhere then.

I started collecting vintage/antique glass floats ...

2010-01-09T10:25:43.899-05:00

I started collecting vintage/antique glass floats over 15 years ago after spotting a giant one (bigger than a basketball) at a local antique store. I now have three large ones and a wire basket full of small, colorful floats. My favorite is a deep blue. I even have a red one. I gifted a large bright yellow float to a close friend after she commented liking the color.

I love the fact they are handmade and the way the sunlight brings them to life.

So beautiful!!!!! I am going to Scotts today to l...

2010-01-09T09:44:32.671-05:00

So beautiful!!!!! I am going to Scotts today to look for some!! See you there?

The art piece is stunning! And I like your display...

2010-01-09T00:35:40.450-05:00

The art piece is stunning! And I like your displays. I did a post about the Japanese floats, and it includes an neat interior shot. I thought that you might get a kick out it:

Glass Floats

Such a good post! We have several glass floats we...

2010-01-08T23:06:44.313-05:00

Such a good post! We have several glass floats we found on the beaches in Alaska. My husband flew around interesting areas in the state doing search and rescue and found a very large one about the size of a basketball. It's interesting how the design field is showing these when we always thought them to be a bit of 'trash'. I like seeing them displayed artistically and creatively. Very nice.

I have seen these too and had no idea they were us...

2010-01-08T20:32:26.952-05:00

I have seen these too and had no idea they were used for fishing. Of course, would love to have some for the color-my favorite. All the pictures you posted of your home and sister's were beautiful!!!