Nature is another constant source of inspiration. Juli grew up on a mango farm, playing outside and surrounded by animals. The lush landscape and its colours are reflected in many of her designs, including the Wee Birds – Pajaritos series she exhibited at Sotheby’s for this year’s inaugural House & Garden Craft Prize. The sculptures were made using remnants from the Czech factory. ‘I was so proud to be in this beautiful showcase, sharing a little bit of the tropics and showing that waste from the bin could end up in a gallery.’
One of the 2026 House & Garden Craft Prize finalists, Wee Birds – Pajaritos is a series of 11 unique pieces that represent tropical birds, each made using waste materials from a Czech glass-blowing factory.
Murray Orr
Juli’s waste-not philosophy extends to all areas of her life – her Edinburgh flat boasts a ‘puzzle-like’ kitchen made from pieced-together salvaged wood and a bathroom clad in marble offcuts. She values the close-knit Scottish craft scene, which sparks regular collaborations with local creatives. Her next project, for example, is with the Scottish perfume label Jorum Studio, for which she is making a series of one-off flacons. These will be made using unfinished bottles saved from a now-defunct factory, each one embellished with a distinctive flamboyant ‘headdress’.
Richard Gaston
Conscious that her work is expensive, Juli is always trying to explore ways to make it more accessible, whether through printed books showcasing her collections, or the charming short films she has created with the Costa Rican animators Estudio Shout, which transform her pieces into moving dancers and animals. She is currently working on a collection of miniature glass insects inspired by the Czech factory’s tiniest leftover fragments, which she would love to see star in an environmental campaign. ‘I’m not a traditional glass-maker where things are perfect and never crooked,’ she says. ‘I could not design a straight line if my life depended on it, so I just completely go for it in the weirdest way possible’.