From discarded glass to designer table
How offcuts from Malta were transformed into stunning contemporary piece for Surrey home
A unique terrazzo-style table has been created from glass fragments collected by an ex-pat family during a visit to the Mdina Glass factory in Malta over 50 years ago.
The story begins in the 1970s when the family went to view glass blowing at the factory, which uses traditional methods of heating glass in a furnace before blowing it into shape. Fascinated by what she saw, Judy Murdoch asked if she could keep some of the glass pieces discarded during the process. She took several bags and used the fragments to fill two large glass olive jars which she repurposed as lampshade bases.
When the family moved back to England a decade later, the jars went too. One broke in transit and the other during another move, but all the Mdina Glass pieces were kept together, in a box.
Fast forward to 2023 when Judy’s son David Fernando was attending a charity ball for stem4, sponsored by London natural stone and terrazzo specialist Diespeker & Co. Diespeker had offered a table top made to the top bidder’s design as an auction prize, which David bid for, and won.
Shortly afterwards, he visited Malta. At the Mdina Glass shop in Valletta, he found the creative inspiration for his table top.
"The vibrant colours in the shop were amazing and sparked the germ of an idea. On the same trip I went back to the actual Mdina Glass factory I’d been to with my mother when she collected the glass pieces all those years’ ago. It brought back so many memories and I wondered if Diespeker's expertise in bespoke terrazzo could breathe new life into the collection of glass fragments.”
Diespeker MD John Krause was delighted to take on the project and invited David to participate in the table's creation at Diespeker’s South London factory.
First, he had to decide on the terrazzo that his glass would be laid into. “The pieces are mainly classic Mdina Glass blues, the colours the company is best known for. I wanted a neutral backdrop to let the blues pop, so I picked a style that reminds me of traditional Maltese limestone, another recollection from my childhood on the island.”
Diespeker’s skilled artisans encouraged David to position the glass pieces by hand before pouring on the liquid terrazzo. Once set and hardened, the material was carefully ground down and polished to reveal the beautiful new surface which David feels beautifully captures the essence of the Mediterranean, reminding him of all the days he spent on Maltese beaches when he was growing up.
This stunning fusion of personal history and contemporary design now has pride of place in his Surrey home. “It's not just furniture; it's an instant family heirloom that bridges generations."
Mdina Glass was founded in 1968 by two British men who wanted to set up handmade glassware production in Malta. They produced a variety of vases, bowls, and paperweights. The business changed hands in 1985 and is now run by the Said family who have since added lampwork, fusion techniques and glass engraving to this unique business. Visitors continue to visit the Ta’Qali factory to enjoy watching the fascinating process of glass blowing.