Welcome to the Kugel House! Hand Blown Art Glass
"Kugel" is the German word for the traditional European Christmas Ornament. A Kugel is a hand blown glass ball used for Christmas or other decorating purposes.
Kugels are made with either a glass or brass loop at the top for hanging with a wire or ribbon. We have many shapes besides round, including shapes of orbs, bells, or diamonds.
All our Kugels are handmade, mouth blown, recycled kiln glass. Most are made with technical German glass color but some are made with special glass colors formulated in our shop. Our Kugels range in size from 1 1/2 inches to 12 inches in diameter. Kugels tend to be heavier in weight, than a production type domestic Christmas "bulb".
We also carry a variety of other types of glass balls including Witch Balls and our newest edition of Spirit Tree Witch Balls. Witch Balls are stranded Friendship Balls or Kugels which are also know as Spirit Balls or Fairy Balls. Not only do we have Witch Balls and Friendship Balls, we also carry a wide variety of Gazing Balls. Our Glass Balls are also used to produce other unique items such as Hummingbird Feeders and Watering Balls.
Finally, we carry a line of decorative hangers and supports to complement your glass ball purchase.
Enjoy our catalog and the further information about each item provided.
Having worked many years in central Europe as an industrial engineer, I often noticed the unique and beautiful wrought iron adorning the buildings and interior accents of public buildings and churches. Seldom is seen the wrought iron work abundantly displayed as one walks through the small villages in Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia. I'm always amazed and impressed by the skill and time taken to make simple items such as sign hangers, candle holders, wine holders, lamps, and postal boxes. Having grown up as a metal smith, and engineer, I developed a deep appreciation for this old world art.
Every business trip I would drag home another unique item I found in a shop or at the Vienna NASH mart. My friends and family were always amazed at the quality of the work. Nothing from the far east compares to the substance and detail given to European product. I was always asked if I would sell or part with my heavy burden of trinkets acquired in Europe.
An idea began to form in 1998, and resulted in the creation of Iron Elegance. Combining the internet, and the resources and friendships I developed in Europe, I set out to bring unique works of iron art to the states, but at the most reasonable prices possible.
Following the effort in the iron business, we had a need for unique glass components for our lamps and other accents. In the process of working with several suppliers we learned about "kugels" and "rosenkugels" Initially we had no interest in this product. However being in Europe during several holiday seasons, and noticing how these lovely glass balls were used to decorate homes and business, we decided to try this product in the US market. Not an original idea by any means, as you can read about in "Kugel History", however we have reintroduced old world glass ideas to the new world, and as always made the product quite affordable.
The "Kugel House" website is an extension of "Iron Elegance" however dedicated to kugels and other unique glass works. Here you can find many designs of glass balls, oil lamps, witch balls, gazing balls, watering balls and glass ball lamps.
The majority of these products are made in the Carpathian region. This area encompasses the Northern mountains of Romania, the East of Hungary, the South of Poland, and parts of the Ukraine.
Iron Elegance / Kugel House takes great pleasure in providing unique home and garden iron accents from these regions for your enjoyment.
Phone 440-306-2454
Copyright © 1999-2018, Iron Art Glass Designs, all rights reserved, Graphics, photos and texts are protected and their use requires our permission.
For questions or comments about this web site, please use the contact page.