Milan 2016: as part of the coloured glass trend in Milan this year, UK-based Kukka Studio's collection of side tables places pastel-hued panes alongside white quartz slabs.

Both of the pieces in the Spectra collection uses panels of dichroic glass against the engineered stone to create a contrast between colourful and monochrome.
The dichroic glass, produced by Prinz Optics in Germany, is made by coating the panes in ultra-thin layers of different metals and oxides to affect how it reflects and refracts light.

This coating changes the colour of the glass depending on the angle it is viewed from, giving the surfaces a colour gradient and creating shadows in unexpected hues
Although it was invented in the Roman era, the material has recently seen a resurgence among designers such as Patricia Urquiola, who used iridescent glass to create a furniture series for Glas Italia last year.
Coloured glass is also emerging as one of the trends at Milan design week this year. Urquiola is showing a new cabinet featuring stained-glass doors and the Campana brothers have designed a cabinet with blob-shaped holes filled with coloured glass.

Related story: Dominic Wilcox's "car of the future" is driverless and made of stained glass

The white quartz of the side tables, made by Caesarstone in Israel, was used to appear timeless against the psychedelic modern glass and provide a plain background against the colour.

"I am particularly interested in creating timel...