Castor Design’s Gravity Glass Is as Pretty as It Is Potent
The Toronto/Detroit-based studio crafts a glimmering glass bong reminiscent of a vintage cocktail shaker
Much like the bar scene of the early 20th century, cannabis enthusiasts today are celebrating the end of prohibition by way of innovative smoking accessories crafted with high-quality materials and an eye for design. “Gone are the days of weed-loving folks’ homes being clad with lava lamps and tie-dyes,” reads a slogan on the Houseplant website. The American cannabis company was co-founded by actor and infamous weed-lover Seth Rogen and has worked closely with Toronto and Detroit-based studio Castor Design to create some of its awe-inspiring paraphernalia. Among the studio’s standout designs is the Gravity Glass, a sleek, translucent bong with the visual appeal of mid-century homeware and a functional efficiency cannabis users have long revered.
Image courtesy of Castor Design via Houseplant.
“We feel all cannabis products have intentional design,” says Adam Whittaker, lead designer at Castor Design. “The trend for a while has been to take traditional cannabis products and pretty them up, while function is generally the same. Gravity bongs are particularly interesting and not something people use anymore. We wanted to take that idea and make it out of better material, with a cleaner aesthetic. Intended to have a familiar look and nostalgic feel; a cannabis Proustian, if you will.”
Modern reinterpretation of the classic gravity bong, crafted from borosilicate glass with a brass bowl.
The Gravity Glass stands in stark contrast to the makeshift gravity bongs hastily made from bottles in basements for decades. Castor’s elevated design, while using the same principles of water and gravity, is constructed of thermal, shock-resistant borosilicate glass, tapered to resemble the silhouette of a cocktail shaker and tinted in a variety of jewel tones, including a honey amber and emerald green. Atop the inner glass chamber, textured for grip, is a brass weed bowl that is both an adornment and a functional apparatus.
As we welcome changing attitudes toward marijuana and a growing recognition of its place in our culture, Castor’s design symbolizes a fresh perspective – one that seamlessly merges form and function, drives design, and reflects an evolving taste for modernity. Beyond all else, in the words of Whittaker, “it rips.” CASTORDESIGN.CA
