Leaf by Leaf: Inside the Barcelona Studio of Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Maker Focus

It begins with a single stroke. The brush meets the glass, presses down to swell a leaf, then lifts away to a fine point. Then another, and another, each leaf leaning toward the last, until a whole spray of foliage has climbed around the jug, painted freehand in a Barcelona studio.

The hands belong to Clara Riera and Maite López-Fonta, friends since childhood, who founded Los Vasos de Agua Clara in 2018 to give a lifelong love of making things a home in glass. For a while their work was something of a local secret, found by chance on Instagram or passed between friends in Barcelona. Travel, the Mediterranean and the natural world run through everything they paint, but the ideas themselves tend to arrive at the worktable, somewhere between a jar of pigment and a wet brush, as colors are mixed and tested against the light: auburn set against blue, green against red.

Look at these pieces long enough and Barcelona starts to drift in. Stone pines on the slopes of Montjuïc, their crowns flattened like parasols against the sky. Palm fronds rattling over Plaça Reial in the afternoon wind. Bougainvillea spilling over a balcony rail in the Gràcia streets, and beyond the rooftops, the Collserola hills going silver-green with olive and scrub, down to where the sea turns bright at the edge of the city. Pour a glass of water from one of their jugs and you can almost feel the heat coming off the stone.

Their craft is an old one, painting by hand, stroke by stroke, but their sense of color is entirely of the present. Every piece is light in the hand yet made for daily use. And no two grow alike. On one jug the fronds bow a little lower, as if bent by a breeze; on another, a stem curls where it would have run straight. Each carries the small, particular record of an afternoon's brushwork.

The two paint for the table, for the pleasure of welcoming people and setting something beautiful before them, and our Botanical collection lets that garden spread from room to room. There are jugs in three colorways, Auburn & Blue, Blue & Red and Green & Red, for pouring water at lunch or holding a few stems from the market. A little plate and a pinch pot bring the same leaves down to the scale of a pat of butter or a scatter of salt. By the bed, a carafe and its glass stand ready for the night. And in the evening, two candle holders let the flame shine through the painted fronds, casting their shadows across the table. Wash each piece by hand, and it will stay as it was on the day it was painted.

Build a collection:
The Botanical Jug is a clear glass pitcher with a white handle, hand painted with blue and red leaf patterns—an elegant and unique piece of tableware. The Botanical Jug, featuring a distinctive blue and brown leaf pattern reminiscent of hand-painted craftsmanship, sits filled with water on a wooden table beside books and a vase of flowers.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Jug (Blue & Red)

$298
The Botanical Bedside Carafe and Glass Set features orange and blue leaf patterns hand-painted on clear glass, elegantly displayed on a plain white background. The Botanical Bedside Carafe and Glass Set, featuring a hand-painted botanical design, rests on a marble surface alongside two folded white towels and assorted toiletries.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Bedside Carafe and Glass Set (Auburn & Blue)

$264
Introducing the Botanical Little Plate: a hand-painted white ceramic plate adorned with green leaf and red berry designs, perfect for serving at your table. The Botanical Little Plate, a clear glass plate adorned with a hand-painted green and red floral and leaf design, serves as an eye-catching dish displayed against a plain white background.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Little Plate (Green & Red)

$98
The Botanical Jug is a clear glass pitcher with a handle, featuring hand-painted green leaves and red floral accents—a beautiful example of handmade craftsmanship. A breakfast table set with scrambled eggs, toast, avocado, soft-boiled eggs, coffee, water in a glass pitcher, jam, and white flowers in a beige setting featuring the unique handmade Botanical Jug.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Jug (Green & Red)

$298
Botanical Candle Holder made of clear glass with a flared rim, adorned with a decorative leaf motif and hand-painted red floral patterns, shown on a white background—ideal as a striking table centerpiece. The Botanical Candle Holder is a clear glass hurricane featuring a decorative leaf design with painted green leaves and red branches, and includes an unlit white pillar candle—making it perfect as a striking table centerpiece.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Candle Holder (Green & Red)

$398
The Botanical Pinch Pot, a small clear glass vessel hand-painted with green leaves and red flowers, is centered against a plain white background—an enchanting tabletop accent. The Botanical Pinch Pot, a round glass plate with a clear center and a border adorned in hand-painted swirls of red, pink, and green, is elegantly photographed against a white background—an exquisite tabletop accoutrement for any setting.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Pinch Pot (Green & Red)

$108
Botanical Candle Holder—clear glass with painted green and burgundy leaves and red floral designs, displayed on a plain white background—perfect as a decorative table centerpiece. The Botanical Candle Holder features clear glass and a partially melted white candle, adorned with green and burgundy leaves, making it a charming decorative table centerpiece.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Candle Holder (Green & Red)

$298
The Botanical Jug is a clear glass pitcher with a handle, featuring brown and blue leafy designs. This handmade jug adds a unique touch to your tableware and is photographed against a plain white background. Botanical Jug: A clear glass pitcher with a handle, adorned with hand-painted brown and blue leaf patterns—unique tableware that stands out against a plain white background.
Los Vasos de Agua Clara

Botanical Jug (Auburn & Blue)

$298