HILUXURY – Hawaii Luxury Magazine

Photo by Byron Lee

Painstaking craftsmanship and intricate artistic detail are trademarks of Cherie Chung’s work

Photo by Byron Lee

Chung creates a custom glass etching at the Blast Factory

Photo by Byron Lee

Cherie Chung carves intricate works of art in homes

The beauty of tropical flowers can be enjoyed indefinitely in etched glass at the skillful hands of Cherie Chung and William Bass. Driving through some of Hawaii’s most affluent neighborhoods, one can’t help but peruse a gallery of their work gracing the entryways of some of the Islands’ more stylish homes.

Carved-glass doorways are like jewelry adorning a house, allowing for light and peeks of views, and can make a striking first impression. Speaking volumes in curb appeal, it’s their most requested piece, followed by showers. But even the Isles’ beloved jalousies common to older dwellings are stepped-up and dressed-up with their etchings.

The couple’s art also can be seen on a 100-block glass mural at the Kamehameha School of Performing Arts, in an Oahu magazine featuring a local sportscaster’s home, and on a smaller scale, glass floats and mirrors.

“We just want to get the art out there so people can enjoy it, no matter the price point,” said Bass, a former illustrator at Crazy Shirts.

Glass etching has its Hawaii roots in the 1940s with Frank Oda and Hale Pua, where Chung draws her inspiration. The art form has evolved with technology – though whether for better or not depends. “These days things are laser cut … bam-bam-done, but it’s flat,” said Bass. Their pieces, however, are hand-carved in multilayers in order to capture nuances, depth and shadows, with both Chung’s illustrating and Bass’s finesse of sandblasting breathing energy into still life.

Operating as The Blast Factory out of their studio at the foot of the Koolaus in Waimanalo, they are the exclusive etcher to Hawaii Glass Block. Chung’s first commission was “the largest house in Lanikai loop,” where an eight-panel glass wall of picturesque foliage now sits oceanside of the home. From there, architects and interior designers tracked them down, and these days the work is nonstop.

They always put the clients needs first – a trait Chung may have inherited from her father, the late Dr. Robert Chung, co-founder of Castle Medical Center in Kailua – and deciphering those needs is often the lengthiest part of the entire process.

“We talk about privacy, strategically placed proportions, lighting, what you are going to be seeing” from the inside out and outside in.

What’s their most popular design?

“People like to pick their two or three favorite flowers,” said Chung. “Lately it’s been yellow ginger.”

But no matter the scene, the result is stunning.

After all, said Chung, “What’s more chic than glass etching?”