A Pair of Bulldogs from Michail Kyriazanos

January 5, 2017 by Daniel Bumgardner in Pipe Line

Speaking upon the subject of the two-pipe Bulldog set featured in a recent update, Michail Kyriazanos said his goal was to create "the most elegant designs of a rigid and structured shape." Endeavoring to emphasize a clean-lined sense of geometry, he based his Bulldog designs upon two 1930s and 1940s-era Dunhill shapes, as renditions from this era tended towards trimmer, more compact designs with crisp, simple linework. For the taller-bowled Bulldog, he looked to the Dunhill "46", with its poised, easy sense of taper, and for the squat, wide-waisted fellow, he referenced the English marque's "O" shape.

Rendering a shape fundamentally based upon rigid lines into something more elegant is no easy task, one that others might carry out by softening some of those aforementioned crisp lines. Seeking to preserve the shapes' inherently classic appeal, Michail took the road less traveled and extended the lines of the shanks' undersides well into the bases of the bowls, resulting in two impressively sleek, yet still undeniably classic takes on the old Bulldog. For the finish, he opted for a simple, very dark sandblast with a hint of underlying warmth, further evoking the look of the old English school, and allowing these "ultra-classics" as Michail says, "to draw the eye from the finish to the shape itself." If you'd like to see for yourself, draw your eyes to Michail's pipes and have a look at this dashing pair of English classics.