We’ve just been at 100% Design then Decorex where I was chatting to Christopher Cole, son of the founder of Cole & Son and he too spoke of how, in the 1950s, very personal relationships with artists such as Lucienne Day and Eduardo Paolozzi were integral to the company’s identity. It’s the fruits of these collaborations that have endured, even though Cole & Son is no longer a small business. Similarly, the Palladio collections from Lightbown Aspinall and then Sanderson were so admired because of the involvement with artists and sense of craft.

When your company is small, these relationships tend to be about celebrating the artists, their talent and the products that you make together.

Posted in design, interior design, pattern, wallpaper

I’m experimenting with shiny finishes, grainy metallics but instead of bling, I’m looking at how they exist alongside more muted colours such as dark grey, pinks, beige and camel. Have a look.

But, returning to bling for a moment..

Can you imaging landing on Earth from space, or being fast-forwarded from say Victorian times and seeing this? Aside from whether you would actually buy it, the affect is certainly dramatic, a Benz whizzed past me in Camden Town, I did a double take… was it mirrored or glass? I looked it up and found that there are loads of them!

Have a look on YouTube

Posted in botanical, design, pattern, product design, technology, trends, wallpaper

Yesterday I was having a trawl through our library and my hard drive, searching for something or other and whilst doing so, found so many objects, images and names that have inspired me I thought I’d jot some down for fun. In no particular order, here’s what I love…

Photography, Cyan types, William Henry Fox Talbot, pattern, Karl Blossfeldt, colour, Peter Fischli and David Weiss, fashion, pastels, black houses, Sonia Delaunay, wallpaper, gold, Josef & Anni Albers, Henri Matisee, Georgia O’ Keefe, Stella Ross–Craig, silver, Brick Lane and the Hugenot houses of Spitafields, paper-making, Paul Smith, black, Zika Ascher, Missoni, purple, Vitra, Ratti, blue, William Morris, Karel Martens, Lucienne Day, felt-making, The Albergs, The Eames, bronze, Rothko, Barbara Hepworth, Frida Khalo, Tracey Emin, Rachel Whiteread, yellow, Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, grey, weaving, Roger Hilton, Gary Hume, Howard Hodgkin, David Hockney, brown, Pierre-Joseph Redoute, neon, Palladio textile range, Terence Conran, Rogers House – Wimbledon, copper, Josef Frank, lino cut, the South Downs, Li Edelkoort, Jaime Hayon, Raoul Dufy, paper art, Katsuyo Kamo for Karl Lagerfeld, print-making, pink, Miuccia Prada, blossom, Tokyo, Brancusi, Wysteria

Posted in architecture, art, colour, design, fashion, pattern, textiles

“Beyond the crisis, we can see a real desire for creativity. People want a new modernity that is yet to be invented.” Jean-Philippe Nuel, interviewed at Maison & Objet 2008

As the world economy fluctuates, consumer behaviour and design trends point towards a new aesthetic, I’m trying to work out what’s next. In doing so, I began to reflect on the past. On the cusp of our tenth anniversary it struck me how the last decade has been so big for pattern. Every big name designer has embraced pattern especially after the 80’s-90’s which was dominated by white or black minimalism. Wallpaper was the first product that pushed pattern back into headlines –large retro prints became cool – large scale oversized prints digitally made or hand drawn were all put into repeats with the aid of our now taken for granted computers. Marry that with digital photography and printers and we went print crazy!

People then became more and more adventurous with pattern and colour (I’m trying to avoid name-checking Lawrence you-know-who-you-are) but in some walks of life maybe they are still tentative. I think part of my job as a designer is to encourage confidence etc. In the same way that some people are uncomfortable wearing bright colours or patterns but once they try them, they realise that they can be more fun, suit them better, I’m looking forward to another ten years of creating products that enable people to express their individuality, personality.

Posted in botanical, pattern, printing, technology, trends, wallpaper