At the moment its very much about having a look that ignites a mood, the resurgence of wallpaper way back in 2000 has made it the catalyst for the pattern boom we are seeing today it started on the walls and has spread right across fashion to furniture to ceramics. People are more connected to pattern now in this country, which means they can more easily digest and relate to it in their homes.
Jocelyn Warner Wallpaper Wisteria Silver Blue
Flowers and plants of all sorts are still really powerful in print, they offer a form of beauty that with the right colourway and printing process can create a mood of tranquility and calm even if the repeat size is on the larger scale. I think ( from a designers point of view) that scanners, digital photography / digital printing has revolutionized the way we look at nature “enlarged” and “close up” dissecting images into pixelated abstracts; very much like when photography first hit the art scene when you had photographers such as Karl Blossfeldt taking purposely styled studies of plants. It made people look up close at texture and form, the same has happened now with designers using new technology, you get the chance to get in close to you subjects and this means you can form a closer relationship, generating a different mood.
The colour and tone you can alter at a click of the mouse has revolutionised design and I think the wallpaper and print we see now on the high street possesses some of the finest design and print qualities for a long time. Considering most of these are designed and manufactured in the UK we should be very proud.
Posted in botanical, design, pattern, textiles, trends, wallpaper
The most important event in the furniture design calendar, the Salone in Milan, ended recently. There’s always so much news that comes out of it but now I’ve had a chance to go through everything I thought I’d pick out one thing in particular that caught my eye, the ever wise Li Edelkoort’s exhibition Talking Textiles held at the Spazio Gianfranco Ferré.
Li Edelkoort giving a tour of 'Talking Textiles'. Image courtesy of Domusweb
When Edelkoort gave a guided tour to Domus magazine she made some interesting comments that compare the upsurge in the use of textiles in the home nowadays – “a full-on textile tsunami” to the 70s when the world had fallen in love with plastic. Thank heavens! Let’s hope this continues as she does sound a word of caution that if the textiles trend doesn’t continue we’re in danger of seeing the end of the industry. And we wouldn’t want that!
You can click on the photograph above to watch the video and designboom has a great selection of images too.
Posted in design, interior design, textiles, trends
Redchurch Street’s reinvention as the area’s best shopping street seems unstoppable, both APC and Labour and Wait have moved in to join Aesop, Sunspel and Caravan. A.P.C is at number 5a and Labour and Wait further down at number 85.
A.P.C
5a Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DJ
T +44 (0)207 729 7727
Labour and Wait
85 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ
Telephone +44 (0)20 7729 6253
Posted in design, fashion, interior design, product design, trends
I’m excited to say that the lovely online design magazine Design*Sponge has just published an interview with me as part of the ‘What’s in your toolbox?’ series. This is a peek behind-the-scenes, giving readers an insight into the likes and inspirations of a particular designers. Click here to read my contribution
Thanks so much to Design*Sponge for the feature.
Something from my toolbox!
Posted in books, botanical, colour, craft, design, interior design, pattern, printing, textiles, trends, vintage, wallpaper
Returning from Paris laden down with brochures, swatches and info packs it’s taken a little to digest but here’s my take on last month’s Premiere Vision show.
Florals were a strong presence again, described as ‘bucolic’ at times, other times they were more painterly. There was a dominance of tropical motifs (either palm trees or parrots!), tribal/ethnographic prints and geometric patterns. In terms of colour, there were loads of really modern-feeling warm brights, sometimes perhaps inspired by Pop Art and Jackson Pollock. Edges of fabrics were often frayed, scalloped or laser cut in ways to deliberately enhance the qualities of the material.
Fruit has been an emerging trend recently (see Stella McCartney’s lemon print dress below) and featured again, mostly lemons, strawberries and cherries but sadly on fabric, these don’t count towards your 5-a-day.
Citrus print dress by Stella McCartney.
Another growing trend that we’ll still be seeing a lot of this winter and next spring is sequins. Prada featured them in its forthcoming winter collection, large and like fish scales!
Extra-large sequins featured in Prada's Autumn/Winter 2011-12 show. Image from Vogue.com
At Premiere Vision there was a real sense that fabric manufacturers are continuing to experiment with sequins even more in terms of how they are applied and the possibilities of combining them with other techniques and materials.
The best thing about Premiere Vision is that it’s an opportunity to see first-hand what the very best manufacturers are doing and check out the newest innovations and creative technologies. My favourite of the show was Jakob Schlaepfer. Two of their fabrics particularly caught my eye. One was a layered piece with a butterfly print layered onto chiffon with scalloped sequined edges.
Trying to capture the intricate and delicate Jakob Schlaepfer fabric in my sketchbook!
The other was covered in white sequins that were reversible by touch. On the back they were digitally printed with a floral pattern. It’s hard to describe but it was really amazing. Here are a few images:
Visitors to Premiere Vision play with the reverse print sequin fabric. Image (c) Jakob Schlaepfer
Detail of one of Jakob Schlaepfer's intricate fabrics. Image (c) Jakob Schlaepfer
Another 'haute' fabric by Jakob Schlaepfer. Image (c) Jakob Schlaepfer
Posted in colour, pattern, printing, review, textiles, trends
I know this has been out a while but I really love the prints in Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection. The mixing of lamé with pigment prints and appliqué creates such lovely contrasts of shiny and matte and of course the silhouettes’ and shoes are great too!
Just one of the interesting prints from the current Miu Miu collection
You can watch the fashion on YouTube
A fashion moment from the Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2011 catwalk show
If you haven’t seen it yet then there are only a few days left to visit the V&A’s enormous Diaghilev exhibition showing the work of the Ballet Russe, created over a century ago. This show is a monster and will truly inspire. It includes costumes and set designs from drawings to films to actual Picasso scenery backdrops for Le Train Bleu
Looking around, I could see some trend directions for spring-summer 2012, such as bold coloured prints and use of satin and metallics… mmmh very Mui Mui!
Jack Frost has definitely come to visit and it looks like he’s staying for a while so, it’s time to get cosy. Over the last few years, knitting has really taken off, near our studio in East London you can easily stubble across knitting circles in cafes and pubs and there are a number of trendy knitting shops around the country, plus countless blogs.
I love Wool and the Gang, based in New York. They make gorgeously packaged knitting kits and the website contains loads of inspiration, encouragement and online video tutorials. It’s so cold right now so please let me finish my lovely Wool and the Gang scarf whilst the snow is here.
Here's my scarf, nearly there!
It’s been referred to many times in the blog but the fairy-tale theme just won’t go away! At Decorex, not everyone picked up on but some did really went to town. For example Hali publishers of Cover: Modern Carpets and Textiles magazine. They created a large scale installation of tree branches which were wrapped in fabrics by Decorex exhibitors. On the table was a big bowl of apples, each labelled with the exhibitors’ details.
Those I saw and loved included Frederique Morrel (again!) and contemporary rug designer Sonya Winner.
The Hermes area was lovely – inside a dark tent they display their new, nature-influenced tableware on tables made of branches.
Posted in design, interior design, review, trends
The other day when I popped over to trends and fabrics fair Premiere Vision in Paris I scribbled down a few observations I thought worth sharing.
The most noticeably recurring trend was for fabrics that felt very luxurious and soft, yet weighty at the same time – whether cashmeres, silks, shearling or boiled wool. And there seems to be less and less separation between textiles for interiors and fashion.
There were lots of surreal, fairy-tale inspired prints – artist Frederique Morrel combines this with another trend; tapestry.
Image © Frederique Morrel
She also has an exhibition on at the Galerie Chevalier where she’s using 18th and 19th century tapestries to create a series of animals, if you’re in Paris, I’m sure is worth seeing.
The inspiring thing about Premiere Vision is seeing the key themes brought to life in huge styled and curated spaces. These included ‘Disruptive Weaves’ (tight yet soft textures), ‘Deceptively Austere’ (antiqued looking super-soft boiled wools), ‘Luxurious Heaviness’ (faux fur and satins), ‘Fierce Softness’ (strong velvets) ‘Natural Knop’, ‘Beyond Tradition’ (contemporary, sculptural lace), ‘Strange Nature’ (spooky, leaf-less trees) and ‘Zoo’ (bizarre monkey and bird imagery)
Last time I was there, blues were a key colour and they’re still very much in evidence, especially turquoises – often combined with yellows and golds, and sky blues. The other colour that seemed to pop up a lot was a burnt orange as well as misty pinks and reds. A palette called ‘Candied Fruits’ summed this up. Here’s my take on the new colours, which I’m thinking of exploring:
A palette of colours I'm playing with
Posted in colour, design, fashion, pattern, review, textiles, trends
This week I’m attending Premier Vision, so trendspotting is at the forefront of my mind. When I recently posted about Leonora Carrington I mentioned the fairytale theme in her work and this new film by Luca Guadagnino fits the bill on both counts in terms of its surreal qualities and directional fashion.
A still from Chronology by Luca Guadagnino courtesy of Nowness
Called ‘Chronology’, it’s Guadagnino’s first fashion project and a collaboration between Nowness and Net-a-Porter to showcase the autumn/winter 2010-2011 collections. Definitely a must-see if you like your fashion inspiration with a bit of a twist.
Chronology's surreal take on the current season's collections. Courtesy of Nowness
All summer I was meaning to check out this year’s Serpentine pavilion. French architect Jean Nouvel was in charge of the latest garden addition and what an amazing job he’s done…
Nouvel's pavilion with matching flowers!
The pavilion as seen from the gallery
Red has so many associations with Britain and London in particular with our red buses, Beefeaters and so on. But the colour doesn’t just mean tradition, it’s sexy and is definitely having a bit of a moment right now. Along with camel, red has been bubbling under for a while and is a colour we’re going to see a lot of this season, in both fashion and interiors.
For me, red is a colour I’m quite careful with in my work; it can really dominate. Yet even here where it’s such a dense, dare I say ‘true’ red, it doesn’t appear overpowering.
The structure has very bold geometric shapes, the steep slopes and slanted angles give the red its sharply tailored footprint.
The structure and geometry in detail
With seating under retractable awnings it is a great place to stop and just feel the space. With a café and ping pong tables outside, it has a real sense of fun and warmth that will cheer one up even on these rainy days as we head towards autumn.
A table tennis game at the pavilion
Posted in architecture, colour, trends
As we’re gearing up towards production of our own fabrics I’m even more tuned in to trends in handmade textiles – knitting and lace are noticeable. Having just missed Studio Tord Boontje’s exhibition The Lacemaker I next came across the work of a Danish designer/artist called Isabel Berglunds. She’s made a knitted universe, which is great and you can see it here:
Isabel Berglund’s knit universe
Speaking of Scandinavians….
Less is more was the order of the day at this year’s Milan furniture fair. Visitors and press alike wondered ‘does the world need more chairs?’ So in tune with leaner economic times and a greater social and environmental conscience, the newly launched products had a pared down feel. Designers focused on how things are made, exposed construction methods and celebrated traditional craftsmanship skills. The natural state and shape of materials was shown off.
This simplified feel calls to my mind the landscape designer Jacques Wirtz. He might be in his 80s but he’s so relevant, creating clean, beautiful sculptural forms that are refreshing and highly in step with what’s being produced by younger designers across interiors, furniture and product. It’d be great to see him create something for Milan one year.
Jaques Wirtz hedges, private garden
Jaques Wirtz hedges, private garden
Jacques Wirtz, private garden
Jacques Wirtz hedges, private garden
Trade fairs are still an essential part of doing business in this industry but these events are expensive, short-lived and incredibly wasteful, really taking their toll on the world’s resources. Not in keeping with current thinking around environmental issues. ‘Saved by Droog’ picked up on our desire to take better care of our planet, inviting a range of designers (nicknamed ‘revivers’) to recycle and upcycle over 5000 items rescued from liquidation sales.
At Moroso there was talk in emotional tones, new designs were developed around words such as ‘memory’, ‘wellbeing’ and ‘intimacy’. In their showroom, the company presented ‘Tumbleweed’, an installation by two artists Francesco Simeti and Andrea Sala that juxtaposed the prevailing trend for plain, angular furniture with large-scale prints inspired by travel and journeys – both real and imagined – to invigorate the overall space. Similarly at Poliform a blowsy, bold print by Ken Scott was used to upholster sharp, modern pieces.
Moroso, Tumbleweed by artists Francesco Simeti and Andrea Sala
Poliform, Ken Scott print
Posted in art, craft, design, interior design, product design, trends
