Working with arrangements of colour, pattern and shape, Gemma Kay Waggett creates hand-sewn, machine embroidered and screen-printed textiles. Gemma has designed a collection of luxury cushions for our Limited Edition series available in store and online. What is the inspiration behind the cushion designs? The patterns on these cushions are derived from […]
In The Studio: Claire de Quénetain
French-born Claire de Quénetain, an MA in Printed Textiles, is known for her expression of marks and form through paintings and drawings. Claire’s new design for Heal’s 1810, Le Jardin D’ete, depicts a hand-drawn floral pattern reflecting the artist’s personal passion for the outdoors. We caught up with Claire to discuss who collection and design […]
Hole & Corner In Residence
Celebrating beauty and craft is what we’re all about at Heal’s. So it’s no surprise that for our Modern Craft Market we’ve teamed up with fellow design devotees Hole & Corner. Scratching beneath the surface, our official media partner will be providing in-depth coverage of the event through live interviews with the designers on show […]
Sir Kenneth Grange Pays a Visit To Our Bodging Race
No stranger to the Heal’s showrooms, legendary designer Sir Kenneth Grange popped by our flagship store this week to inspect the results of our recent Bodging race. Personally guided by fellow designer Chris Eckersley, one of the bodgers at the event, Sir Kenneth took great joy in seeing the public’s reaction to our makeshift studio […]
The Great Heal’s Bodging Race Final
Following a week of whittling, Sunday saw the close of our Great Heal’s Bodging Race. Transforming our windows into a working studio, 6 top designers from around the globe battled the clock to each produce a handmade chair (and not forgetting a stool) using the ancient English craft of bodging. Needless to say, we all […]
The Great Heal’s Bodging Race
Featuring 6 world-renowned designers competing live in-store, the Great Heal’s Bodging Race promises to be a unique piece of retail theatre. Putting their own modern spin on the traditional English craft of ‘bodging’, our illustrious guests will be making bespoke chairs throughout the opening week of the Heal’s Modern Craft Market. All of the one-off […]
The Brilliance of Balenciaga
The name Cristóbal Balenciaga looms large in the history of STUA. Designing and manufacturing in their hometown of San Sebastian, the Gasca family have long been influenced by their relationship with the legendary couturier. Acting as a live mannequin for Balenciaga, Jesús Gasca’s mother would stand for hours while the designer sculpted his creations directly […]
Matthew Hilton’s Bookshelf
Innovation is no small task. So it’s no surprise that designers and craftsmen are always on the lookout for visual material to nurture their next creative breakthrough. One such example is Matthew Hilton, a mainstay of the Heal’s showroom thanks to his naturally evolving yet novel approach to design. Keen to find out where he […]
Designing The Abacus Bed
We sat down with Kirsty Whyte, the designer of our new Abacus bedroom range – a modern interpretation of Heal’s historic iron bedsteads – to discuss her inspiration. Can you describe Abacus to us? The Abacus bed was designed using a traditional early 20th Century iron bedstead as inspiration. Traditional detailing has been pared back […]
In The Studio: Laura Slater
We spoke to our latest Limited Edition contemporary cushion designer, Laura Slater, about her new collection at Heal’s. What is the inspiration behind the cushion designs? The limited edition prints I have produced for Heal’s are a development of my signature collection ‘Assemble/Configure’ The print collection explores found shape, texture and pattern observed from the […]
Iron Bedsteads
It was in the year of 1810 – when King George III was declared insane, Napoleon Bonaparte divorced Josephine, Jane Austen wrote Sense and Sensibility and tinned cans were invented to preserve food – that John Harris Heal opened a small feather-dressing business at 33 Rathbone Place. Bringing a new, continental way of sleeping to […]
Summer BBQ by Pascale Smets
I absolutely love barbecues and as a family we are happy to barbecue any time of the year. If we are having steak, my husband will happily stand outside on a freezing November evening as there is nothing to beat a slightly charred black and blue ribeye. Now Summer is here it’s less of an […]