Events

Heal's Wins At Homes And Gardens Awards

Congratulations are in order for our very own Creative Director Carmel Allen, who snapped up ‘Retailer of the Year’ at last week’s prestigious Homes & Gardens Designer Awards 2015. Facing stiff competition in this hotly contested category, the judges remarked that our ‘More than a Store’ programme of events, workshops, talks, craft markets and parties make us a destination store and a great example of experiential retail. In addition, the awards panel also hailed our championing of young designers through the Heal’s Discovers programme, with former winner Sam Lloyd also nominated in the Best Kitchen Production category for his Sand Cast Stool. Humble as ever, on receiving the award Carmel had this to say: "Homes & Gardens is read by over 762,000 people each month, so it was particularly heart-warming when a big cheer went up as Heal’s was named winner. It’s great to see the tremendous amount of goodwill out there and appreciation for our efforts in championing design". We’ll most certainly cheers to that! To see more of our award-winning designs, head over to Heal's online or why not keep up to date with what's happening in-store by following us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Shop Now Back to top

Events

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 space: “As soon as someone picks up a tool the crowds flock to have a look. The simple act of making or doing something suddenly brings these seemingly inanimate objects to life. Crucially, it demonstrates the great care and thought that goes into designing and making quality furniture.” Having created seminal products since the 1950s, Grange knows a thing or two about the history of design and was keen to stress the value of continuing such traditional practises: “In the east end where I grew up, we’d think of bodging as a sort of make do and mend approach. Similar to upcycling, it’s an honourable use of seemingly excess stuff. It’s been wonderful to learn more about the history and to trace that line through the heritage of British design.” Of course, Sir Kenneth isn’t the only one who gets a say in the winning design.

Events

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 had a great time watching their creations come to life. But how did the bodgers fair with their new surroundings? Apart from the unanimous response that it was “rather hot”, it seems it didn’t take our designers long to get settled. As furniture designer William Warren pointed out “it’s definitely a change from the studio, but it’s actually been surprisingly easy to forget that you’re working on a busy high-street.” Of course, while it may seem strange to the crafters, it’s not every day that our shoppers see the famous displays replaced by workbenches and tools. Thankfully, we couldn’t have hoped for a better response, with plenty of curious visitors “popping in and asking lots of questions.” On the public’s reaction, furniture and homewares maker Carl Clerkin muses “I suppose we just take it for granted that this is the process, but to the public it’s really useful to see the furniture being made as it makes the objects a lot more real.” To view the beautiful bodges in real life, head to our flagship store where you can also get involved in all the other wonderful events taking place as part of Heal’s Modern Craft Market.

Events

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 pieces will then go on sale, with the winning design, as voted for by you, put into production. But who are these competitive crafters we hear you ask? Without further ado, let’s meet the designers… William Warren A self-described ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, Warren lives and works in London. Born into a ‘crafty family’ he began his career as a silversmith before moving on to design furniture such as the Deconstructed Windsor range for Heal’s. Sarah Kay Balancing her time between London and Ariège in the south of France, Sarah Kay is a designer and maker specialising in wooden furniture. Following her first contemporary range, commissioned by Heal’s Discovers, Kay has designed pieces for a variety of commercial and private clients. Koji Katsuragi Flying all the way from Kumamoto Japan especially for the event, Koji Katsuragi produces carefully crafted chairs and furniture. Having first worked in industrial design, he quickly switched to making his ‘favourite type of furniture’ falling for ‘the charm of natural materials’. Chris Eckersley Working from his studio in ‘deepest Herefordshire’, Chris Eckersley is a multi-disciplined artist and designer. With an ethos of ‘quiet design’, he produces furniture that places emphasis on ‘good proportion’ to create ‘longevity.’ Carl Clerkin Renowned for his off-the-wall interpretations of everyday objects, Carl Clerkin is a furniture and homewares designer based in London. Honing this craft from his ‘mess of a shed’ studio, he believes his work is ‘unique in as much as they have their own special mistakes’. Gareth Neal Since graduating from Buckinghamshire University, Gareth Neal has embraced a ‘pallet of techniques’ to craft unusual designs from wood. Based at his studio in Dalston, Neal is surrounded by other makers, which he finds ‘handy for discussing ideas, practical advice, or just a cup of tea.’ The Great Heal’s Bodging Race starts Wednesday 4th February and the bodgers have 7 days to create their furniture. The Heal’s Modern Craft Market runs from 2nd-15th February 2015.