Stores

Step by Step: Ceramics by Cswa_

In anticipation of her upcoming demo in-store, we get a master class in pot making from modern ceramicists CSWA_. Edinburgh based CSWA_ was set up by Carmel Wilkinson-Ayre in 2015 shortly after graduating from university. From fashion to photography, an eclectic range of influences inform the palette used to create her range of minimally styled pots, which are currently on show at the Heal’s Modern Craft Market. To see the step by step process behind these unique collectables, we took a trip up to Carmel’s studio to have a nosey around. “This is a selection of the moulds I use to make my large tumblers and espresso cups. Each mould consists of four components that have been sculpted by hand to ensure sure that the slip cast designs retain a made not manufactured quality.” “Manipulating the coloured porcelain slips inside the mould creates the expressive and playful marks that are an important part of my aesthetic and approach. Working with slip casts in this way demonstrates the fluid, primal nature of the design and the key fact that no two designs ever look the same. “Next up we have to pour the excess slip out of the mould. My technique is slow and steady to ensure each piece has an even, distributed finish.” “Trimming off the excess clay on the tumbler lip is where my favourite tools come into play! They say a craftsman should never blame their tools, but I believe my neatest work can only be completed with my preferred potter’s knife.” “Back to pouring again. Once the coloured clay has been poured, the mould is filled with white porcelain and timed to create a clay skin. When the porcelain is removed, this skin becomes the structure and foundation for the tumblers.” “After refined timing and drying, the porcelain tumbler is ready to be released from its mould. Deconstructing the four parts is a bit like a jigsaw, and requires some patience before the cup can finally be seen. This is a CSWA_ tumbler and espresso cup before bisque firing, the final glazing helping to complete the process.” Here’s some we made earlier: don’t forget you can see CSWA_ ceramics at the Heal's Modern Craft Market or shop the collection as part of our Collectables range in-store. Visit Today Back to top

Stores

How Bazaar! See Our Display Of Vintage Middle Eastern Rugs

Discover a design bazaar at Heal's Tottenham Court Road store, with our beautiful new display of vintage Middle Eastern rugs. The renowned weavers of the Qashqai and Luri tribes in Western and South Western Iran have been making rugs for thousands of years. Inspired by the rural landscapes, plants and wildlife, designs are never committed to paper but instead passed down through the generations, each weaver adding their own individual touch. Woven on primitive looms, wool is hand-carded and spun with a mixture of natural and synthetic dyes. Each of these rugs is made initially for the use of the family and later sold on, ensuring there is a constant source of vintage pieces. Shop Rugs Shop Rugs Back to top

Stores

If You Go Down To The Woods Today

As part of the team that created the Celebration of Wood display in Heal's Tottenham Court Road, every time I pass the windows I have to pinch myself. It’s hard to imagine, let alone find, a store willing to have logs, boards and wood chips spread across their beautiful shop floor! Yet Heal's have supported Grown in Britain from the start of our campaign and remain a strong advocate for promoting home-grown wooden furniture from well managed British woodlands and forests. Though I feel privileged to have had a full career in forestry, I am acutely aware that many in society struggle to connect the wooden items they use in their daily lives to the management of our woodlands. That’s where Heal’s comes in. Strolling through the store, one is struck by the level of focus placed on the materials used, which often take equal billing alongside the design and craft of each piece. The Celebration of Wood continues this tradition by illustrating the process of transforming raw materials into a fully formed table. Each of the ash logs on display has been felled from the stem of the timber within the Balcombe sawmills, before being cut into boards and stacked to naturally air and dry. Alongside these sit Scottish Larch, Sussex Oak and Dorset Beech, many of which are also used widely throughout Heal's collections of classic and contemporary furniture. So if you go down to the woods today, there is plenty to see. The rich diversity of timbers provides endless opportunities for design, from traditionally crafted furniture to innovative new processes. When battling the elements to sustainably grow quality trees, it's rewarding to know the material is in good hands. Dougal Driver is a Forester and a founding member of Grown in Britain.

Stores

New Lease Of Light

Last year, photographer Mark Cornick visited our flagship store on Tottenham Court Road to take some striking photos of Heal's very own architectural gem--the Cecil Brewer staircase. Not long after his visit, the staircase was closed to the public while it underwent a facelift. Finally revealed during London Design Festival, the spiralling stairwell has been stripped back to its classic structure, polished, varnished and finished with a brand new centrepiece- a 64 arm Bocci chandelier. The hand-blown glass globes of this sculptural piece appear to drift gradually downwards between floor, lending the space a dreamy atmosphere. Now looking more organic in form than ever, Cecil Brewer's work has been captured once more by Mark in images we couldn't help but share. To see more of Mark's photography, click here.