If you have an eye for unique and eccentric, it’s time likely you’ve already heard of Timothy Oulton. This eccentric designer creates for sartorially savvy interiors with an emphasis on heritage and quality.
Timothy Oulton’s design heritage dates back to his childhood days in Manchester. It was here he grew up surrounded by antiques from his father’s business, Halo Antiques. He joined the family firm aged 18 and thus began his career in furniture.
Having originally envisaged himself going on to work in the City, the family business captivated Oulton. The exquisite antiques, and the meticulous, time-honoured hand-craftsmanship that accompanied them, intrigued him.
This inspired his design approach and gradually began to characterise his collections. He explains that “exposure to the antiques industry at an early age introduced me to beautiful design.
Being surrounded by great handcrafted products most of my life has definitely impacted how I produce my furniture.” “I’ve always loved vintage luggage, imagining the journeys they’ve travelled, on long sea voyages or across countries on steam trains.” Timothy Oulton
By scanning flea markets Oulton uncovered his instinct for finding the most beautiful pieces. This developed his love for antiques and helped him to recognise their limitations. After years in the antiques trade, Oulton repositioned the company to focus on furniture design. Today his brand handcrafts beautiful and practical furniture, inspired by the past but reimagined for the modern day.
“One of my favourite pieces is the original trunk that inspired the Globetrekker Collection. I’ve always loved vintage luggage, imagining the journeys they’ve travelled, on long sea voyages or across countries on steam trains. I found this particular worn-out trunk buried in a flea market.
‘Tom Richards’ was engraved on its brass plaque, and so I’ve often wondered about the adventures Tom would have had with his trunk.” “What makes something beautiful is the attention it is given. Time and care and effort mean you always get something extraordinary.” Timothy Oulton
This free-spirited approach is reflected in Oulton’s collections, which look to timelessness with an enduring quality rather than seasonal trends. Inspiration comes from anywhere with many pieces, borrowing ideas from the past and infusing them with Oulton’s contemporary point of view. Inspiration includes 19th-century leather chairs, Art Deco lighting and the clean lines of mid-century modern design.
Despite now being an international brand with stores across the globe, Timothy Oulton’s guiding philosophy remains the same. “What makes something beautiful is the attention it is given. Time and care and effort mean you always get something extraordinary.”
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[ INSPIRATION ]
Behind the design
Join us as we stroll through the Dorset countryside to visit maker Alice Blogg at her studio space in the Grown in Britain licensed forest and wood merchant Hooke Park.
Alice Blogg designs and makes honest, functional and beautiful British hardwood products. From smaller home accessories to lighting and furniture, Alice’s designs are inspired by the trees and nature that surround her Dorset workshop. It is here that she crafts her range of exclusive Chopping Boards for Heal’s using Grown in Britain assured Ash, Sycamore and Oak.
It is important to Alice that there is no waste and she is careful to use every part of the tree. Each piece is made to last for generations, using tools and knowledge passed down through her family.
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In 1991 multi-award winning designer Matthew Hilton introduced the Balzac Armchair, a future classic which this year celebrates its 25th birthday!
To celebrate the anniversary of the Balzac Armchair and the start of London Design Festival 2016, in a rare event for Matthew Hilton, we invite you to join the renowned furniture designer for a Q&A session with author and journalist Max Fraser on Thursday 15 September from 6-8pm at Heal’s Tottenham Court Road store. Tickets for this event are £13.25 per person and include refreshments and a goody bag on the night.
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Signature silhouette: the iconic profile of the Balzac Armchair upholstered in Utah Russet Leather £3135.
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To celebrate the launch of her new limited edition tea towels, we read into the small print with designer and screen printing specialist Laura Spring at her Glasgow studio.
New for AW16, Laura's collection of exclusive tea towels bring her trademark blend of geometric pattern, eclectic palette and screen printed aesthetic to Heal's. Each of these contemporary tea towels is hand screen printed by the designer and is limited to a edition of just 25 for each style.
To learn more about the inspiration and process behind Laura's design, we headed up to (not so) sunny Glasgow to watch her put the finishing touches to our new collection.
Where does your passion for design stem from?
Every since I was young I’ve loved making. I’m a very practical person who really enjoys working with a process, creating physical things and seeing them come to life. I suppose it’s something that’s always been there from a very young age. I remember my favourite thing when I was about six or seven was creating small worlds out of shoeboxes and my Mum’s clothing catalogues.
As I’ve got older my curiosity about design has just grown and grown. I’m always interested in finding out about new techniques, different designers, materials - I love to ask questions and explore.
Where did you study?
I studied Visual Communication at The Glasgow School Art, specialising in Graphic Design. I was much happier when making things with my hands rather than sitting behind a computer and got very excited when I discovered the print room and silkscreen printing.
Tell us about the first piece you ever designed?
The first piece I designed as my company ‘Laura Spring’ was a Wet Weather Suitcase. I was lucky to be awarded the Scottish Craft residency at Cove Park in the summer of 2011 and was given a studio in the beautiful Scottish countryside for six weeks to explore the idea of prints that relate to the function of a product.
I created three designs – Wet, Windy and Warm - and applied them all to a range of travel accessories with the suitcase the first and most challenging product to make.
What is the inspiration behind your work?
Inspiration varies from collection to collection but as I mentioned previously I have been inspired by motifs relating to the function of the object it adorns. More recently I have been inspired by the use of camouflage in nature, specifically how butterflies and zebras use mimicking or colouration techniques to hide from predators.
I think nature and all it’s wonder has been having a bigger influence on my work since I did a residency in rural Finland last summer where nature is considered hugely important and people seem much more connected to it.
“I enjoy working with a process, creating physical things and seeing them come to life.”
Do you have a design hero that influences your work?
I have a huge amount of love and respect for the company Marimekko. I have always admired their bold use of colour and pattern but I also love that they have built up such an incredible business with the bulk of their print production still being done in a purpose built factory in Helsinki.
Where is your studio?
My studio is in Glasgow. It is housed within an old sawmill on the north side of the city not far from The Glasgow School of Art. It’s home to about 14 artists and has a really nice communal feel to it. Having people from various disciplines around me is very handy as it means we can share skills and solve problems.
Tell us about your design process, how do you get started?
I always start with research. I’m a bit of a hoarder, so often gather photos, odd objects, bits of paper and then go back to them at a later date. Something will catch my eye and spark an idea once I’m back in the studio. I really enjoy exploring an idea as thoroughly as possible as this can often take you in unusual directions.
For example, the work I’ve been doing lately for my new collection has all come from a residency I did in Finland last summer. I took lots of photos, spent time absorbing the culture and bought weird things from flea markets, one of which turned out to be an amazing pair of old weaving catalogues that will form the basis of a new project taking my work in a very different direction.
“I find computer colours so strange having spent time mixing colours by hand using pigments.”
Once I’ve got some ideas, I’ll start working them out on paper and then play around on the print table to create my colour palette. Then I’ll take the idea to the computer, my least favourite bit. I find computer colours so strange after having spent time mixing colours by hand using pigments.
Do you have a preferred material or process?
Screen printing will always be my number one process but recently I was incredibly lucky to be involved in a project called India Street that took a group of Scottish designers over to India to learn how to block print. It was an amazing experience and fascinating to learn a different technique and the effect it can have on your designs.
How did you get involved with Heal’s?
I got involved with Heal’s through my friend Gabriella Marcella Di Tano who runs Risotto, a riso print studio here in Glasgow. She was taking part in Pick Me Up (annual graphic arts festival in London) and got chatting to one of the team from Heal’s whom she very kindly suggested my name as someone to potentially work with.
How would you describe the collection?
The collection is a playful design of colour and shape inspired by a trip to Estonia last summer. The capital city Tallinn has the most incredible doors everywhere that have all these beautiful geometric patterns on and I couldn’t help but take many, many photos!
I sat with them on my wall in the studio for a while and then when Louise got in touch I thought they would be a great source material to work with to create a summery, playful tea towel design.
Make sure to grab your limited edition Laura Spring tea towel before they are all snapped up by shopping our collection of kitchen linens online.
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For this week's #TextileTuesday we're off to Nottingham to meet textile designer Tori Murphy weave her magic in her studio. Bringing a sartorial touch to home accessories, Tori Murphy began her career working for a number of fashion houses in Milan before founding her own textile business in 2012.
Since then she has continued to produce a range of contemporary cushions each of which is woven in the UK before being finished within her studio.
Tell us about your studio?
My studio is in Sherwood, Nottingham. I'm very fond of it and even say goodbye and thank you to the building when I leave at the end of the day.
Tell us about the first piece you ever designed?
The Elca pattern was one of the first designs that I started the business with. It stems from one of my earliest memories of simple brush strokes repeated and is named after my mother who ignited my love of drawing and painting.
Tell us about your design process, how do you get started?
I usually start with a location, for example last year was the south west coast of Ireland and this year it’s the North Norfolk coast. I pick out particular memories and moments and draw out the patterns that I see within them.
These are drawn by hand and yarns sourced to match what I have in mind and a moodboard of ideas slowly builds. Things get added and taken away until I am left with three or four designs that represent the initial idea and feeling I had. The fabrics are then woven in Lancashire, finished in Yorkshire and all made into product in Nottingham by our machinists.
What is the inspiration behind your work?
I have always had a love of materials and their inherent qualities. Finding natural materials and allowing them to shine is important in every piece I design. In terms of patterns, I take inspiration from my surroundings, buildings, landscapes and the people and memories within them. Equally importantly, I am enthused by traditional English manufacturing and producing pieces with character and integrity that we can be proud of.
Do you have a design hero?
There are many. I am constantly inspired by people who have been able to not just create wonderful products and successful businesses but who have also created a lifestyle that provides them freedom. Freedom to create, travel and spend time with family.
How did you get involved with Heal’s?
I used to go into the Kingston store as a student and marvel at all the beautiful things. I was 19 and it was the first place that had furniture and fabrics that struck a chord with me. I still get the same excited feeling when I go in almost 20 years later so I was delighted to meet a few of the team from Heal’s at a London trade show in 2013 and we have been working together ever since.
All photography courtesy of Jack Neville: www.by-jn.com If you'd like to stay up to date with our #TextileTuesday each week then follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and make sure to check out Tori's full range of soft furnishings over at Heal's.
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In the build up to his series of workshops at Heal's, we caught up with Jay & Co to get the inside story of his fresh approach to furniture restoration.
Breathing new life into vintage furniture, Jay has garnered plenty of praise from the press and design fans alike not only for his quirky style but also the work he does to reach out to disadvantaged and disengaged groups in the community. We're so delighted that he's returning to our stores for a nationwide round of hands-on workshops, we decided to pop by Jay's Wolverhampton studio to have a snoop around.
Tell us a bit about yourself - how did you first become interested in making/repairing furniture?
Well, I’m six foot tall, born and bred in East London and I take a size 11 shoe. But on a more creative note, I first became interested in making/repairing furniture when there was a lack of money in my household. I had to make do with what I could find, and find a way of making stuff out of nothing.
What was the impetus for setting up Jay & Co? Where did the idea to combine furniture and social enterprise stem from?
It really all grew from my work in the charity sector. I wanted to educate young people in something other than sport or music which were basically the only activities on offer. Not everyone has a talent in these areas so for me it seemed easier and more productive to get young people to focus on business. With business you can sell a product and become a product, rather than waiting for your talent to be spotted.
What’s a typical day like at Jay & Co? Do you head to the studio or are you here, there and everywhere?
When I'm not filming, I will drive to the workshop where you can find me listening to classic FM and producing some work… On a day when I’m filming, I’ll be speaking to stylists and homeowners, making sure the finished product suits its environment and the colour scheme is correct.
At the moment my day is a bit of a mixed bag, running around like a headless chicken! However one thing that remains true to both days is that I send a “Thought of the day” out each morning. It reaches around 500 young people on social media which hopefully encourages and inspires them before they start their day.
Up-cycling has become a major trend in interior design, but has that concept of making something from nothing always been intrinsic to the project?
Yes, definitely. For me, upcycling has always been the main focus within the social enterprise, so much so that we didn’t actually call it upcycling to begin with, we called it sustainability.
The aim being to stop furniture from going to a landfill site and to create a future for young people who might not be very successful in formal education. So to me, up cycling in it’s purist form, is about adding more value to a product.
As well as using pre-existing materials your designs always have a playful side. How would you describe your design style and what approach do you take to each piece? My design style is what I call “happy furniture.”
It brings a smile to your face, your living room, kitchen, bathroom or bedroom. To design a really beautiful piece I have to go back into a zone of being a child and tap into my playful side. I do this by playing music loudly and dancing in my workshop.
You’ve got some workshops coming up at Heal’s in the next few weeks that are part of a wider tour around the UK. What’s the reaction from people been like so far?
The reaction has been really positive and very humbling. Many have said they have enjoyed the amount of information and knowledge they have gained through my workshops.
This has given me a great sense of joy because this is what the tour is all about: sharing skills and knowledge with like minded people. The support recieved from the venues (big boys and small included) and their eagerness to give their customers a brilliant experience has been phenomenal.
And finally, although I’m sure it would be hard to choose, what would you say is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is when a young person's light bulb switches on. When they really understand how easy it is to achieve something and that anything is possible, even if they have been told all their lives that they are unable to achieve anything. Don't miss Jay's exclusive workshops at Heal's stores across the country and make sure to keep track with his nationwide tour by searching for #JaysJourney.
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HEAL'S DISCOVERS
HEAL'S DISCOVERS
Ed Heritage
As part of this season’s Heal’s Discovers initiative, we’re delighted to introduce Ed Heritage, an award-winning UK-based designer whose signature style of clean geometry and playful details is reflected in the beautiful lamp he created.
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