We're heading up to the Highlands of Scotland this week to watch textile designer Catherine MacGruer knit her latest line of abstract cushions and throws for Heal's.
Balancing craft and new technologies, each design starts out as a series of deconstructed collages before it is reworked into a beautiful knitted accessory from super fine merino wool. To find out more we paid a visit to her small studio in the countryside to talk textiles and what the future holds.
Tell us about the first piece you ever designed?
After graduating I started designing patterned Merino wool blankets before expanding my range to include other textile products for both body and home.
Where did you study?
I studied Textile Design at The Glasgow School of Art, and specialised in knitted textiles. I was and still am fascinated with the endless possibilities knit has to offer when combining bold patterns and quality wool yarns.
What is the inspiration behind your work?
My inspiration is constantly evolving, I am always inspired by travel whether it be within the UK or further afield, recording patterns and shapes along the way, through photography and collaging.
Other constant sources of inspiration include, Scandinavian design, masquerade and folk costume and traditional Scottish Knit. The collection of cushions available at Heals was inspired by the fragmented patterns within mosaics seen in Barcelona. The eclectic mix of styles and colours made an exciting starting point.
Do you have a design hero that influences your work?
I admire the work of many, from photographers like Charles Freger to brands such as Marimekko and artists and designers including Sonia Delaunay and Alexander Girard . The list could go on and on.
Where is your studio?
My studio is a small wooden cabin in the Highlands of Scotland, It was a building project for my partner Mike and I. With a lot of help from family and friends we sourced the materials, using reclaimed windows, flooring, doors and timber. It is naturally bright and I feel very lucky to be able to work in such a lovely space.
Tell us about your design process, how do you get started?
My design process always starts with collecting inspiration and collating it on the studio wall. I use collage to experiment with shapes, colours and compositions reworking them until something clicks. I then have to consider how these designs will work technically when developed in to a knitted fabric.
Do you have a preferred material or process?
I currently only work with high quality super fine Merino Wool. It has so many amazing properties, it is great to knit with on the machine and it is a non fibrous yarn which keeps the geometric shapes in my designs sharp. It is soft to touch and a natural sustainable material. The pieces are machine knitted using advanced jacquard techniques creating double thickness quality fabric.
How did you get involved with Heal’s?
Last year I won the New Design Britain Award for my Textiles at the May Design Series, A member of the judging panel arranged for me to meet with Heals buying team. It has been a dream of mine to have my designs stocked by Heals so it has been a very exciting and surreal experience.
How would you describe the collection?
The designs are a bold and vibrant mix of geometric patterns and shapes creating statement accessories for any interior. Knitted in the UK using the highest quality Merino wool, they are made to last and be treasured.
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[ INSPIRATION ]
Behind the design
No river too deep, no mountain too high, for this week's In The Studio we're jet-setting to India to visit textile designers Safomasi at their New Delhi print house.
Ok, so we may not have flown half way around the world just for a cup of tea and a catch up but we did manage the next best thing by giving Sarah Fotheringham and Maninder Singh, the designer duo behind Safomasi a call.
Having just launched their colourful collection of illustrative home accessories at Heal's we wanted to learn more about the hand screen printed cushions and quilts as well as see a few snaps of the process in action.
Where did you both study?
We have quite different backgrounds. I studied illustration at the University of Brighton, whilst Maninder studied commercial cookery and business management in Melbourne. It works as we have different roles - I design and Maninder handles the business and production side of things.
“We’re inspired by our travels, so each collection tells the story of a journey to a different place.”
Tell us about the first piece you ever designed together?
‘Mithai’ was our first print, inspired by the huge variety of colours and shapes of Indian sweets seen on our travels around India. It started with felt tip drawings of sweets in my sketchbook that I scanned and arranged into a pattern before separating the colours for screen printing and hand tracing each layer.
The final design featured illustrations of 169 different sweets and was hand printed in 13 colours, simplified from 16. It was a mission! We paired this pattern with a simple candy stripe to make our first range of cushion covers and quilts.
Where is your studio based?
Our studio is in New Delhi, India. We’re on a small but busy street with carpenters and hardware stores either side, so it can get quite dusty and noisy. Thankfully we’re two floors above the chaos with floor to ceiling windows that look out onto a lovely park.
Do you have any studio superstitions?
In India when you purchase a new piece of equipment there is a tradition to do a ‘pooja’ - a ceremony to ‘bless’ the object in the hope that it will bring good luck and perform well. Whenever we get something like a new sewing machine in the studio our tailors will do a small pooja as a good omen!
What is the inspiration behind your designs?
We’re inspired by our travels, so each collection tells the story of a journey to a different place. So far collections have been inspired by journeys around India, Japan, and Salcombe in Devon.
Tell us about your design process, how do you get started?
First of all we decide on a place to theme the collection. If it’s somewhere we haven’t been before we’ll start by taking a trip there. Whilst travelling we’ll sketch, take photographs, and gather our thoughts about which elements best capture our experience of that place.
When we’re back we research some more and come up with concepts for prints, starting with rough sketches before developing them into the final designs on Photoshop and then eventually screens for screen printing. We aim to make products that people feel a connection to – so the scenes in the prints seem familiar to some and exotic to others.
“We aim to make products that people feel a connection to, so the scenes in the prints seem familiar to some and exotic to others.”
Do you have a preferred material or process?
We love hand screen printing. It takes time and skill as each colour is printed separately to slowly build up the design. Some of our designs are pretty complex too, with up to 13 colours, but it has such a beautiful quality and character that we feel you can’t achieve with something like digital printing. The first time we sample new designs is the most fun – mixing up the colours and seeing them come to life on a run of fabric.
How would you describe the collection?
Our collection at Heal’s takes pieces from our Salcombe collection, which evokes childhood holidays to the Devon town of the same name, and the Alleppey collection inspired by the lush landscape of Kerala, South India.
The prints in the Salcombe collection illustrate country walks along the estuary, families exploring rock pools at low tide and yachts racing around the harbour – nostalgic scenes that will probably be familiar to many British holidaymakers. The ‘Coconut Picker’s’ print from the Alleppey collection is more tropical – with a bold and bright palm tree pattern.
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This week we're taking a trip to the Sussex forest to talk shop with Ted Jefferis', the brains and brawn behind design studio TedWood.
While his quirky style of design goes against the grain, Ted is a big believer in traditional craftsmanship and the use of naturally sourced British solid woods. Having made a name for himself at last year's Clerkenwell Design Week, he has since worked with our partner UK woodland conservationists Grown in Britain and now launches his range of designer lighting at Heal's. The juxtaposition of contemporary silhouettes with hand crafted leather and oak make the HangUp range a perfect match for Heal's. To find out more about Ted's approach to their design we caught up with him and brand ambassador Humphrey the spaniel at his Sussex studio.
Tell us about the first piece you ever designed?
I have been designing since I could pick up a pencil, however, my first fully formed design was the TipToe bench. It’s a play on proportions with fine tapered legs that look too fragile to support the hardwood top let alone two or three people. The design was an exercise in structure and understanding the limits of materials, a concept that has gone on to become the backbone of my designs
When did you decide you wanted a career in design?
Once I left school I took a cabinet making course at Chichester Collage. I relished the chance to craft but I always knew that I also wanted to be a designer so I enrolled on a degree at Oxford Brookes studying Interior Architecture. This allowed me to refine my designing skills and realise the importance of the relationship between a building, its interior and the furniture within it.
Where is your studio?
It’s in a village called Bosham on the south coast. After the Second World War my great grandfather bought bit of oak woodland by the water and built himself a house and a workshop. The idea was to build boats and make stuff out of wood - clearly an inspired plan! So much so that three generations later I still spend as much time as possible at his work bench.
“The idea was to build boats and make stuff out of wood - clearly an inspired plan!”
Tell us about your design process, how do you get started?
It all starts with an idea, then I try to get it down on paper sometimes in my sketch book or whatever I can find. In fact, my best ideas usually come from the back of old envelopes! Normally I won’t come back to the idea for a while but when I do I will try and make a prototype.
Do you have a preferred material or process?
Wood is without a doubt my first material and is what I am trained in. However, I love the freedom of working with other materials like leather and brass. I think that because I don't know the conventional way of working with them it gives me more freedom.
Do you have a design hero that influences your work?
I think it has to be Charles and Ray Eames. It amazes me that they could move between furniture, architecture, film and whatever else they tried their hands at. I believe that moving between disciplines so elegantly shows complete control over design.
How would you describe your new lighting collection for Heal’s?
It is a marriage of my three favourite materials; leather, oak and brass. Each material has its own role that comes together through craftsmanship. Heal’s is our first stockist so it has been a steep learning curve for me but I always say the best way to learn is to get chucked in the deep end!
All images courtesy of Creative CoOp.
Further Reading:
www.tedjefferis.co.uk
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We caught up with the guys from Maddison Graphic to see the finishing touches being made to their new series of limited soft accessories for Heal's.
Working from their studio in Norwich, this independent design studio specialise in modern graphic prints across a range of area from exhibitions to fashion. Having garnered heaps of praise from the design press, we were thrilled to have them on board for Heal's new series of limited edition designer tea towels and thought it only right to see the first run of prints in person.
Do you have any studio superstitions? No, we are tediously rational.
What is the inspiration behind your work?
We are a conventional graphic design studio, so our inspiration comes from our clients. Of course it’s inevitable that our portfolio has some character or style, but it is our intention that the work primarily serves the necessities of the brief. We like to approach self-initiated projects in the same way, the type of object and the expected use are at the forefront of our thinking.
Tell us about your design process, how do you get started?
First we think about the purpose of the design and begin to look at other examples of an object or publication that we think are successful. We are concerned with communicating an idea in as straightforward a way as possible and reducing clutter and noise while retaining warmth and play where appropriate.
Everyone has a personal reaction to colour, are there any you instinctively avoid?
Using colour is difficult and subtle and it is easy to make something ugly and blame the colour, but it is all about context.
Do you have a preferred material or process?
Our work is almost always printed, so we try to use the most appropriate technology and material for each project. We consider the choice of material and process as important an aspect of our work as the design itself.
How would you describe your new design for Heal’s?
We wanted to produce an object that was useful attractive and would be something that we might buy ourselves. Although the design is quite bold, the use of natural linen and a monochrome palette create a pleasing and harmonious object.
Wellbeing: Hoarding design on the theme of well-being for a hospital development in Cambridge.
Print All Over Me: sweatshirt design for Print All Over Me, an online retailer that works with artists and designers.
Architectural Alphabet: typographic print inspired by iconic buildings and architectural motifs.
Further Reading:
www.maddisongraphic.com
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The latest additions to our Brunel range have arrived, and to mark the occasion we're going back to where it all began with an exclusive look behind Rob Scarlett's best-selling design.
While design is an ever-evolving process, certain pieces really strike a chord that resonates with contemporary interiors. A perfect example of this is the Brunel range by Rob Scarlett, its blend of mid-century inspiration and contemporary industrial feel suited to modern homes where there is a demand for stylish, well made furniture that is both functional and affordable.
Drawing inspiration from an original 1950s piece of storage by British icons Robin Day and Clive Latimer, Scarlett sought to incorporate not only the leaning design but also the industrial look of black tubular metal. This series of original sketches shows the development of a few key pieces from the Brunel range from the initial concept through to the finished article, all of which still feature in our current collections.
See the collection
Pictured above: Brunel Armchair and Sofa shown with Jamakhan Cushion, Zox Blue Throw, Brunel Stool, Crawford Table Lamp in white, Brunel Freestanding Shelving, Moroccan Glassware, and Bristol Table Lamp in white marble.
Early designs for the Brunel Table included fold out panels of oak and a hidden runner system to increase the width. Notice also how the three pronged legs were simplified to create the ranges trademark continuous line of tubular black metal.
Brunel Dining Table shown with Stool and Cushion, Lean To Shelves, Bench and Lantern Pendant in white.
Inspired by a leaning storage unit by Robin Day and Clive Latimer, this rough sketch of the Brunel Lean Mirror is almost identical to the finished design complete with bent metal frame, hanging rail and concealed storage compartment.
Brunel Bed Oak Headboard shown with Blanket Box, Lean-To Side Table, Owen Table Lamp in smoke and Brunel Lean Mirror.
While the shape and style are all there, this design for the Brunel Bed really came to life in the hands of Heal's furniture craftsmen who replaced the block corners with smooth joinery and extended the headboard to create a statement feature.
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Inky fingers, folk art, and a strong cup of Joe - it's all in a days work for Hello Marine.
Describing her work as ‘bold, colourful and joyful’, Hello Marine, a.k.a Marine Gentils, is a French illustrator and printmaker based in the UK. Having worked with brands and publications such as Lacoste, Time Out and Penguin, her new collection branches out into the world of textiles with a range of limited edition designer cushions exclusive to Heal’s.
We wanted to see the self confessed 'pattern lover' in her natural habitat, so popped down to her seaside studio to talk screen printing, Matisse and her phobia of dull colours.
Tell us about the first piece you ever designed?
My first ever textile piece is actually very very recent and is still on my website. It’s a cushion with a cactus pattern.
Describe an average day in the studio
My studio is in Brighton, a beautiful, light space that I share with other creative, an atmosphere I finds really inspiring. I always start my studio day with a cup of coffee. This is essential!
After that I begin by sketching on paper and collecting images - anything that starts to trigger ideas. I’m also never without my colour schemes sketchbook and religiously collect combinations for future reference.
What is the inspiration behind your work?
My inspirations are constantly evolving, but the work of people like Margaret Kilgallen, Sonia Delaunay and folk art is a constant. It’s really hard for me to pin point precisely who as I’m a very curious person and always looking for new sources of inspiration. I suppose if I had to choose one hero I would say Matisse. The instinctive quality, the boldness, the colours, the scale, I love it all!
Do you have a preferred material or process?
The screen printing process is just amazing. The way you are always surprised by the results is very satisfying and addictive. It’s just refreshing to put an apron on and get messy with inks as opposed to work digitally.
Everyone has a personal reaction to colour, are there any you instinctively avoid?
Most of my work is usually bright. I've only recently started working with monochrome and I was actually really pleased with the result. That’s not what I naturally go for though, I had to make a conscious effort to tame my love for bold colours.
How would you describe your new range for Heal’s?
My cushions have been designed with summer in mind and everything we long for in the winter. The light, bright colours, the flowers and plants. Mexican art and native patterns have been a major source of inspiration and there is definitely a folk art vibe behind the range, but adding a modern edge within the boldness and colours.
Further Reading:
www.hellomarine.com
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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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