After graduating with an MA from the Royal College of Art in 2013, Beatrice Larkin established her label with the desire to create design-led textiles for the home. Working from her London studio, she uses a web of highly skilled mills and finishers in the UK to weave fabrics made from the softest merino and lambswool.
Passionate about honest craftsmanship, her collections are woven in small runs with a focus on quality, texture and the individual characteristics of each piece of cloth. Not only has Beatrice launched a new monochromatic range at Heal's, but she also exhibiting at Heal's Modern Craft Market: Made in London.
There's a whole host of events on, but if it's an insight into textile production you're after - don't miss her loom weaving workshop at our flagship store. Today we've put Beatrice in the hot-seat to see what makes her creative process tick.
Were you always set on designing textiles or is it something you got into through your studies?
I think I was probably always headed in this direction having been surrounded with fabric from an early age. My mum is a textile designer and my dad runs an interior design business so you could say it’s in the blood. Studying textiles and specifically woven textiles at The Royal College allowed me to find my own direction and aesthetic, which eventually led me to start my own business.
During your studies you took a placement at Wallace Sewell – how did this experience feed into your own practice?
Working at Wallace Sewell was my first experience of a woven design business. I began thinking about the business of textiles, costing, pricing, margins and the reality of designing fabrics for wholesale and retail.
It was a bit of an eye opener as a young textile student as hand weaving is a long and laborious process so understanding the limitations and possibilities of production was really valuable. I guess it was here that I first wanted to get to grips with the business side of design and making.
What inspires the linear style of your textiles?
Inspiration comes from a number of sources. Perhaps most evident is my love of the bold block geometric style of the Bauhaus weavers Gunta Stolzl and Anni Albers. I like geometrics with a human touch so I work that into my designs, often trying to build in a ‘flaw’.
I use my hand drawings to create spontaneity, which I then apply to fabric designs. These sketches are taken from a number of sources such as hand painted buildings from Tiébélé, West Africa. The paintings are refreshingly honest and beautiful and I attempt to convey the same spirit in my fabrics.
Traditional weaves are also a great inspiration, manipulating structures to form the design and composition of the cloth. I play with scales, placing block patterns alongside smaller designs in the fabric structure. It is important that structure and design have equal importance resulting in a uniquely balanced fabric.
“It is important that structure and design have equal importance resulting in a uniquely balanced fabric”
Tell us about your studio?
I’m based at my home studio in Hackney. It’s a great location and I enjoy working from home. At the moment I’m surrounded by cushions and fabrics so I’m thinking about moving my studio somewhere else in the coming months. It would also be nice to be working alongside other designer makers.
Every day is different for me but it usually starts with checking and replying to emails whilst having breakfast. The rest of the day might include going for meetings, following up production, dealing with stockists and marketing my products. If I get a chance there might be some designing in there too but at the moment the business side of things seems to be taking the lead.
Talk us through the process for translating a design from paper to finished product?
Most of my designs start from sketches or developments from previous designs. I work on these on the computer and then figure out the scale and repeat of the design. The jacquard loom I use has certain restrictions so I have to plan my design to fit these.
I work out the structures I want to use for the fabric and these are usually a very weft facing weave so the softer merino wool is more prominent over the cotton warp. I then work with the mill and adjust designs to fit the right pick rate for the fabric, making sure the finished fabric is the right weight and the design is looking right.
I order my weft yarn which is delivered to the mill, the fabric is woven and then sent to be washed and finished somewhere else. After this, the fabric is sent to a seamstress to make into cushions and throws
“Honesty and integrity in my work are crucial. It allows me to deliver a quality well-made piece knowing exactly how it was made.”
As a former exhibitor at Ethical Fashion Forum, why is incorporating ethical practices important to you?
It is important to me that the product I am selling comes from a reputable source. I can control all elements in the production line as I can go and visit the mills and talk to the weavers first hand.
My products are luxury pieces and I want my customers to know how and where they're investing their money. If I wasn’t as in control of the production line I wouldn’t believe in my product and so I wouldn’t be able to pass that on to the customer. Honesty and integrity in my work are crucial. It allows me to deliver a quality well-made piece knowing exactly how it was made.
It was difficult when I moved from hand weaving to a small production line as I was worried I might lose something in the design and fabric if it were scaled up. Being in control of all stages and knowing the highly skilled British weavers I’m working with has been key to keeping the quality high.
Does working with a third party producer impact the design process?
I often have to change parts of production and sometimes this can be frustrating when you have a finished look you’re wanting to achieve. I try to work around these and often those changing aspects might lead to an unexpected and more exciting outcome.
If you had to pick a favourite piece from your new collection at Heal’s which would it be?
It would have to be the Lines throw. This design, taken from a hand drawing, is one of my most organic geometrics. I’ve worked into it to make areas look worn and brought in an undulating twill structure. All of these elements give the fabric a depth that I love. I think this piece really represents my aesthetic.
Part of our new Spring Collections, discover Beatrice Larkin's contemporary cushions and throws at one of Heal's stores or shop anytime online.
[ INSPIRATION ]
Behind the design
We at Heal's have always said that upholstery is an art in itself and it seems the folks over at PINCH design would agree.
Launching as part of our Spring / Summer 17 collections, for the first time their Pendel two seater sofa is available in exclusive 'Nympheus' fabric from GP & J Baker, first designed by legendary British artist William Turner over a century ago. An enduring GP & J Baker classic, the ‘Nympheus’ fabric was created exclusively for the textile house by the William Turner in 1915.
Born 1775, Joseph Mallord William Turner is one of Britain’s most renowned painters and is known for his distinctive Romanticist landscape style, which in its day was controversial giving him the name the “painter of light.”
To support his career as an artist, Turner took on a number of private and commercial commissions produced designs not only for GP & J Baker but also wallpaper and fabrics for rival firm Sanderson (whose upholstery is also available as part of Heal’s Sofas collections).
Founded by George Percival Baker in the 19th century, GP & J Baker is celebrated for its work with a number of contemporary Arts & Crafts designers in early 1900s. Baker himself was a keen horticulturist and a much-loved figure in the Royal Horticultural Society, so it’s no surprise that a number of the prints for which the textile maker would become famous were botanical in nature, commonly depicting English garden flowers.
A Ming dynasty (15th-16th century) painting on a silk panel in the British Museum was the inspiration for Turner's ‘Nympheus’ design of drooping lotus leaves and birds contrasting the patient stillness of the egret with the quick decisive movements of the kingfisher.
Large scale bird and flower paintings were used to decorate interiors since at least the Song dynasty (AD 960-1279). The most refined style is associated with the Court of the Huizong emperor of the late Northern Song dynasty and the refined brushwork and subtle colouring set a model for later dynasties.
The compact yet comfortable Pendel is the perfect sofa for a formal setting or simply curling up in. The elegant line of the high backrest and curved arms is characteristic of Pinch design. Handcrafted from solid beech, a luxurious timber that is not commonly found in modern-day sofas, the frame is filled with a pocket sprung base as well as foam and wadding cushioning.
Made in Britain, the Pendel two seater sofa is also available as an armchair (see below), with each piece skilfully upholstered in a selection of Heal’s or designer fabrics and in a choice of solid oak or walnut feet.
Discover the Pendel range and more pieces from the PINCH collection online or in store.
Join us at our Queens store on London's Westbourne Grove next Monday evening for a special Meet the Maker event with renowned British designer and craftsman Matthew Elton.
Co-founder and director of Heal's Tendeter, our new in-house bespoke furniture and interiors workshop, Matthew has gained a reputation for his contemporary approach to craft and has fitted out interior displays for many of London's most esteemed retailers including Fortnum & Masons, Liberty and Heal's, of course.
On the night Matthew will be discussing his designs alongside a serving of complimentary drinks (because we all know that bespoke and bubbles go hand in hand). We cannot think of a more appropriate setting for this intimate event than our Westbourne Grove store, the interior of which was designed, made and fitted by Elton himself alongside the Heal's Tendeter team.
Heal's Tendeter
Heal's Tendeter is the creation of Matthew Elton and Heal's Chairman Will Hobhouse. Founded in 2015, the partnership embodies Heal's unique combination of traditional craftsmanship and innovative design through the means of a handmade furniture and interior fittings workshop.
While wood is the main focus, the Heal's Tendeter team are experts at intermixing materials with over 17 years experience creating truly bespoke design solutions for private clients, developers, architects and interior designers.
To discuss your next project with Matthew and the team, call 020 7998 8195, email info@healstendeter.com or visit the Heal's Tendeter website and simply fill out the contact form.
healstendeter.com
If Bert Frank were a classic British car it would, without doubt, be an Aston Martin - luxurious, innovative and built to stand the test of time.
Launched in 2013 by designer Robbie Llewellyn and lighting manufacturer Adam Yeats, Bert Frank has garnered universal praise for its luxurious take on industrial lighting with accolades including the 2016 Elle Decoration British Design Award for Lighting and the Best Product Award at the design et al International Design Awards.
Keen to take a test drive, we asked Robbie to lift the bonnet on the brand and reveal the inspiration behind their table lamps, floor lamps, wall lights and pendants launching as part of Heal's new Spring / Summer 17 collections.
Beginnings
“I studied product design at university, after which I began working for an antique lighting dealer just off the Kings Road. It was there I gained my education in the expansive history and world of antique lighting. After a few more years at larger companies working on more bespoke lighting, I felt ready to start my own collection.
Meeting Adam was the perfect tipping point. We have a genuine respect for one another’s skills and are both truly motivated to create designs that look and function beautifully. The name itself is pretty simple really, it's just an amalgamation of my nicknames. Bert comes from ‘Robert,’ my first name obviously, while Frank stands for ‘Francis,' my middle name.”
The studio
“We are based in Worlds End Studio, Chelsea. Our space doubles up as an informal showroom so it is always busy, welcoming and creative. We're surrounded by lots of other small creative businesses from fabrics to furniture, so the vibe is great plus Chelsea Design Centre is just down the road so we are close to the hub of interior design.
Life in the studio varies from day to day as you never know what exciting job is going to come through the door – from a bespoke chandelier in a private property in Mayfair to lighting the whole of a first class lounge or new chic Hotel in Amsterdam.”
Our ethos
“Our ethos is to make things in a better and more beautiful way rather than take the most cost effective route. An example of this is our table lamps whose bases look and feel so much better machined out of solid brass, so that is what we do.
The material, quality and attention to detail is key to us - we care what the light looks like from above, below, how it feels in hand and to touch. There's also an industrial influence, but rather than purely industrial style I’d say I love mid-century design with industrial forms. It’s the honesty of industrial that resonates with me.
Rather than hiding fixings or functional features they are celebrated and given as much design consideration as the rest of the form, if not more! There is such beauty in that idea.”
My first design
“The Shear Table Lamp had been in my mind for a long time and I’d already had a few prototypes in various sizes. However, working with Adam at the factory we took it to a place of real beauty. Utilising clever manufacturing methods we ensured that from every angle, even the inside of the shade, it looked beautiful...
In all our designs we use a great mix of high technology - laser cutting and CNC machines - and the more traditional methods that require a highly skilled workforce, such as hand spinning shades.”
British made
“All our pieces are made by a close-knit team in a Birmingham factory. A family run factory, they have long been established as UK manufacturers of superb quality focusing on luxury lighting...
I go there each week to talk through my new designs with the team, so it’s a real combined effort between designer and manufacturer. Designing is a hands-on, creative process so it requires a lot of dialogue. We often get bespoke orders or requests for customised designs, so the fact we can talk face to face with a team that has such a wealth of knowledge and experience makes all the difference...
We also try not to be limited by production methods, but rather push the boundaries by doing things a different way. More often than not, we end up with a better solution.”
Ones to watch
“The Shear will always hold a special place in our heart being the first in the collection, but the Riddle Pendant in brass and black is a real standout piece – a cluster of these pendants becomes a real focal point and makes such a statement in a room.”
Luxurious? Check. Innovative? Check. Crafted to last? Well, this is Heal's after all.
Shop the full Bert Frank lighting range and our new Spring / Summer 17 collections at Heal’s online or in store.
PINCH us, we must be dreaming!
At least that was our thought upon arriving at Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon’s studio, workshop and showroom in sunny south London (Clapham North to be precise). For this is truly a furniture lovers paradise, packed full to the rafters with much loved and brand new PINCH pieces many of which feature in our new Spring / Summer 17 collections.
Not interested in mass-produced, volume-based business, Russell and Oona have a real love for furniture, the design process and overseeing every aspect of how a design translates into reality. Founding PINCH design studio in 2004, the couple are no strangers to Heal’s, having previously won our Heal’s Discovers Prize all the way back in 2008 for their Yves desk.
Almost a decade on and we’re celebrating yet another triumph with the launch of their new Wallis Sofa alongside selected upholstery and furniture from their ever expanding collection.
Take us back a few years to how PINCH all began.
Russell Pinch: I trained as a furniture designer at Ravensbourne College and then worked for Terence Conran for five years as a design assistant. After that, I headed up the product team for Conran, so there’s obviously a big Conran link throughout my early career. I always refer to that period as the apprenticeship of a lifetime, because I was able to work completely cross-category on all kinds of products.
I mean, it’s a designers dream because someone’s paying for you to design and fund the development of those pieces. So, from pens to watches to ceramics to different types of glassware to cutlery, furniture to upholstery to lighting. Despite it being fantastic, I left there to set up a branding agency, which is where Oona and I met.
The agency became quite a big business very quickly, which we in turn sold to an advertising agency and that’s when we decided to set up PINCH.
Oona Bannon: At that time I was still working in the branding world, but then we both kind of got to point where we found it very trying. Working in branding people often asked you to make this look like this when it’s not really that at all.
So when Russell said “I want to go back into furniture” we really thought long and hard about how we wanted that shape of our business and our future to be. We knew we wanted it to be based on integrity and what people wanted from a piece of furniture.
RP: That’s so true, it was the absolute opposite of the world we were operating in. I remember saying “do you know what would be really nice? Just to make a dining table for a real person. For a real person that loves their dining table and actually eats at that dining table.
In the branding world, you refer to customers as consumers. They’re not real people, just numbers who spend money in your stores. I hate all of that! So PINCH was kind of a reaction to that fake world. I mean it works, we know that capitalist consumerism relies on that, but there is also a place for having some integrity and designing pieces that are well made, carefully sourced, using fantastic materials and then sold in a way that you’re passionate about.
That’s why it’s so important for us to work closely with Heal’s as we want everyone to feel as passionate about PINCH design as we do.
OB: I think the other thing about our designs, which is a terrible business model but actually feels right, is that we're kind of anti-obsolete. We want people to buy a dining table from us in the knowledge that they’re not necessarily going to need to buy another dining table for a number of years.
That’s kind of a counter-consumerist concept and means there won’t be a yacht at the end of the horizon, but that’s absolutely fine with us.
Was it hard going the first few years of setting up the studio?
OB: So we started PINCH in 2004 and have kind of grown organically. It was really natural and really simple because, whilst we aren’t naïve about how business works, we were very clear that we didn’t want this to be based on loans from the bank that will put lots of pressure on us to deliver a certain margin.
We were realistic as to how we could grow the business organically and didn’t want a mega brand immediately. The success of one thing takes us to each new stage, so we were actually able to start with a completely blank sheet. We ran it from home for 5 years, which was lovely in that we had our children to look after. It really was quite idyllic, especially coming from that money driven, branding world.
RP: It is, it is. You notice things like being able to go for a walk first thing in the morning, see the sky, see trees! It sounds ridiculous, but basically making sure you're having a life as well as work. At the beginning, we also spent a lot of time defining what we wanted the business to be about.
OB: Writing your own briefs was a big one wasn’t it?
RP: Yeah it was wasn’t it!
OB: Which is such a departure now in terms of having worked on a Heal’s brief! (laughs) But it’s great that we have arrived at a point where people actually want to buy into how we design rather than dictate to us.
Whereas in our previous professional lives there was this sense of “oh god we have to make that terrible thing look like it's real food!” we know that everything we design now is our vision.
RP: It’s driven by creative need or creative expression and there are absolutely pieces within our collection that have become the “hero products” because they were born out of creative need rather than a commercial one.
When did you move into your current studio space?
OB: It was December 2010, so seven years ago now. I remember first opening doors and it was completely covered in pigeon poo. It was in a real state!
RP: Yeah it was totally derelict with a broken-up floor. So we cleaned it up and then when next door became available we knocked a hole through the wall into there. Then when the studio across the hall became available we knocked another hole at the top to build the mezzanine linking the two spaces.
Basically what happened was, we had a new member of staff and there wasn’t anywhere for her to sit so we had to build the whole of this for like one more member.
OB: Back in the day the whole space used to be open, so these walls didn’t even exist. It was a train shed so you can still see the tracks running through the middle.
Coming to your studio, it’s surprising just how much of the designing actually goes on here.
RP: One of our strengths is that we like to be involved in loads of aspects of the business. It means you can get your hands dirty, from the model making to styling photo shoots.
OB: It’s a tiny team. So we have two design assistants as well as an intern, who’s just broken his arm, and then we also have three sales staff, two finance staff who are part-time. So in total, we have 10.
Because it’s a small team there’s more exposure for each project. It’s a very rare thing that a product hasn’t had everyone to chip in to some degree or level, which is great because as a business it means everyone has an opinion.
On that point of design development, how does a PINCH piece start its life?
RP: We work very well together, so often Oona will say she envisages something vague like part a particular fashion design mixed in with an artist and also a bit of a building that we saw on the side of a road, and I will know pretty closely what Oona is describing.
There’s always going to be a margin of error - so someone says “I think it should be green” and you go “yeah it should be green” and then you’re thinking of a completely different colour - but we both have this thing where I understand what Oona is saying and we play it back off each other.
In a way, that 10% of the unknown feels like the most exciting bit because that’s where Oona will go “ooh I didn’t quite mean it like that, but that’s interesting” or the flipside where I go “oh I didn’t think you meant that colour!”
OB: The “brief,” as it were, starts with a conversation, and then your sketch is done quite quickly because you don’t like sketching much do you?
RP: No it’s the weakest thing I do in terms of bringing the design to life.
That’s really interesting because when you look at something like the Wallis, it’s all flowing lines and curves so one would immediately imagine that comes from a sketch
RP: It would of definitely have started with a sketch of some sort, but that would have been so rough that it doesn’t mean anything to anybody apart from me in my head. Then it’s between me Tom and Mike to start modelling things - whittling bits of wood, sanding corners, ripping them off and then sticking them back on. It’s a constant dialogue between Oona and I. It never gets right to end and we think “oh no Oona!”
OB: I think also that transition from 2D to 3D is huge, so much can change. We’re both quite impatient and want to express what we are thinking of quite quickly, so model making is a complete fast track. We have 14 different manufacturers that make for us, so even if you do the best drawing in the world if they can’t get to grips with it’s worthless.
But when you’re model making there’s nowhere to hide. There’s a lot of finessing isn’t there, because then we go into the real territory of taking a millimetre off here, taking one off there. I like a millimetres difference, don’t I?
RP: Oh god you do!
How many prototypes were there say for the Wallis?
RP: Well that’s slightly different because it’s the only piece that we don’t make full size before we go into production, so all the other pieces, well not all of them but a lot of them, we attempt to make a full-size model in our tiny workshop. It’s only things like card, wood and a real combination of materials, nothing pretty but we all know what we’re looking at and again there are no surprises when you get your first prototype.
So for the Wallis, we couldn’t make the piece but we did a full-size drawing, which is the next best thing. It’s a massive piece of paper with a full-size drawing of the sofa and the reason for that is you can pin it up against the wall and get a better idea of the silhouette.
There's definitely a PINCH signature style, but could either of you pinpoint your main influences or design heroes?
RP: The good thing about our style is that everybody sees it in a different light. To some people, it’s very Scandinavian and then others will say it’s British, very classical or very contemporary etcetera, etcetera. I think the strength is that despite that eclecticism our designs always manage to hold onto that PINCH handwriting.
OB: Regarding influences, it likewise varies from piece to piece. There’s some Flemish style, then there’s Georgian panelling and then there’s mid-century inlay, so it’s is a bit mad. I also think it is true to say that it all comes back to one main focal point and that is strong shape, texture and craft.
So many of us go to the high street to buy whatever and we just buy it for immediate need. I mean why would you consider the resources that have gone into a piece from cutting the timber to the oxygen needed just to grow the trees.
We know we’re in the business of putting more stuff into the world and using up resources by doing so, but we should do it a bit more respectfully and honestly.
RP: Whether it’s in our studio or in Heal’s stores, I hope it does come across that every element of this furniture has been made with passion and really from the heart. There’s nothing that doesn’t really matter. It’s the same with our whole team, everyone who works with us.
There’s a real commitment to making sure that this stuff is made really well, it’s not because they just won’t get paid it’s because, like us, they want it to be perfect.
OB: Our manufacturers love making our stuff. We get Christmas cards from them and they are so delighted that they are making such classically crafted furniture.
RP: We do get quite a lot of feedback, and it’s really interesting that people bother to take the time. A lady who bought a cabinet from us wrote to recently saying “the best thing is I walk down the stairs every morning and it just makes me smile.”
That is just some of the best feedback. It’s like what a wonderful thing for someone to tell you that basically, they felt the piece was uplifting.
You mentioned some of the suppliers you work with. Could you tell us a bit more about how the different elements of a PINCH piece are made?
RP: We have 14 suppliers in total and they all have very different skill sets. Even in the cabinet making shops, we have some who are good with solid wood and some who are good with painted lacquer. There are woodworkers who are solely specialists at turning wood, nothing else, and then you have people who are particularly good at volume.
The hardest part of our job is getting the design made to the quality that we need it and the price that we need. It comes back to what Oona was talking about earlier about needing layers of interest in a piece. I think some of that is achieved by not taking the easy option and building that through different skills and crafts.
OB: I think that’s what makes the difference, if we were purely a business we wouldn’t do that.
We’ve touched on the Wallis, but I wonder how does it feel to see the Yves Desk back at Heal’s after won the Heal’s Discovers prize way back in 2008?
OB: When it was all happening in 2008, the business felt quite young and the ambitions for the business were still sort of forming. It’s so important you have external forces saying you’re doing well and you’re not just a pair of nutters.
It was an acknowledgement that we needed early on in the business to know that we were heading in the right direction. It’s a piece that’s definitely continued to have relevance for us and will be a future heirloom for whoever takes it home.
Following on from Heal’s Discovers, what words of advice would you give to any designers starting out now?
OB: Stick to your guns!
RP: Yeah that is the most important thing.
OB: Also work closely with your makers because the product is just as much about how it’s made.
RP: It’s a partnership. The designer is not the designer, you know? They are just one part of the whole thing coming together. You must also create your own style. I mean it’s hard, none of it is easy and even when you have the most amazing designer in the world it can be really hard to get noticed and all the rest of it. But if you are really really good it will work.
Shop the full PINCH range and our new Spring / Summer 17 collections at Heal's online or in store.
One of the “faces” of London’s street art scene, we caught up with artist Anna Laurini to talk graffiti, Fornasetti and her latest exhibition at Heal’s Edizioni Italiane.
Born in Milan, Anna is well travelled having studied at studied at Central Saint Martins alongside regular jaunts to New York. The one constant throughout this journey has been her expressive paintings, the spontaneous brush strokes, bold lines and vibrant use of colour all recognisable trademarks of her work.
More recently Anna’s work has gained international recognition thanks in no small part to her “faces” series of street art dotted in and around central. A trip to Anna’s Finsbury Park home-come-studio only confirms her love for her practise.
Whether it’s a canvas, sketch or even the kitchen cupboards, paintings adorn every surface from floor to ceiling, the instantly recognisable motifs staring back at you from all angles. Having taking it all in, we sat down with a cup of espresso hot off the stove (naturally) ready to chat to Anna about her work as she fizzed around the room.
Your “face paintings” have become recognisable across London’s streets. How did you get into street art?
It was more by chance. A few years ago when I was hanging out in Shoreditch I would say to my friends that I kept seeing the same street art and graffiti around. They told me that if I was bored of seeing the same thing I should try it myself.
So, one evening I tried it out and it became an addiction! At the time I was also spending a lot of time going to and from New York due to my studies. In a sense the city itself became my art school, as there is so much creativity and artwork in the streets. I make sure to go at least once a year to absorb the vibes, the energy and recharge my creative batteries.
A number of your paintings are accompanied by quotes and sayings. Are you trying to get across a deeper meaning for each piece?
I’m not the best at expressing myself verbally, so I’m always on the look out for quotes from activists, writers and philosophers. When I read something that strikes me personally or I think like “that’s exactly how I feel” I note it down.
Then when I’m painting on the street the quote will pop into my head and I’ll make it a part of the piece. My dream is to write out a poem, but I think the police would probably come and catch me in the time it would take!
Have you ever got into trouble because of your street art?
It depends on the police. You do have to be careful about where you do it, say if it’s private property such as a house, which I obviously don’t do. I mainly paint on construction sites, but even then I understand the risks. I’ve been stopped a few times and given fines but that’s just the price of being an artist in London.
“My dream is to write out a poem, but I think the police would probably catch me”
Do you get many commissions from stores and galleries to create pieces in a similar style to street art?
Actually, yes! Some even provide me with those MDF wood panels you find around construction sites to replicate for their houses! They really like the texture and look, so it’s become a part of my work.
Tell us about how your paintings will feature as a part of Heal’s Edizioni Italiane?
I’m trying to make this body of work according to the same colour scheme and style of the designers featured in this season’s campaign. This combines not only my faces and figures but also my abstract paintings, pairing the artworks with different pieces of furniture from the collection.
You’re originally from Milan, what made you move to London?
I came here years ago to learn English and fell in love with London at first sight. So I stayed and did a two-week intensive course before I went back to Milan to save as much money as possible to come back and live here permanently.
Do you find your Italian roots play a part in your practice?
Well, Italy is aesthetically a very beautiful place both in terms of its natural scenery and architecture. My dad was also a bit of an artist, so growing up I was always surrounded by examples of beauty. Fornasetti was a big inspiration. He was a painter, sculptor and interior decorator and similar to me used the motif of the face of a woman.
“The beauty of Italy is that you can’t really go wrong.”
The Italian influence crops up in subtle ways. There’s this beautiful blue serum metallic that is made by an Italian brand and I’ve tried to find something similar here but it’s just not the same. I miss going into any shop in Italy to buy this particular blue, so when I go back every couple of months I fill up my luggage with it.
Finally, are there any places or hidden gems in Italy that you always tell your friends to visit?
The beauty of Italy is that you can’t really go wrong. Everywhere you go, you will always find something beautiful!
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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