After much deliberation by judging panel, we finally agreed on the four designs that will form the Heal’s Discovers collection for 2014. We’re not revealing the pieces just yet, but we can introduce you to the designers behind the products.
First up, Ester Comunello, who grew up playing with the tools in her family’s wood carving workshop in rural Brazil. With a firm grip on these (and foreign languages, which were her first degree) she’s forging ahead in her design career…
Born in Treze Tílias, Brazil, Ester moved to the UK in 2004. She first studied Contemporary Furniture and Product design at Bucks New University, before joining the university’s MA programme, which she completed in January 2014.
Throughout her studies Ester worked on projects with companies including Ercol, Isokon, Corian, Gloster, Lago and All Lovely Stuff, and in 2012 she was a runner up at the Student Furniture Designer of the Year Award.
Going right in with a big question, how would you describe good design?
Good design is thoughtful design. It embodies well-considered materials and production processes, but also objects that fulfil their purpose, both functionally and emotionally.
Which Heal’s designer – from any era - inspires you and why?
Alex Hellum. His practical approach to design and honest use of materials make for timeless objects.
Where in the world have you been inspired?
Anything can trigger inspiration, but I feel particularly drawn to craft techniques and cultural aspects of Nordic countries; they feel exotic and fascinating to me.
Finally, and this doesn’t have to be design related, what are your three favourite things, and why?
My work, my family and my dog are the main driving forces in my life. They all entail a great deal of passion and commitment!
[ INSPIRATION ]
Behind the design
Heritage architectural details, picked out in deeply sophisticated primary hues... Daniel Heath’s collection for our Limited Edition designer cushion range have a tactile and timeless hand-drawn quality.
We made Daniel step away from the printing press, and clean the ink off his hands, to answer a few questions about his work…
Tell us about your design process Daniel… how do you get started?
I always begin each design idea with a theme and a narrative that will inspire the work. For the Heal’s collection I found myself cycling around London, looking at the striking Art Deco architecture that would sometimes be sitting relatively unnoticed above betting shops and pound shops.
I enjoy making historical references in my work as it allows me to learn whilst developing my imagery. When I’m gathering my research I’ll make a lot of notes and sketches along the way, figuring out how to translate what I’m looking at into something new.
How did you get involved with Heal’s Limited Editions?
I got involved with Heal’s through exhibiting at Tent London during London Design Week in 2013. I think that what I do aligns quite well with Heal’s ethos and also its history in supporting British design and manufacture.
Much of my work is bespoke, but because I make everything at my studio myself, I am able to sample new ideas and manufacture limited edition products myself. It’s part of the story. I print all of the cushion fronts myself in my studio, which is only a few miles from Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road.
I suppose the first textile I designed would have been at school in Eastbourne. I remember meticulously cutting out stencils depicting bottles and bunches of grapes ready to print onto a table cloth.
Everyone has very personal reaction to colour. Are there any colours you instinctively avoid?
I think colour just requires context. When I’m using colour in a design then it is important to try to balance it with another colour. When I am designing something, or printing a bespoke piece, then it is interesting to think about what else goes in that room.
I often balance bright or strong colours with materials that have a natural tactile quality, which is why I have enjoyed working with linen.
Do you have a design hero that influences your work?
I’m sure that I’m not alone in saying that my design hero is William Morris, but he was so much more than a designer. Morris had conviction about his product ethos and was powerful in driving forward his ideology, standing against the grain set by society at the time.
He pioneered the development of natural dyes, supported and promoted the use of craft skills and was an ardent campaigner for social change. My wife and I have recently moved to Walthamstow and have visited the William Morris Museum a good few times – it’s well worth a look.
Do you have any studio superstitions/ design quirks?
I have BBC 6 Music on all the time in my studio; it serves as my clock. Arrive at the studio and get started with Shaun Keaveny. When Lauren Laverne is on I should be working at full pace. When Radcliffe and Maconie come on then I should think about grabbing some lunch.
When Steve Lamacq comes on at 4pm, I hope I’m well under way and if I need to cycle anywhere to pick anything up, I’d better get a move on. When Marc Riley comes on at 7pm, I’ve either got to think about going home, or consider pulling a late night in the studio.
Finally, what three words would you use to describe your Limited Edition collection for Heal’s?
Modern Deco Opulence.
Previous Heal’s Discovers participants have had to work to a structured theme or brief – for instance, last year’s was all about Sustainability.
This year though, we decided not to send out a specified brief; we wanted to organically find a design or product that could be adapted to become a Heal’s product, without constraining the designers’ creativity.
The design did not have to be finalised and it didn’t need to be production-ready. It did, however, need to display a few core principals:
Innovation – whether in its design or the making process
An honest material process
The potential to be developed into a useful and commercial product Heal’s customers would want in their homes.
While visiting the three universities we’d selected to work with, I met as many of the designers as I could to discuss the projects they wanted to present to Heal’s. This gave me a clear idea of their products, vision and the process behind the product (you can read more about these visits in my last blog).
Without these conversations we couldn’t truly understand and appreciate the work. The presentations brought the ideas to life. As we weren’t limiting our shortlist to undergrads – designers who had graduated from our the chosen universities in the past three years were also eligible – several of the designers weren’t available to meet on campus.
These graduates had dispersed across the UK to work within creative industries, so they came to visit me on my home turf; the Heal’s Hub at our Tottenham Court Road flagship. It was fantastic to see such talented, engaging and enthusiastic designers who are all just starting their careers.
I was amazed at the breadth and diversity of designs I saw, which only made the next stage (making the final selection of designs) that much harder. Regardless of whether they made the final cut, I’m sure that all of the designers who made it to this stage will continue on to great things.
Back to the decision making… This was no easy task. First things first, tea and biscuits were needed. Lots of them. The first stage was to make sure that all the boxes were ticked:
Did the product fit in with the existing Heal’s collections?
Did it use our skilled manufacture base efficiently?
Can we get the product made in time for launch, which will be at this year’s London Design Festival?
Would the buying price be realistic?
Did the design have the WOW factor that’s the mark of Heal’s Discovers?
I got the list down to my Top 9, and then called in the reinforcements: the product experts on the buying team and the customer-focused viewpoint provided by our PR and Marketing team.
Their initial reactions to each design, coupled with their knowledge of our supplier base’s capabilities, were key to the final decision. After much deliberation we finally selected our final four designs. All that was needed now was the stamp of approval from our Creative Director, Carmel Allen, and Chairman, Will Hobhouse.
From here, it was onto the next exciting stage: working closely with the designers to develop their product to bring it to market. More of that on my next update…
Photo: Robert Greshoff greshoff.co.uk
Painterly, abstract and textural, Maxine Sutton’s designs bring a soft, playful feel to Heal’s Limited Edition cushion collection. We convinced the artist-turned-designer to take a tea break in her Margate studio, and chat to us about her work.
Tell us about your design process Maxine… how do you get started?
Day to day I do different things; I look, draw and doodle, take photos and collect clippings of images and sometimes colours and text. When I start a new body of work I take these collections of ideas, and bits of things in sketchbooks to the studio. Sometimes I’ll just begin with collage or watercolour and ink drawings.
I am not trained as a designer, my first degree is in Fine Art. Often my designed products evolve from the artworks I make where I am not constrained by the end use. I design mostly through making: get on the print table, start mixing colours and printing, then work between the print process and embroidery.
Talking about colour, everyone has very personal reaction to it. Are there any colours you instinctively avoid?
I struggle with purples and lavenders but, I never say never! I think it’s important to challenge your own habits and instincts sometimes, so who knows? Maybe one day I'll go through a purple phase…
Do you have a design hero that influences your work?
I look at a variety of sources for inspiration – it’s often paintings and fine art that move me. I love William Scott's paintings and Kiki Smith’s drawings and prints, but really my influences change all the time. For instance, I loved the interiors in Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel .
Are there any studio superstitions/ design quirks that you’re happy to share with us?
I am quite superstitious, but I can't think of any examples right now!
Tell us about the first textile you designed…
When I graduated, I sold some of my fine art prints as textile designs - painterly abstracts were on trend for fashion in the mid-80s. But technically my first textile was after art school; I was working in the West End as a stage hand, and I hand printed and sewed skateboard shorts with an abstract potato print, and sold them from a market stall.
The designs were quite influenced by Body Map and Keith Haring, and I’m sure the print was very crude. My boyfriend and I wore them when we went skating under the Southbank!
So how did you come to get involved with Heal’s Limited Editions?
I met Michelle Alger and Pia Benham a year or so ago when they visited my shop and studio space in Margate. Then, when I was showing at TENT London I met Caroline Dulko, and while we were chatting we discussed a Limited Edition range for Heal’s.
It was really exciting for me, as I'd rather work on small-batch collections, keeping the making and production in house or close by. I think Heal’s really understands craftspeople, and it’s so good to work with a company that champion hand-making and traditional / contemporary craft skills.
Finally, what three words would you use to describe your Limited Edition collection for Heal’s?
Tactile, Tasty (colour combinations), Tickled (pink)! (I hope the colour, print and tactile qualities give off a happy vibe, tickled is a good word for happy…)
We think that’s cheating Maxine, but we’ll let it go!
Bright, bold and inspired by the ever-changing face of Indian street culture, Kangan Arora’s textiles make a vibrant addition to our Limited Edition cushion collection this spring.
We caught up with the designer in her studio to find out about the ideas behind the screens…
Tell us about your design process Kangan… how do you get started?
I start with hundreds of photos I have taken of things that inspire me – it could be windows, people, buildings, markets… Then I abstract forms and motifs from one, colour from another and roughly put them together.
A lot of the designing actually happens on the go in the studio; when I have put two or three patterns I’m happy with on silkscreen, I just have a play around to see how they work together and in which colour combinations.
This experimentation and happy accidents are really the fun part of the whole process – it’s like unwrapping presents and never knowing what you might receive next.
Everyone has very personal reaction to colour. Are there any colours you instinctively avoid?
I tend to work with quite bold fresh colours as they resonate more with me in terms of where I’m from and what I’m trying to achieve; vibrant prints and patterns reminiscent of the whirlwind India that I left behind.
The colours that I avoid are perhaps more muted, muddy autumnal colours, such as olive greens and rusty terracottas –there are plenty of other designers who occupy themselves with that end of the spectrum!
Talking of other designers, do you have a design hero that influences your work?
I haven’t any one particular hero but, of the artists and designers I identify with, Marimekko, David Hockney, Doshi Levien and Sonia Delauney all resonate strongly with me. Mostly because of the integral role colour plays in their work; it’s thrilling and invigorating.
Do you have any studio superstitions/ design quirks?
I’m convinced my industrial sewing machine (that I share with my studio partner Jonna Saarinen) is possessed – it has a mind of its own and continues to function unassisted so I use my trusted domestic Janome even if it takes me twice as long to sew the cushions! I also like to add a neon something to pretty much everything I design (for good luck)… luckily my swing tags are a vibrant neon pink!
Tell us about the first textile you designed…
The first fully formed textile I designed was called Cows; it was inspired by an encounter with a narrow street jam-packed full of cattle on a trip to the holy city of Varanasi. The scared cow roaming the streets is such a clichéd yet memorable image for many visitors to India, it seemed an ideal subject matter to immortalise in a contemporary design. I used screen print, flock and machine embroidery to bring them to life as a cushion. They still bring a smile to my face…
From there, how did you get involved with Heal’s Limited Editions collection?
A few years ago I actually used to work in the textiles department at Heal’s Tottenham Court Road. I learnt so much about the personality and character that beautiful fabrics have - it’s an almost intangible quality that attracts people.
Heal’s has a long and illustrious history of supporting emerging design talent and commissioning unique textiles. Creating this limited collection was not only a chance to enjoy the great patronage and support of such an iconic institution, it also felt like coming full circle for me.
Finally, what three words would you use to describe your Limited Edition collection for Heal’s?
Colourful, Handcrafted, Quirky.
To recap: this year’s Heal’s Discovers process is a little different to usual. Rather than waiting to see this emerging talent at graduate shows and design exhibitions, alongside every other retailer, Heal’s has gone direct to the place where the real action happens; into the workshops and studio spaces of Universities. My mission was to find an innovative design, with the potential to match Heal’s ethos of high-quality craftsmanship. I was looking for design that could potentially become a future Heal’s classic, which might remain in our collection for years to come. I feel that working with designers who understand and exploit the natural properties and potential of materials, as well as the manufacturing techniques available to them, is integral to creating a commercially viable design with longevity.
With this in mind it seemed natural to seek out the university courses with this same ethos at their heart. Utilising the expertise of the course tutors (they know their students best) I began the search for current and recently graduated designers, creating a shortlist of around five from each university. It was important to me to get a glimpse of where the next generation of designers work and are inspired and, more importantly, to talk to them face to face. So, once the shortlist was decided, I ventured out beyond the reach of the London underground and off around the UK.
First stop was not too far afield: Kingston University and their BA (Hons) Product & Furniture Design course. The course focuses on two key areas: conceptual creative thought and first-hand practical experience of materials and manufacturing techniques. The Students have access to a multitude of workshops and machinery, from CNC machines to a metal forge and ceramics room. The three-year course provides students with invaluable direct experience and understanding of materials and technologies (they even have a materials Library). For those who go on to create a career in design, this is extremely important. I soon discovered that the idea of ‘Intelligent Making’ is at the core of the projects undertaken here.
My next journey took me three hours out of London via GNER, past the Angel of the North into Newcastle to visit Northumbria University. The Design department is based on a six-year-old campus site with gleaming new buildings. Inside it’s no different; alongside the bandsaws and (very tidy) hand tools are 3D printers and computerised milling machines. I took the opportunity to see the studio spaces of all three years of the 3D Design: Furniture & Product course, meeting up individually with some of the 3rd year students as well as the PHD and Northumbria Designers in Residence participants. This is a fantastic initiative that offers the University’s support and facilities to help a select few to break into the design business. Many of Northumbria’s past DIR have gone on to become success stories – some have established design studios that have been part of past Heal’s Discovers. I was really impressed with the buzz of creativity and the enthusiasm with which the designers presented their projects to me. It was well past dark when I got back to London, but the day up north was well worth it.
My final journey took me into the historical heart of the furniture industry: High Wycombe. This area was most famous during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century, when many furniture factories were set up all over the town. Even though most of these companies have since declined, some Heal’s manufacturers such as Ercol still flourish here.
It seems that Heal’s Discovers 2014 had arrived just in time at Bucks New University, whose BA (Hons) Furniture course is one of several that have now been closed for future applicants; a decision that was met with much opposition. Thankfully the MA Art & Design Practice: Furniture Design and BA (hons) Furniture Design & Make, which are affiliated with City of Oxford College, still remain. Bucks New University is a mix of tradition and modernity from the mid-century style workshops to the brand new angular extensions that have popped up on site. After a tour of the huge workshops here, the shortlisted students each presented their designs to me. Mostly this was done in person, but some students living further afield shared their projects and vision via Skype! Each fully working prototype was available for me to touch and test out. It’s always good to see a idea that’s been physically realised, so this was incredibly valuable.
During these three visits I was shown a huge range of products, from lighting to furniture, which were showcased at all stages of the design process, from sketches to full-scale prototypes. With all my images gathered and the shortlisted designers’ presentations complete, the really hard task begins. It’s time to choose the finalists…
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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