Tag: New Designers
Heather Scott’s wall-mounted plant stand elevates the humble houseplant
Designer-maker Heather Scott has created a wall-mounted plinth to display plants, working with Falmouth based plant studio and shop Toro. The brief was to change the way that house plants are presented, moving them from floor or tabletop to eye level by somehow affixing them to the wall. “My inspiration for the Toro…
Sarah Fennell designs textiles from 3D collages
“Every print begins with a series of relief sculptures which I create from found objects and ephemera which I think have an interesting form or texture. I look for interesting shadows and the way objects interact with each other when carefully curated and composed. I am constantly building my library…
Bethany Stafford designs building blocks for grown-ups
Bethany ‘s sculptural collection of ceramic block forms, entitled Brutalist Inspired Ceramics, comes in a range of contrasting and complementary colours, ranging from orange and petrol blue, to mid-grey and putty. The individual ‘Block Forms’ are bound with ‘Banded Forms’ (coloured elastic bands) that create bright compositions. Taking her inspiration…
Emily Wiles turns a love of textiles into fluid ceramic forms
Emily Wiles has used her background in textiles to create a series of delicate porcelain pieces that take on the form of softly draped material. The folding and draping process used in textile and garment construction is the starting point for each piece, making every one unique. The decorative pieces…
Violeta Kozlova’s jewellery releases perfume as it moves
Violeta Kozlova’s work focuses on traditional methods of crafting jewellery, creating folded, metal shapes in geometric forms. Once soldered into shape, each is powder-coated in either white, light or dark grey, and then finished with gold or silver leaf. Her first collection comprises pendants, rings, bangles, brooches and earrings. All one-off pieces,…
Life drawing influences Samantha McNamara’s Ink ceramics
Comprising a series of thrown clay vessels and dishes, Samantha McNamara’s collection is available in a range of mini coloured clusters in white, blue, violet, green and blush. Each colour-way combines the muted hues with a contrasting band or line, which enables them to work independently or as a collection…
interview :: domaas/høgh
Domaas/Högh will be exhibiting at 100% Norway as part of the London Design Fair 22 – 25 September 2016. Register for your ticket here.
Francesca Moutafis makes six ceramic forms from two moulds
The new designer’s graduate collection, entitled Ambiguous Tableware, comprises six different clay vessels, each available in one of three earthy colours, and glazed on the inside only. As a group, they resemble archetypal tableware, but individually their simple, open forms defy definition, enabling the user to determine the function of each. Francesca’s research into ceramics,…
Olivia Post’s interactive light is inspired by a spinning top
The spun copper and turned oak lamp has been designed to be positioned in two ways – either resting on the wooden part and directing ambient light upwards, or resting on the metal part and directing task lighting downwards. In either position its rounded form means that the user can revolve…
Katherine Plumb’s textiles are inspired by playgrounds
Collarged is a collection of 17 printed textile designs featuring oversized abstract forms in bright primary colours inspired by playgrounds, skate parks and climbing walls. “This collection works to inject a feeling of recreation into interior environments through the use of strong, graphic pattern and placement,” the surface pattern designer…
Day Design Co’s ceramics are imprinted with wood grain
Forest of Ceramics is a collection of vessels made from semi-porcelain casting slip and decorated by hand. Because Daisy uses locally-sourced timber to create the grain pattern in the clay, each piece is unique. When the collection is arranged in a group, the reason for its title becomes clear, especially as each…
Holly Kemp’s ceramic collection is based on three simple forms
The final forms each incorporate a strong angle sitting either inwards or outwards, allowing multiple pieces to sit together in pairs or sets. The considered proportions, each with the same datum line, highlight the geometry further. The controlled, minimal aesthetic is off-set by the soft pastel shades Holly has used to present the…
Emma Graney’s lights pair cast concrete with hand-blown glass
Taking inspiration from both nature and architecture, Emma Graney created the lamps’ block-form bases in three simple geometric shapes, off-set by fragile glass shades. The use of the traditional filament bulb, also available in a variety of different styles, adds a layer of warmth to the design and juxtaposes the…
Prototyping perfects George Riding’s graduate collection
New Designers is an annual showcase of graduate work and a key event in the Summer calendar, where I spend a huge amount of time scouting for new talent, being inspired, and talking to graduates about their work, as well as their plans and aspirations after leaving the confines of…
Natalie Wood intertwines form and function
The things we do on a daily basis, the individual routines we go through every day, are often governed by our own quirks and needs, but there is something to be said for cultural influences too. The everyday culture of use is something that ceramic designer Natalie J Wood uses…
out and about :: new designers 2016
New Designers Week One focuses on craft – mostly ceramics and textiles – and Week Two focuses on product and furniture design. This year the standard was exceptionally high – here are our founding editor and roaming reporter Katie Treggiden’s top picks…
Forest+Found use nature to guide their craft
Kate Brewer, founder of Look Like Love, profiles a different new designer every week. With the tagline “support, nurture, promote” echoing confessions of a design geek’s own “discover, champion and inspire” and a similar commitment to advocating for emerging talent, the parallels between Look Like Love and confessions of a design…
interview :: gabriel tan
With thanks to Beton Brut for the images with coloured backgrounds and to Charlie Schuck for the images with white backgrounds and for those of the Shaker village. The products pictured are: Stove Chair and Domino Peg Rail, Brethren Bench, Brethren Door Stops, Petal Baskets and Handle Stool – all…
Charles Dedman’s reinvents traditional crafts
As a designer myself, I know what a challenge it can be to come up with new ideas – and sometimes the imagery and ‘inspiration’ at every turn just makes it worse. The days of the excitement and anticipation of waiting your turn to thumb through the latest edition of Frame magazine are…
Kneip’s driftwood sculptures were inspired by the Norwegian coast
The region’s tourist authority invited Kneip to visit last May, and to make a short film (below) while they were there. They decided to use the opportunity to find inspiration for a new work of art. “The final product from this project will be a direct result of the material…
Clerkenwell Design Week adopts new ‘spine’ layout
Having written an article for the Clerkenwell Post about the ‘masterplan’ for 2016’s Clerkenwell Design Week, confessions of a design geek editor Katie Treggiden was better placed than most to navigate the new ‘spine’ layout of this year’s festival, so forewarned and forearmed, she set out to explore the show,…
interview :: ann kristin einarsen
Norwegian artist and designer Ann Kristin Einarsen launched Stilleben (above) as part of Structure, an exhibition of contemporary Norwegian craft and design in Milan’s Ventura Lambrate last month. confessions of a design geek caught up with her to find out more about her practice… What’s the most important thing to…
Catherine MacGruer turns collage into knitted textiles
As well as the key graduate events that happen each Summer, New Designers, D&AD New Blood and Free Range, there are several exhibitions and trade showcases that enable emerging designers to present their collections, sometimes for the first time to potential buyers placing crucial first orders, as well as the…
Design Museum announces 2016 Designers in Residence
London’s Design Museum has announced the ninth cohort of new designers to benefit from its annual Designers in Residence programme. The four are Alix Bizet, Clementine Blakemore, Andrea de Chirico and Rain Wu. The designers will spend the next four months responding to the theme of Open, culminating in an…
interview :: sverre uhnger
Norwegian designer Sverre Uhnger launched Trace, a collection of wooden platters, as part of Structure, a showcase of contemporary Norwegian craft and design in Milan’s Ventura Lambrate. confessions of a design geek editor Katie Treggiden was intrigued by the juxtaposition of craft and modern technology in his collection, and caught up…