Friday, 12 July 2013

Leandro Erlich: Dalston House!


If you have not been already and you are in, or coming to London, do go to this, it's wonderful! 
Be prepared to queue - and have a plan as you only get 5 minutes to be in the picture! The best interactive art piece I have encountered all year. 
 Dalston House by Leandro Erlich.
have a fab weekend in the sunshine everyone!
 

Sunday, 16 June 2013

Rugs Competition

I was invited to judge on this years Good Weave Student competition, with Katrina Burroughs known best for her 'How to Spend it' for the FT and Roger Oates, Paul Vowles from Woven Ground and Lucy and David from Jacaranda carpets. 


GoodWeave UK runs the annual Student Rug Design Competition to
encourage young designers to consider the importance of ethical
manufacture from the very start of their careers, highlighting GoodWeave’s work to end exploitative child labour in the rug industry. This year’s competition was co-sponsored by Jacaranda Carpets and WovenGround.

Paul and Roger deliberating.......

Working to a brief set by Roger Oates, students were asked to interpret fashion in order to design an elegant rug with a luxury feel. Charlotte took inspiration from the techniques used by Jonathan Saunders in his Ombré Collection and her research into colour blending, starling murmurations and reflections of sunlight on water led to her final design.

The  Competition has been won by Charlotte Wildsmith, a second year Textile Design student at De Montfort University, with her striking design below:





Charlotte’s design wooed us all!
I particularly was drawn to the colour range of Charlotte’s design as I found it striking, original and at the same time unusual. I can see it working in multiple settings with its eclectic colour and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how it translates into a rug!
Here are some other pieces which stood out for me from the student's work.....



I particularly loved this print below, which was in the student's back up material, and was not her final design. I loved this and would frame it and have it on my wall!  Sometimes it is about knowing when to stop with a design ... in this case less is more.


an example below of the type of boards and back up work that we received....

This was a strong contender - one can really imagine this as a completed  rug


Lucy and David checking the names of our shortlist.....



I loved this design which was again a lead up design to the final  piece, which in my view was stronger, I would love to see these subtle rainbow colours on grey, like oil on water....


Congratulations to all the entrants - and if you are a student reading this, be sure to check Good Weaves website for their next competition!




Wednesday, 29 May 2013

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013

Last week I had the pleasure of being a visitor to the Clerkenwell Design Week - (and not an exhibitor) I was joined by Paul Vowles from WovenGround, as we had both been judges at The Good Weave Rug competition that morning in the City. (I shall blog about that next week sometime, once the winner has been announced !!) so below I have added a few of my favourite things from my visit......




above and below are some close ups of Lubna Chowdhary's beautiful ceramic table tops, which were created after a conversation with Domus Tiles the manufacturers of the tops.


We then headed to the Farmiloe building where my favourite pieces were the lights .....


in glass and ceramics......



these lights were by Hand & Eye Studio .... lovely!


I dont know the name of these glass pendants, the colours were exquisite, so if anyone knows the designer and maker please let me know?



and the wonderful office rooms in the Farmiloe building, where I felt my wallet itch a bit!!! I found these beautiful earn like vessels that have been designed by Gone Rural for Shake The DustCombining waste fabrics from local textiles & sweet wrappers with the artisans’ native lutindzi grass & sisal fibre. I without doubt want 2 or 3 of them!




We then headed towards the House of Detention 
and these chairs designed by Assemble  were decorating the streets - the chairs are triangular and tessellating (and comfortable)- they can be stacked and reconfigured to make wonderful seating arrangements, for play, performance and of course....rest!



'sitting close' - triangles from triangles 



I think this little 'pop up' garden centre was created by some local school kids....


happy growing.... 





These cork based tetra sheds'  were in the garden's at St James's church... I particularly loved the one with the rug in, a nice small space for reading, yoga or photography as the natural light was excellent with the white walls and skylight top. 


this beautiful hand embroidered rug (by Arraiolo - made in Portugal) was in one of the Tetra sheds- beautiful colours, and of course all things geo grab my eye :-)


Monday, 6 May 2013

Vital Arts Printathon and Peepshow for the Royal London Hospital 2013!

Rainbow Flowers a series of 5 prints.

A sneak peak before they go off to the charity Vital Arts

 







These images were taken about 10 years ago now for a project that my glass designer friend Amy Cushing and I were working on at the time.
 
I have donated them to the charity Vital Arts for their printathon 2013 - to help uplift and brighten some hospital waiting and treatment rooms....

In their words:


Selected prints will be featured in an exhibition at the Royal London Hospital Vital Arts Gallery in Whitechapel and will then be installed for permanent display in consulting and treatment rooms for children attending appointments at the hospital. Artwork makes an enormous difference to children facing the stressful and frightening experience of attending hospital and it's a great chance for a huge audience to directly benefit from your work.

Vital Arts are doing great work in commissioning many artists and designers to enhance and lend their creative imagination to the Royal London Hospital in all areas, from the wards, to the halls and waiting areas, it's a treasure trove to behold!
 
happy bank holiday everyone ;-)
 

Friday, 3 May 2013

The Barbican Art Gallery Shop




A little reminder to those of you who live in, or are traveling to London in the next month, you might want to visit the current Duchamp exhibition which I talked about a bit in my BIKES post last month.

They also have a lovely selection of some of our products beautifully merchandised around their very cool shop.


 
The Bride and the Bachelors: Duchamp with Cage, Cunningham, Raushenberg and Johns.

runs until June 13

worth a visit ;-)
 
Art Gallery 
Barbican Centre 
Silk Street London 
EC2Y 8DS

x

Monday, 29 April 2013

SPRING SAMPLE SALE

Ella Doran Sample Sale 10-11 May 2013, Hackney London


























SPRING SAMPLE SALE 

We are having a spring sample sale now in May, with samples of established and new designs, wallpapers, cushions, trays, mats and coasters, mug, tins and stationary and more!

10-11 MAY

Fri 10am-7pm
Sat 11am-5pm


Ella Doran Design Ltd.
57a Lawford Road
Hackney
London N1 5BJ

Hope to see you there!