You are invited …

Last autumn, after 25 years, I left behind a much-loved shared studio near Richmond Park to move to a chic urban environment in North Kensington.

I’ve arrived at Kindred Studios, a wonderful creative hub on the canal in W10, cycling distance from home – the ideal commute! With over 380 artists from across the world, it’s a vibrant community, a truly diverse span of creative talents all under one roof. I’m settled in and embracing the stimulation, the energy and ideas. Yet, it’s serene too. A light, calm, airy space to work in.

The change of environment has sparked new inspiration, created room for fresh vision, as well as prompting a literal clear-out! Through this process, I’ve let go of what no longer serves, while rediscovering treasured old materials, including fabric swatches and valuable offcuts of shaped wood. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with some of my very first designs and letting the craftswoman in me come out. Creative playtime!

During Open Studios I will be offering up some results of these experiments:

• PS Table (ask me what it stands for): fun trying something new, getting hands-on with this plywood console table, applying a specialist plaster from Italy to achieve a rough speckled-nettle finish. For a bold juxtaposition, I added traditional metal hinges from an old family glass table. Does it work?

• ‘New Curves’: a set of curved shapes created from a mould for a dark blue glass dining table: includes a curved dish, the bowl shape made from plywood with an applied finish. Its distinct deep reddish base is a fragment of rare Thuya burr wood (an African hardwood from the roots of the tree) from my collection.

I’ll have my photo books out too, with images from interior design work, along with a selection of other pieces, including a pair of Suri Lamps, fashioned from Indian print rolls; my signature Golden CURVE Bench; and a folding screen with seaweed and paper embedded in perspex.

As a designer maker, I move between the furniture and interiors space. My dream projects are when I connect the two, using a piece I have designed and making the space around it work. Please see some of my interior design projects such as Kensington and Chelsea.

I look forward to welcoming you to this vibrant space and sharing my work.

It’s always a joy to connect.

Credit: Photography by Marcus Peel

To love beauty...

“To love beauty is to see light ”

— Victor Hugo

The winter light in this elegant Victorian property, glinting through the sheer blinds on the floor-to-ceiling bay windows shows off its spacious beauty. The high ceilings and period cornicing lend it a majestic feel. First attracted by the grand interior architecture and beautiful space in this converted flat, minutes from Kensington Gardens, I was thrilled to be invited to take on its refurbishment.

Tasked with renovating the flat in preparation for an upmarket let, the aim was to give it an overall refresh and modernisation while celebrating its original features, allowing them to shine. Taking a classic approach, we went with a black and white colour scheme, making the most of the striking spiral staircase, accentuating its lines by painting the treads on the steps black to match the top of the curving banister rail. We picked that up with a black line across the tread on the step up to the landing outside the French doors, with a view onto the tree-lined street below.

For this ‘belle etage’, first floor flat, rather than expose the original wooden floors, we kept the carpet for soundproofing as well as for a warmer, cosier feel. The tall bay windows with French doors are a prominent focal point but were aging and in poor condition, so they were all replaced, in keeping with the original style. The clean, fresh new windows uplift and enhance the space, bringing in the light, arresting in their simplicity.

For the photoshoot, we maintained a neutral look, styling the room with black and white cushions, adding further interest and dashes of colour with a vase of flowers and earth-toned multi-coloured cushions. The gold-hued, metal-finished CURVE Bench, with its flowing sinuous lines, complements the spiral staircase and other lines throughout the room.

This project was a joy to work on with my team, as we brought to life the aesthetics of the space, celebrating its elegant lines, basking in its quiet aura, finding beauty in light.

For the full interior design project, View Kensington Gardens Gallery

Credit: Photography by Marcus Peel

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Books are ...

“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.”

— Anna Quindlen

Working on any project is a voyage of discovery. Design, like books, is a journey, a destination, a home – in the case of design, literally creating a physical space. For me, much of the beauty in a project comes from getting to know the client, from understanding not only the brief but who they are, where they’ve come from, their lifestyle, their needs – in other words, discovering their story.

This client - a busy working family who appreciates the aesthetics in life - actively engages with music, literature and the arts. Their grand piano thus takes pride of place amidst the library in this light, dynamic room, adding elegance with the crystal chandelier above it. A timeless design for a forever home.

Two desert photographs sparked the inspiration and vision for the room. Familiar with the client’s artwork, when I saw this empty space, I saw these two pictures across from each other. Fortunately, the client agreed, and their placement thus created the anchor for the room. It was natural, then, that we would design the bookshelves around the picture. The void opens up the space; the eye is then drawn from the photograph of the cactus directly across the room to the other desert landscape, creating a sense of movement and energy, with the piano adding its own beauty and vitality.

In my newsletter last summer, I spoke about the need for connection, to reengage with life, with friends and family, with places, after the long period of lockdown. While we are still re-emerging, finding a new sense of normality in April 2022, it is with a renewed sense of hope and joy that I enter this season of spring. New projects and exciting collaborations are on the horizon. I look forward to sharing those soon. In the meantime, I hope you too feel a sense of hope – and joy and anticipation for what connections and adventures lie ahead.

For a design consultation, please get in contact.

Credit: Photography by Marcus Peel