Amelia’s Magazine | Royal College of Art MA Degree Show 2011 Review: Textile Design

Emma Lundgren by Natasha Waddon
Emma Lundgren by Natasha Waddon.

Textiles were displayed amongst product design at the Royal College of Art 2011 degree show – fitting, health as many textile designers showed practical applications for their textiles on cushions, trunks, tables and more.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Emma Shipley RCA MA degree show 2011-Emma Shipley RCA MA degree show 2011-Emma Shipley RCA MA degree show 2011-Emma Shipley RCA MA degree show 2011-Emma Shipley
Emma Shipley had produced an intricate print collection from fine pencil drawings that captured the patterns of nature… and some curious beasties. I’d love some of this on my wall… Follow Emma Shipley on Twitter.

Emma Lundgren by Sophia O'Connor
Emma Lundgren by Sophia O’Connor.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Emma LundgrenRCA MA degree show 2011-Emma LundgrenRCA MA degree show 2011-Emma Lundgren
I loved Emma Lundgren‘s Scandinavian inspired collection of brightly coloured costume and accessories. Think traditional Sami costume meets the rainbows of the Northern Lights. Lapland reworked for the modern age. Follow Emma Lundgren on Twitter.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Yunshin Cho
I liked the striking surface patterns of Yunshin Cho‘s print, based on the skeleton of a ship. It reminds me of wood laminate and 50s design classics. But her website on her business card doesn’t work… hopefully soon?

RCA MA degree show 2011-Rachel Philpott
Rachel Philpott chose a more avante garde approach: cotton covered with glitter and folded into intricate origami shapes. I don’t know how she did it but it was pretty amazing.

Thorunn Arnadottir by Natasha Waddon
Thorunn Arnadottir by Natasha Waddon.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Thorunn Arnadottir RCA MA degree show 2011-Thorunn Arnadottir
Thorunn Arnadottir chose that favourite contemporary source of inspiration the QR code, beading it into this amazing dress. Follow Thorunn Arnadottir on twitter.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Lauren Barfoot
Dresses printed by Lauren Barfoot hung wafting in the light breeze near the window – dominated by orange and purple shades these designs were inspired by Matisse and Fauvism. She’s well up on Twitter. Go follow her.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Kit Miles
Kit Miles collided classical baroque with digital music for these bold graphical prints.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Hannah Sabapathy
An exploration between the natural and manmade was also the basis for Hannah Sabapathy‘s collection – seen here on an architectural side table.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Jonna Saarinen
Jonna Saarinen of Finland brought a Scandinvian sensibility to her Hundreds and Thousands print collection that was display to great affect on picnic ware and table cloths. Follow Jonna Saarinen on Twitter.

RCA MA degree show 2011-David Bradley
David Bradley explored printing and pleats in some extraordinary dresses. Best appreciated for their technical expertise close up.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Kitty Joseph
Kitty Joseph created saturated colour prints in Colour Immersion.

RCA MA degree show 2011-Marie Parsons RCA MA degree show 2011-Marie Parsons
Lastly, Marie Parsons used traditional stitched quilting as the basis for her final piece – a brightly coloured trunk that juxtaposed digital embroidery and laser cutting of latex on hard and soft surfaces. Her collection was influenced by East End building sites, Mykonos Town and Paris flea market finds.

The RCA Graduate Show continues until 3rd July so I highly recommend that you check it out soon, and get on board with my other write ups.

Categories ,2011, ,50s, ,baroque, ,Beading, ,Colour Immersion, ,contemporary, ,cushions, ,David Bradley, ,digital, ,Emma Lundgren, ,Emma Shipley, ,EmmaEvaCaroline, ,Fauvism, ,finland, ,Graduate Shows, ,Hannah Sabapathy, ,Hundreds and Thousands, ,Jonna Saarinen, ,Katherine Joseph, ,Kit Miles, ,Kitty Joseph, ,Lapland, ,Lauren Barfoot, ,Marie Parsons, ,matisse, ,Natasha Waddon, ,Neon, ,Northern Lights, ,origami, ,print, ,Product Design, ,QR code, ,Quilting, ,Rachel Philpott, ,rca, ,Royal College of Art, ,Sami, ,Scandinavian, ,Sophia O’Connor, ,Stitching, ,Textile Design, ,textiles, ,Thorunn Arnadottir, ,traditional, ,Trunk, ,twitter, ,Yunshin Cho

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2012: 12 Top Kitchenware Designs

productofyourenvironment jammie dodger plate
I’ve brought you the best cushions, the best mugs and the best tea towels, and now here is the best of the rest of the homewares I found whilst scouring craft fairs and the web for interesting and unique gifts.

If you love slightly kitsch tableware you’ll love these Jammie Dodger biscuit serving plates, created by product designer Rebecca Chitty of productofyourenvironment.

lucentia plastic bowls
I am a little bit in love with these unusual marble effect bowls made out of recycled material originally used for sunglasses frames: created by Lucentia using an innovative in-house process. These awesome bowls are sent out within a week so get ordering.

Jim Bob art Mr Fox coffee cups
Jim Bob Art is still hard at work creating his amazing animal plates, but he is also now hand painting these brilliant sets of coffee cups: which work to perfection when stacked. He is currently holding court in his own shop on Columbia Road, so why not visit in the run up to Christmas?

Lush designs vegetable oven gloves
I’ve already mentioned Lush Designs once but I’m going to mention them again because their quirky print designs are right up my street. I love these vegetable oven gloves – sprouts, carrots and beetroot make such a great seasonal colour combo.

mini modem plates
You can always count on Mini Moderns for a slice of great design: check out these marvellous backgammon tea plates.

Silicone-Trivets-Royal VKB Haus London
Recently discovered: I love Smak, Grum, Blub and Slisss silicone animal shaped trivets by Ontwerperk at Haus London – based on pre-historic rock art. One to please the men too I think.

Grande Dame Madam & Eve Limited Edition Porcelain Dinner Plate
For beautiful decorative porcelain plates I always come back to the inimitable designs of Burnt Offerings by Grande Dame: Tiff McGinnis is an American expat and in honour of New York recognising same sex marriage she has created this wonderful range of plates. Choose from Madam and Eve or Adam and Steve. Get 30% off using the code SANTASALE before Dec 20th!

london plane chopping boards by Hampson Woods
Also in stock at Haus London are these beautiful wooden chopping boards created in a Hackney workshop by Hampson Woods from fallen London Plane trees. Gloriously smooth and sexy to the touch (I’m not making it up, I’ve touched one). Each board comes with a tag explaining the provenance of the tree it came from.

rob-ryan-set-of-4-this-was-our-place-china-plates
Rob Ryan of course deserves a mention, now that he designs such a wide range of ceramic wares. I particularly like this set of four plates titled ‘This Was Our Place‘, available at Soma Gallery.

marcus walters tray howkapow
And to round off my tips for fabulous kitchenware purchases: three beautiful laminated wooden trays, all made from sustainably sourced Scandinavian birch wood. The biggest tray is a retro design by Marcus Walters for Howkapow.

mouse tray by darling clementine soma gallery
Or try this sweet mouse tray by Darling Clementine at Soma Gallery.

Jonna Saarinen Wooden Breakfast and Picnic Trays
And to round off my selection: pick one of these fabulous abstract neon splatter designs by Swedish RCA graduate Jonna Saarinen.

Stay tuned: more to come soon!

Categories ,Adam and Steve, ,Blub, ,Burnt Offerings, ,ceramics, ,Chopping board, ,Christmas, ,Columbia Road, ,Craft Fair, ,Darling Clementine, ,gifts, ,Grande Dame, ,Grum, ,hackney, ,Hampson Woods, ,Haus London, ,Homeware, ,Howkapow, ,Jammie Dodger, ,Jim Bob Art, ,Jonna Saarinen, ,Kitchen, ,Kitchenware, ,London Plane, ,Lucentia, ,Lush Designs, ,Madam and Eve, ,Marcus Walters, ,Mini Moderns, ,Ontwerperk, ,Plates, ,productofyourenvironment, ,rca, ,Rebecca Chitty, ,recycled, ,rob ryan, ,Silicone trivet, ,Slisss, ,Smak, ,Soma Gallery, ,Sunglasses, ,sustainable, ,This Was Our Place, ,Tiff McGinnis, ,Wooden tray

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | Book Review: SuperMarket Sarah Wonder Walls by Sarah Bagner

Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
Sarah Bagner has come up with a killer idea: walls as showcase, as vertical space where things are not just stacked inconsiderately but placed with love to admire. Since 2009 this former advertising creative has been fetishising the humble wall on her Supermarket Sarah website. On the website she puts together colourful displays as a way to sell stuff in a visually appealing way: it’s a model that has led to many fun collaborations with a host of top brands, including Selfridges, Rob Ryan and Tatty Devine (read our review of the latter launch party here).

Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
Now Sarah Bagner has written a book, aptly titled Wonder Walls. But the book, it turns out, is about so much more than walls. In it she meets eclectic home owners who’ve got an eye for arresting displays: and without a product to sell it’s the personal clutter of a full creative life that has become king… on shelves, in cabinets, hanging from the ceiling, laid out in ornamental table displays. I love an amazing arrangement of lampshades and chandeliers that dangle over a simple wooden kitchen table in Christopher Kelly‘s abode.

Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
What binds the book together is Sarah’s unique voice: her choice of subjects are unashamed maximalists, as witnessed in the extremely packed shelves of librarian Ilse Runow Raihle (which probably best reflects my own magpie like approach to interior *ahem* design.) The book actually visits just a few creative types who live with their stuff out in the open.. and there is so much of it that you’re still touring the same house a dozen pages later. As a design aesthetic this book is inspiration to all of us who fail to live up to our inner minimalist ideals. Yes, it says, embrace the accumulated clutter and the strange collections… let it all hang out and damn the dust.

Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
Supermarket Sarah Wonder walls book review
SuperMarket Sarah Wonder Walls by Sarah Bagner is available from Amazon and all good bookshops.

Visit Sarah Bagner‘s Supermarket Sarah website to find lots of unique items to buy, especially in the run up to Christmas. I particularly like bright tea towels and printed cushions by Jonna Saarinen (who I spotted at last year’s RCA graduate show). The site is a good place to find exotic one offs, for example props by Lord Whitney, and of course our very own Maria Papadimitriou hosts a wall where you can buy her unique Plastic Seconds upcycled jewellery.

Categories ,Book Review, ,Christopher Kelly, ,Cico Books, ,Ilse Runow Raihle, ,Jonna Saarinen, ,Lord Whitney, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Plastic Seconds, ,rob ryan, ,Sarah Bagner, ,Selfridges, ,Supermarket Sarah, ,Tatty Devine, ,Wonder Walls, ,Wonderwalls

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | Bust Craftacular: Christmas Gift Ideas 2013

Georgia Bosson textiles

Last year I missed out on the Bust Craftacular, but this year I was able to whip around this buzzy annual event, held at the York Hall. I was very glad I made it, since this is a great place to discover new designers. My first find was these lovely hand screen printed textiles by Georgia Bosson, who is also working with upcycled felted fabrics for her new range of cushions. Bright and lovely! She’s only just launched her own business this year but I predict good things.

Haruko Miyauchi reindeer christmas card

I adored these hand cut reindeer cards by Haruko Miyauchi so much I bought two. £3.50 each: ridiculously underpriced and I told her so. Her first foray into selling designs!

Akiuc Design- bunny print

She was sharing a stand with her friend Aki Ueda Castellani, the lady behind Akiuc Design. Her animal prints are adorable (see also the pink horse in previous picture) – I just wish these ladies had a better online presence. So does my instagram feed.

Lydia Leith christmas lights coffee cup

Such fun; this Christmas lights coffee cup is by Lydia Leith – I wish Tim did not already have so many to choose from, or I would have swiped this up as a gift in double quick time.

Rosie Wonders prints

These lovely prints are by Rosie Wonders, who is currently hosting a pop up shop at Boxpark. Do make sure you visit for lots of pretty pretty things that would make ideal gifts for Christmas.

James Brown prints

If you prefer your artwork a bit bolder, how about these ace animal prints by James Brown, who goes by the moniker of James Prints on his social media feeds.

Jonna Saarinen mirrors

Scrumdiddlyumtious textiles by Jonna Saarinen and Kangan Arora were piled high on their table. This talented pair met on their degree course at Central Saint Martins and currently share a studio and a screen printing table in Brixton. Delicious.

Pygmy Cloud christmas decorations

Cute as. Christmas tree decorations by Pygmy Cloud were beautifully displayed on a stand that was bursting with plushies and other well designed goodies.

Tasha Brown lasercut heart with birds

Finally, these pretty laser cut birds in a heart are by recent Leeds surface design graduate Tasha Brown. I can’t wait to see how she develops her line, which is currently available on etsy.

Follow me on instagram to share in my favourite design finds in real time.

Categories ,Akiuc Design, ,Bust Craftacular, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Christmas, ,Georgia Bosson, ,Gift ideas, ,Haruko Miyauchi, ,James Brown, ,James Prints, ,Jonna Saarinen, ,Kangan Arora, ,Lydia Leith, ,Pygmy Cloud, ,review, ,Rosie Wonders, ,Tasha Brown, ,UK, ,York Hall

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | Bust Craftacular: Christmas Gift Ideas 2013

Georgia Bosson textiles

Last year I missed out on the Bust Craftacular, but this year I was able to whip around this buzzy annual event, held at the York Hall. I was very glad I made it, since this is a great place to discover new designers. My first find was these lovely hand screen printed textiles by Georgia Bosson, who is also working with upcycled felted fabrics for her new range of cushions. Bright and lovely! She’s only just launched her own business this year but I predict good things.

Haruko Miyauchi reindeer christmas card

I adored these hand cut reindeer cards by Haruko Miyauchi so much I bought two. £3.50 each: ridiculously underpriced and I told her so. Her first foray into selling designs!

Akiuc Design- bunny print

She was sharing a stand with her friend Aki Ueda Castellani, the lady behind Akiuc Design. Her animal prints are adorable (see also the pink horse in previous picture) – I just wish these ladies had a better online presence. So does my instagram feed.

Lydia Leith christmas lights coffee cup

Such fun; this Christmas lights coffee cup is by Lydia Leith – I wish Tim did not already have so many to choose from, or I would have swiped this up as a gift in double quick time.

Rosie Wonders prints

These lovely prints are by Rosie Wonders, who is currently hosting a pop up shop at Boxpark. Do make sure you visit for lots of pretty pretty things that would make ideal gifts for Christmas.

James Brown prints

If you prefer your artwork a bit bolder, how about these ace animal prints by James Brown, who goes by the moniker of James Prints on his social media feeds.

Jonna Saarinen mirrors

Scrumdiddlyumtious textiles by Jonna Saarinen and Kangan Arora were piled high on their table. This talented pair met on their degree course at Central Saint Martins and currently share a studio and a screen printing table in Brixton. Delicious.

Pygmy Cloud christmas decorations

Cute as. Christmas tree decorations by Pygmy Cloud were beautifully displayed on a stand that was bursting with plushies and other well designed goodies.

Tasha Brown lasercut heart with birds

Finally, these pretty laser cut birds in a heart are by recent Leeds surface design graduate Tasha Brown. I can’t wait to see how she develops her line, which is currently available on etsy.

Follow me on instagram to share in my favourite design finds in real time.

Categories ,Akiuc Design, ,Bust Craftacular, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Christmas, ,Georgia Bosson, ,Gift ideas, ,Haruko Miyauchi, ,James Brown, ,James Prints, ,Jonna Saarinen, ,Kangan Arora, ,Lydia Leith, ,Pygmy Cloud, ,review, ,Rosie Wonders, ,Tasha Brown, ,UK, ,York Hall

Similar Posts: