Surfacephilia does Modern Shows!

Last weekend I had a pitch at the lovely little event Modern Shows at Dulwich College, London. Backed by Time Out magazine, the crowd was a mix between young families having a day out and individuals who were clearly involved in industry. My wallpapers were greatly received especially after Saturdays feature in the Telegraph Magazine, where a ton of people recognised my Aubrey wallpaper from the day before.

I meet some very lovely customers and got to hang out with the happy chappies from Mini Moderns and Rachel Powell all day.

I also launched my new greetings card range, which is now up for sale on www.surfacephilia.co.uk

Feature in The Daily Telegraph Magazine!

Absolutely thrilled to have David Nicholls feature my Navajo wallpaper collection in The Daily Telegraph Magazine on Sat 17th March. What a great write up! Happy days.You can read the write up here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/interiorsandshopping/9142976/Design-notebook-Navajo-wallpaper-and-British-made-sofas.html

Rigwood Manor shoot - behind the scenes!

As promised in my earlier blog post - here are my behind the scenes snap shots of the Rigwood Manor photoshoot directed and photographed by wedding stationer Vicky Trainor | www.vickytrainor.co.uk and photographer Becky Mitchell | www.beckymitchell.co.uk

Such a great day, and having had the pleasure of styling the earlier shoot 'Ameryllis & Lace', I got to sit back, drink tea, eat cake, and watch the beauty unfold! The shoot has already been featured on one of the UK's biggest wedding blogs Love My Dress | http://www.lovemydress.net/blog/2012/02/rigwood-manor-vintage-inspired-wedding-reception-styling-ideas.html

Featured in this months Mollie Makes. 'Focus On Feathers' edition.

In the words of their own: 

'Mollie Makes is published thirteen times a year. We curate the best craft from around the world into a tactile, collectable and totally irresistible magazine. We love to make – handmade is more than just a hobby for us, it’s in everything we do. We can’t resist hunting down treasures in thrift stores, then customising, re-covering and embellishing our finds with our endless stash of ribbons, buttons, fabrics and felt. We’re forever on the lookout for new inspiration. Whatever we do, we’re living and loving handmade.’


♡ Making ♡ Thrifting ♡ Collecting ♡ Crafting

Behind the scene shots of 'Amaryllis & Lace' - A Styled Vintage Wedding Inspiration Shoot.

Earlier this week saw the release of the Amaryllis & Lace wedding shoot which I helped to style on behalf of wedding stationer Vicky Trainor | http://www.vickytrainor.co.uk/ & photographer Becky Mitchell | http://www.beckymitchell.co.uk/. The official photographs by Becky and interviews with Vicky have already been featured on some of the UK's top wedding blogs.

Most of the props came from Vicky's own home, and others coming from Northern Lights Interiors - a fabulous little treasure hove based in Saltburn which as a group of creatives, we all dip into from time to time for various shoots and projects.

Vicky asked me to stage the set as if it were the studio and living area of a bride to be, who herself was an artist or designer. Supplied to the hilt with bags and boxes of haberdashery goodies and wallpaper samples I decided to use one blank wall space to create a mood and research wall... something which is vital for all us designers! Vicky herself had previously hand embroidered and appliqued many of the fabric samples used in the shoot, a technique and style which has been developed into Vickys hugely popular new stationary line 'The Vintage Drawer' | http://www.thevintagedrawer.com/ 

The photo's below are my own behind the scene shots of some of the sets I helped to create. My favourite being the layered lace window in which I used dress making pins to hold up delicate strands of vintage lace, and my idea to have teacups of short stemmed roses to inject a flash and depth of colour along the window sill, put together by the talented Helen Mawson of Bels Flowers | http://www.belsflowers.co.uk/, who's natural talent and style of floristry I am just completely in awe of!

Photographs and interviews from the second shoot 'Rigwood Manor' are being released today and are set to be featured on the famous 'Love My Dress' wedding blog later today. I didn't help to style this shoot but was there lurking in the background getting more behind the scene shots of Vickys beautful hand made table plans and table settings. I'll be uploading that blog a little later today!.... enjoy!

February Press Coverage!

COUNTRY HOMES & INTERIORS MAGAZINE  BLOG - HOME SHOW REPORT

ARTS THREAD BLOG - MARY PORTAS FINALIST REPORT

SCARLET OPUS TREND BLOG - INTERIORS SHOW REPORT

The Sherry Soirée of Rigwood Manor shoot

Last month I had the honour of being involved with photoshoot co-ordinated by the inspiration powerhouse that is wedding stationer Vicky Trainor and photographer Becky Mitchell. Being a front runner in the wedding industry Vicky and Becky, decided to direct a photoshoot in hope to introduce new inspiration and direction into the wedding market.

Two shoots took place, ’Amaryllis and Lace’ which I was asked to style, and 'Rigwood Manor'... it was an amazing two days of styling work and being involved on set with the shoot, everyone involved were experts in their own field and a delight to work with and be around!

Friday night was our private preview night for all involved, the official photographs are being launched this coming week and are already set to be featured on some of the UK's biggest wedding blogs and international magazines! There will be plenty of updates over the next few weeks I'm sure so keep an eye open for posts!

Jo Leversuch from Makeup By Jo and Adrian Wray from Chocolate Freelance Hair

Lucy Leaver and Lizzie brown from Northern Lights Interiors, Saltburn.

Jane Day from Tea With Ruby and Debbie Stogden from Debbie Stogden Photography 

Becky Mitchell from Mecky Mitchell Photography and Profile Gallery, Saltburn and Vicky Trainor from Vicky Trainor - Wedding Stationer. 

Shoot models and Jo Leversuch

The terrible two!

HOME show build!

....was suprisingly not as stressful as my last show in September! I was fully prepared for ridiculously high stress levels, shaking hands and points of near passing out from forgetting to eat.... but my planning paid off and I got my stand built in less than a day. Pwwwuff!

My neighbours at the show were great, I was wedged between Italian homeware brand Seletti, British product designer Alex Garnett and and Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek, who's work I have always been a huge fan of... new blog post on this to follow! 

LIVING NORTH feature. Feb '12 issue.

Feature in Febs issue of LIVING NORTH magazine! Full interview below (WARNING - It appears I can waffle for Britain): 

How did you start?

I studied a BA in Textiles and Surface Design and graduated back in 2002 with a first, then moved straight to London after being offered a job as print designer for British label Red Or Dead. After a year I had to move back to the North East and was offered a lecturing role on the degree I graduated from. It was at that point I wanted to get back into designing for myself and for a few years designed and made women’s screen printed handbags, selling in boutiques in London and the North East. The business was successful and I struggled to keep up with demand, but I have always been a print designer at heart and found the ‘making’ side to the process tedious and time consuming. Early last year decided to rebrand and go back to my original love of flat print design, and what better way to indulge in bold pattern than in statement wallpaper!

What do you love most about what you do?
I get to do a little bit of what I love doing each day, even if I am not researching ideas, drawing or designing, I still find the business side such as marketing quite creative. I am lucky to have found something I have a passion for early in life and then to have found a way of carving a career from it. Being able to design for myself means I get to develop my own style without commercial studio restrictions. To be able to express your ideas and style and have people buy or admire your work is a great feeling.

What inspires you?
I come across something different that inspires me every day. I notice the smallest details in things, and bank ideas for future projects if it’s something I can’t work into a current project. Nature is an endless supply of inspiration to my work, and I have always had a huge interest in fashion which I use to create unexpected concepts for the interiors market.

What makes SurfacePhilia different?
I digitally print my wallpapers and take full advantage of being able to use as many colours as I like in a design, whereas within traditional screen printed wallpapers you are limited on colour numbers due to cost. Digital printing also allows me to have my wallpaper repeats as small or large as I want, I really play with scales and again this is something you can’t do with traditional methods.
My work is very hand illustration based and I like to make this a key feature in all of my designs, I work with inks, paints, even collage and I want my work to almost look like it’s been torn from a precious sketchbook rather than resemble something that looks flat, graphic and mass produced.
Because I working in flat print there is only so much innovation I can bring through but I still try to push boundaries between different areas of design. My work experiments in ways of crossing fashion with interiors, hand illustration with traditional repeat patterning. I often turn to fashion for inspiration and figure out ways of bringing the exciting elements of fashion across into interiors through movement of imagery, intricacy of detail and a playfulness with scales. I’m trying to introduce unexpected and unusual designs into the interiors market.

What are you most proud of?
Last year I needed a big change and nearly left the area to move back to London. In the September I visited London Design Festival which is a hugely recognised design event around the world. I was so inspired by the shows I visited, that I made a big decision to stay in the North East and concentrate on making a proper go of my designing once and for all. I set myself the goal of exhibiting there the following year, applied six months later and got into an exhibition called Tent which is the second largest show at the festival, I was so happy I had been accepted in. A year later and twenty minutes into the opening of the show, I was approached by the interiors buyer for Liberty and was asked if I would like to sell my debut collection of wallpapers in store. For me as a designer having your work recognised by Liberty is such a big honour, and gaining that level of acceptance is a massive achievement. I was so overwhelmed I had to ask her to repeat herself! This past year I have worked extremely hard and hit every stumbling block imaginable, but it just goes to show that if you stay focused, determined and dedicate yourself to your goals, dreams really do start to come true.

What are you currently working on?
I am currently in the process of getting my debut collection of designs manufactured onto fabrics to sit alongside the wallpapers. All five of the designs in the ‘Navajo’ collection will be available on fabrics early 2012. The wallpaper collection is already retailing online.

Is there such a thing as an average working day?
Not for me unfortunately, I quite fancy the routine of an average working day and being able to plan around the expected, but being creative and self employed, you have to wear many hats within the business, not to mention the working hours and knowing when to knock off for the day! I’m usually collaborating with other individual creative’s each week on some project or other, such as photo shoots, blogging or swapping of services which is always fun and adds excitement to the working week.

Where do you hope to see your business going in the future?
I would like the brand to become a recognisable name in the interiors market. My focus is not only on the commercial wallpaper side but I am mainly interested in working on a commission basis for people. Whether that be creating one off designs for other brands or mural painting for boutique hotels! I have also been approached by clients and other design businesses asking me to consider offering a full bespoke interior design service, which is definitely something I am hoping to do.

How would you spend your perfect weekend in the North East?
Probably spending the day in Newcastle looking around the cities galleries or visiting some of their amazing open studio events, and then going out to one of our rural destinations with my camera and getting lots of snaps I could maybe use in my designs. An evening meal and drinks would definitely have to be squeezed in somewhere too!

Other than designing what makes you happy?

I love travelling and visiting different cities abroad, I’m at my happiest when I’m discovering new places and learning about new things. I love photography and take at least one picture a day, that’s not to say I’m any good at it, I just see it as more of a visual diary I keep for myself.

Heart Home Magazine LOVES Surfacephilia! (yey!)

Whilst exhibiting at the HOME show in Earls Court last week I had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful Arianna Trapani (Arianna Interiors blog) and Carole King (Dear Designers blog) who both run the very gorgeous Heart Home magazine... first time exhibitors to a trade show themselves as Heart Home, they selected their top ten favourite brands on show and I won myself a little award!! (followed by a little on-the-spot, round of applause by ME for ME!)  So my award sign envy now ceases to exsist and I get to have a little reminder on my studio shelf to 'design be happy, design be happy!! - it will pay off!

I was also kindly mentioned on their blog which you can click on here!: http://hearthomemag.co.uk/heart-home-loves-surface-philia/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Feature on the lovely ARIANNA INTERIORS blog. Top ten HOME show picks!

Whilst exhibiting at the HOME show last week in Earls Court, I had the opportunity to meet the very lovely Arianna Interiors who is an interior decorator and stylist and one half of the wonderful Heart Home magazine. Arianna is also an avid design blogger, and recently included Surfacephilia within her top ten favourite on show at HOME last week! Thank you Arianna! <3   

http://ariannainteriors.blogspot.com/2012/01/home-show-highlights-2012.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FxChn+%28Arianna+Interiors%29

January 2012 PRESS COVERAGE...

Yes I have been super lame on the updates of late! Which means one thing... I'VE BEEN BUSY! So I have spent a few hours gathering everything I have been featured in over the past few months... 

Featured again by the lovely Christine (Contributing Editor) for the fabulous HOME DECOR & FURNISHINGS magazine. Dec/Jan '12 issue.

STOCKTON & DARLINGTON TIMES. Jan '12.