Stationary Junkies

I am a self-confessed stationary junkie. Of course like any shopaholic I post-rationalize all my acquisitions - think how much less of a chore paperwork will be using pieces like these.

There seems to be something particularly apt about having new stationary for the new year - I guess it harks back to the 'beginning of term' feel - pencil case at the ready - pens filled and pencils sharpened.

These are two of my newest additions. The single hole punch at the bottom was a completely inspired Christmas present from Holly here in the studio - she knows me so well! The stapler above is from one of my favourite stationary shops - Choosing Keeping on Columbia Road just round the corner from where we live. 

I love the way they are so animated - beautiful aquatic creatures in their sea-coloured hammerite.

I also really like the packaging - the hole punch still has its original box with its lovely clean graphics. The stapler is a design from 1948 and the packaging looks little changed since then.

And on the subject of stationary here is our studio diary. The cover and binding were so pleasing that we happily opted for a German diary this year. We'll be fluent in our days of the week soon. Certainly glad it's Freitag.

Michael Ruh

This year, for our joint studio Christmas jamboree with Pritchard Themis, we made a studio visit to Michael Ruh Glass in Tulse Hill. It was an absolutely enchanting evening with Michael and his partner Natascha.

I have seen glass being blown on video clips but never 'in the flesh' before. There is a real sense of alchemy and magic about the process - the molted liquid glass is completely mesmerizing. Witnessing this 'magic' performed by a maker in such total control of their medium and discipline felt like watching a piece of dance.

I have always loved the specificness of different studio tools - and they way that they carry such an intimate sense of the maker's hand. The funnel shape above is a 'sofietta' (from the Italian for breath) which Michael used to inflate the 'shoulders' of the vessel he was making.

This is the furnace in where the glass is melted and heated as it is worked. And below are the wooden 'moulds' which are used as part of the shaping and forming process.

These are the various shears used for cutting the glass. I especially like the diamond ones on the right. And here are a few of Michael's beautiful vessels in the studio - you can just see some of the blow pipes stacked up behind them.

The evening included a fascinating introduction and demonstration of the techniques Michael uses and then a chance to all 'have a go' at blowing a bauble. We each chose our colours and patterns and then, with a very firm guiding hand turned the blow pipe. It was a real privilege to feel that we had had a tiny taste of the process ourselves.

What a wonderful end to the year!

Marker blanket for Margaret Howell

It has been a hectic few weeks, with all hands on deck packing boxes to ship all over the world. 

One of the orders which has gone off this week was for Margaret Howell. We have worked with them for many years, and we feel a strong affinity with their philosophy. The pieces which we make for them are exclusive to Margaret Howell - some are unique designs, and others are exclusive colour ways. I enjoy working with them, and really value their input into the design process. 

Each year or so we add another piece to the range, and this year we have adapted the Marker blanket for them. We have added a red accent line, and a white stitch detail. It is amazing how much a little tweak can change the feel of a design - and we think it looks very smart!

Victory Press

This year we have been working with Victory Press for our printed graphics. Near neighbours to us in Deptford; Victory Press is a small publisher, printer and design studio publishing limited edition artist books and print editions.

Elliott at Victory Press has designed us a pair of beautiful folded leaflets for the blankets and the upholstery range. The leaflets work with a set of different inserts for different currency price lists and so on. On the back of the inserts Elliott has designed and printed different patterns abstracted from our weave plans. It is so magical to see something as humdrum as a weave plan re-imagined as a beautiful repeat pattern.

The designs have been printed on a Risograph press, and the technique has a really lovely quality about it.

'Risograph printing is a vibrant and economical method of producing anything from books to artists prints. It sits in the realm somewhere between screen print and offset lithography but with a unique aesthetic. ' - Victory Press

Wawa Rocker

This is the folding rocker by Richard Ward at Wawa. It is a beautiful, clever, economic, ergonomic design.

The rocker has just been re-launched by Wawa, and has been on display at a pop-up show at Clifton Nurseries. This week it is at Decorex on the Clifton Nursery stand.

For the re-launch Wawa invited a number of different textile designers to show their work on the rocker including Melanie Bowles, Minnan Hui, Zahra Jaan, Carol Lake, Beatrice Larkin, Alice Milnes, Kezia Regan and Margo Selby.

We were very pleased to have our Hannington fabric featured - with one face on the seat and the other on the back.

In the Press

It's been an incredibly busy month, with three big shows in three different countries - exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure...

We do sense an exciting momentum building though, and is has been so good to show off all the hard work behind the scenes getting the upholstery range off the ground. 

We have had some wonderful press about the work - here are a few highlights:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/13/stars-london-design-festival

http://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/design-interiors/2013/september/eleanor-pritchard

http://www.charlotteabrahams.com/blog/

http://howtospendit.ft.com/gift-guide/33783-eleanor-pritchard-525-line-blanket

http://www.ad-magazin.de/2013/08/webzeichen/

We are also so pleased to have the Rowridge fabric featured by Tom Morris in October's Monocle.

Signal - Toast (2)

Here is the Signal blanket in the new Toast House and Home catalogue. What a beautiful space.

Really good to see Nick Fraser's lamp in the collection too.