In the third decade of the 21st century, designers could be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the colossal variety of pattern available to them. Fabrics, wallpapers and tiles are embellished with patterns created by man, while stone, timber and other materials provide us with the ever-changing patterns that occur in the natural world. Throughout history, much of man’s ingenuity has been spent designing cunning patterns and developing techniques to apply them to cloth and other materials and today new production techniques mean that pattern is now only limited by the designer’s imagination. But what is it that designers need to know about the application of pattern? How can we learn to use it with confidence, and how can we encourage our clients to welcome pattern into their world? To find out, we're joined by Christian Lee, Managing Director of the fabric company, Christian Lee and Philip Sykas, Reader in Textile History at The Manchester Metropolitan University. Thanks to our series partner Parkside Architectural Tiles for their support. Parkside offers a RIBA approved CPD, ‘An Introduction to Tiling Patterns – symmetry, repeat patterns and tesselations’ – more information available at https://www.parkside.co.uk/. ...
We examine the secrets of successful sourcing in another live audience special. Once upon a time, interior designers were only as good as the contents of their “little black book”. Favoured suppliers and specialist tradespeople were jealously guarded secrets. In today’s age of the internet and globalisation, we’re in a different place but one where designers can still add value to their client’s projects through clever sourcing. But how? Sharing their insights with co-hosts Jeff Hayward and Susie Rumbold are Jim Hamilton of Jim Hamilton Design and Creative Director of the internationally acclaimed consultancy, Graven, alongside BBC Scotland’s Home of the Year judge, Anna Campbell-Jones from Habitus. This episode is brought to you from the magnificent Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed Billiard Room at the Willow in the heart of Glasgow. Jim, Anna and Susie also take questions from our audience of designers as part of this wonderful and wide-ranging conversation. ...
In this episode, recorded in front of a live audience at Decorex 2019, we ask: what makes a happy, healthy home? Back in 1971, an American researcher called Roger Ulrich began tracking the outcomes of patients recovering from routine surgery in a suburban hospital in Pennsylvania. Half of these patients had rooms that overlooked the trees of the adjacent park while the other half had rooms with a panoramic view of a brick wall. To his astonishment, Ulrich discovered that the group of patients looking at the trees, achieved faster recovery rates, spent less time in hospital and needed fewer painkillers than the ones left staring at the wall. Since then further studies have gone on to support these findings. Human beings have an innate connection to nature. If we believe this connection to be important, how should designers approach the design of interior spaces, both public and private, that will improve physical and mental health, and enhance the wellbeing and happiness of their clients? Cinzia Moretti of Moretti Interior Design and Phoebe Oldrey of Smartstyle Interiors, two passionate advocates of well-being, happiness and interior design, join us to offer their take on this increasingly important subject. ...
