Founder Focus: Meet Eliza

Topic 3: About Eliza’s Work

 

 

Where do you generate your ideas for new designs?

I take inspiration from practically anything that’s around me. As there are so many visual clues around you and you just need to be tuned in to what you see and how you feel about them. If something peaks my interest, I either start doodling or then start to photograph a series of shots to then draw from. Many drawings later, I then start having ideas of the design direction it’s heading. Sometimes I might even discover that there’s no chemistry there and I should just bin it and start over!

I mostly decide on an idea that either challenges me or challenges people’s common perception of them, that’s why a lot of them end up being quite subversive. Because it’s design, it needs to fulfil a purpose; surface pattern design tends to be about beautiful looking patterns, as it is meant to decorate a surface. So I make sure that the designs are beautiful and people can appreciate them even at the most superficial level. I don’t expect people to think too hard to work out their wallpaper or soft furnishings, I appreciate that it is difficult enough deciding on a colour scheme for a room. But, you do have the option of appreciating it beyond the pretty surface, if you want to. Hey, it can even be a conversation starter at a dinner party!

 

Who has been your greatest inspiration in choosing to orient yourself in contemporary design?

There are many inspiring contemporary designers and artists that I admire and am inspired by. I find that I am always learning and inspired by my fellow peers; from my more senior contemporaries and from the most unlikely people I meet along the way.

Two (or three even!) particular figures that I find resonates with me most throughout my creative journey though have to be Tim Burton and Timorous Beasties. I admire them for embracing the fact that they are different, that is who they are and they’re comfortable with that. They don’t try to be different, they just are.

Like everything else in life, being different or doing things differently will almost immediately attract objections at the beginning. But they persevered and look at them today; they are the leaders of their field.

I read once that Tim Burton’s drawing style was criticized as being ‘incorrect’ by one of his teachers in his much younger days, until another teacher came along at a later stage and advised the young frustrated Burton that he can draw however he likes to and that there isn’t a right or wrong way to draw. Today, he is known for his distinct style of drawing and his surreal animations and film work.

 

What is the next step in your career?

I aim for world domination – to cover the world with beauty and design!

Just kidding! Although covering the world with beauty isn’t such a bad goal.

Next step is to come up with a new collection of wallpaper and our first fabric collection; attend trade fairs and shows more regularly and to do more collaborative projects.

As some of you might be aware of, we hand-blend all our colours in house in order to create all of our bespoke wallpaper colours. How do we do it I hear you ask?

Well, think of it like a human version of the Dulux colour matching service, in a way.

We see the colour sample of what you want to achieve and we blend it with our industry expertise, plenty of heartfelt sensitivity and, a good eye for colour to give you the perfect colour that you deserve!

So, if a client comes to us saying, “I would love to have your ‘Black Keys’ design wallpaper in hot pink or duck egg blue on plain ground” (colours that we do not have as part of our main collection). We would ask you for a sample of this said hot pink or duck egg blue colour you have in mind and then go on our merry way to blend this for you, by hand.

We will use the example of us blending for our ‘Dance!’ wallpaper in reflex blue on black ground. This is what it would look like in the mixing pot:

We then do some tests until we get the closest (almost accurate) match to it.

Once we are happy with the results, this is the time for us to do what we call a ‘strike-off’ to ascertain that it’s all good for the final printing with the actual pattern of the design and its repeat. We do this to confirm the colour accuracy, ink consistency and that the artwork on the screens we are printing from is all ready to go as well.

See ‘strike off’ as the equivalent to a dry rehearsal for a play or show.

As you could see, because the inks are hand-blended using our expertise and savviness, we can cater to any colour request you have in mind. We can even do a glow in the dark one for you, should you fancy a highly atmospheric room with a contemporary glow to it! (Tip: ideal for a trendy den idea or if you’re refurbishing a bar or club – our wallpaper are fire tested with a European fire certificate and suitable for commercial use)

With it being hand-blended, this means that it is done with so much more care and detail. And due to its hand-crafted nature, each one is unique – this is even though you decide to order from the same design and collection as the next person. Then again, if you want to be even more unique, you can ask for your own colour to be specially blended for you.

Or if you want to go all out with uniqueness, we can do a complete bespoke design service specific to your brief! How is that for all out bespoke?

We are happy to hear from you, so feel free to contact us to discuss about your unique project.