working away

So since my last post things have been quite hectic here hence the long pause between blog posts but now i have time to update and explain what i have been up to. As mentioned previously the new designs i have been featuring on my blog and various portfolio sites have proved popular and i have just completed making some new adapted designs of the coat rack and 'beam' desk accessories for the big blue sky shop in north norfolk which currently sells my 'cant' sidetable. They also wanted to sell a couple more of one of my very first designs the 'scape' mirror. This news was greeted with relief, joy and panic. Happy that again my designs are proving popular and being liked but also panic in how i would get all these designs made in time. So the past two weeks have been very busy indeed getting these made and packaged up, for a very long trip to north norfolk tomorrow (21/10/12) which I'm looking forward too. I will take along my camera and try and get some landscape shots of the beautiful north norfolk coast. as its rarew i gat a chance to go up there. so below are some images of the improved coat rack made from a lovely piece of ash heartwood (i made two identical but only photographed one)

the changes made to the coat rack have certainly improved the design no end and have added a rustic element to it but still retaining that modern functional element. again i let the wood sing, so when i saw this heartwood ash i had to buy it, even iif it did cause some headaches while machining it. The 'beam' desk accessories have also had a change with the addition of some accent colours on the end sections and added functionality by way of a slot at one end to add business cards, notes etc. all giving the simple shape added elements that the user can tailor to their requirements.

So once all these products are dropped off in north norfolk I can make a start on my latest commission! A small commission but never the less its a commisson and something different. I have been asked to design and make a Trophy for a local business awards evening. Something totally out of my comfort zone and unique, so i jumped at the chance. I'm currently working out the design in good old CAD and then i will get it made and then engraved ready for the ceremony. Its certainly a good chance for me to promote myself to a So its an exciting project, but.. with a tight deadline, so every day counts really.
  I have also set up a tumblr acount so keep an eye on here and twitter to see what i post and show. It will hopefully be an outlet for me to show my work in progress and other elements of my projects that you don't get to see normally. And when i find time i have some rather different designs that i can't wait to produce and show on here, all based on personal experiences and adapting everyday elements. So some good stuff ahead.

a day in london and new ideas

so my last post detailed some new designs i had been making and im pleased to say they are proving popular in that short time, it seems people warm towards unique but functional designs. I dont know if its because people want value for money nowadays or just something sensible that will last, but its encouraging and spurs me on to explore this direction more. So based on that i am making some more desk accessories with some added colour. Now to most people adding colour is no big thing but this will be the first time i am adding colour to my designs as i have always worked with the natural pattern of wood, so covering it up is going to be a shame but its something that needs to be done. So i spent a long time choosing and testing colours last week and working out what the colour should represent, (its function i suppose). So when we get some decent light in this country (think i suffer some that seasonal affective disorder) i can make some more 'Beam' and 'Beam Plus' trays and add some purposeful colour to them to highlight the shape more and showcase better usability.
  As well as adding to my most recent designs i have come up with a few new ideas based on this minimalist functional desk accessory route i am taking. So expect more ramblings on twitter about these new ideas and then some detailed images on here in due course. But i need to start getting some lighting materials and look into lampshades for these new ideas (little clue there) so another area i have not ventured into before. Why do i make things hard for myself

while all this was going on i went to london for the day when the brilliant design ferstival was on. I had not been since 2010 so i was excited to go and intrigued to see what had changed. Alot was the answer, i just stuck to the three main shows, tent, design junction and desingersdblock and got so much inspiration and encouragement to help with my own designs and it certainly made me think about exhibiting there next year, but thats a big decision and i will see how this year pans out first. But the quality of the work on show was incredible, the best ive seen, so many big names with fautless craftmanship and small one man bands who equally competed with the big names, really gave me hope that did. Its a shame i dont live in london really, i always dread going but when im there its fantastic, you can people watch for hours, (a very important thing for a designer to do) and the scope for getting noticed is immense. But i love my norfolk too much and want to prove that you can make it big and design beautiful functional objects outside of london.

as well as everything else i am on the hunt for reclaimed wood with a renewed optimisum. I have found some old reclaim yards that i need to visit, so will make time for this as im on the hunt for some old oak, which i feel will be a task in itself. apart from that its business as usual, promoting my designs as best i can and making when i can

still think i need my own website though