Textures

Over the last few weeks I have been using my spare time to explore some different patterns and textures that I have wanted to experiment with for a while, but not had the time.

First up. Weird but really fun AND pretty.
Bubble blowing.

I've really wanted to do some marbling for quite a while, but as there's so much marbled pattern everywhere at the moment, I decided to try something different.

My thinking was that they would make great fabric backgrounds, however the paint that I was using doesn't leave much of a mark on the fabric (unless it soaks in and becomes a mess), so I'm not sure what they will be used for yet, but I love the nebula type patterns that are created once you start layering up the colours. I'd love to add a gold layer, and also try some collage with them too, so perhaps that's next.

If you want to do this then you don't need any specialist equipment!
You just need to lay out some paper to protect your table, then;

• a small quite short jam jar
• a few straws
• some paint (could be acrylic, poster, water colour)
• a jug of water
• washing up liquid 
• paper to work on

All you need to do is put a small amount of paint into the jar, (depending how dark you want the colour), add enough water to fill about a third of the jar, and add a few drops of washing up liquid. Pop a straw in the jar, and place on top of your paper.
Then all you need to do is gently blow! There's a bit of trial and error to get the right shapes and patterns. You may want to make the colour stronger, or even add more water.

You need to let the paper dry before each layer otherwise they will blend together.

Have fun with this. It's messy and made me feel like I was at playgroup, but getting the right colours and the right sized bubbles makes a really good result!

DO-IT-YOURSELF!

Soon on the blog we are going to start doing some D-I-Y posts, to give you some ideas of small things that you can do yourself to add small (or big!) personal touches to your bedroom, your studio, your whole house!

We will also be announcing some workshops too, including dying pattern techniques, pompom making and paper decoration making.

If you'd like to receive emails with details about these workshops before anyone else, then please sign up to our mailing list here.

Lulu Hankin - StudioUp

Our next maker that we want to tell you about is Lulu Hankin, designer and maker creating work under the name StudioUp. Lulu's work combines beautiful traditional textile manipulation, alongside more unconventional components such as copper piping. We wanted to know what is behind her contrasting use of materials.

  
What is the overriding theme or drive behind your work?
To combine these three aspects:
Geometric

Minimal
Texture

What draws you to work with interiors and furniture?
Being able to physically create something that when placed in a space can completely alter it.

What are you favourite materials to work with and why?
I’ve become really fond of copper pipe recently, the way it changes colour the more you handle it, aging quickly in front of you. The simplicity of only having a few types of fittings to work with which the dictate the shapes you can produce and design.

What materials or processes are you interested in exploring next?
I really want to start expanding into weaving & macramé so I can utilize more textures in my pieces. 

What is the best part of being immersed in a community of artists and makers?
Pushing me forward.

Who are some of your favourite artists and makers?
François Morellet is always at the top of my list, after seeing his reinstallations exhibit at the Centre Pompidou in 2011, I completely fell in love with his light instillations, geometric forms, the simplistic patterns and grids he creates and mainly the use of constraints & rules that he sets himself. Morellet’s work is probably the main influence for my own designs and work structure.
Also my pals over at London Cloth Company are a constant inspiration, they seem to be relentlessly creating & expanding, having spent some time with them last year I realized the magnitude of what they are doing & how important it is. They are basically rescuing & protecting textile history. Try and beat that!



You can see more of Lulu's work on our website.
StudioUp is based at Islington Mill in Salford.

Callum Higgins - Constructions by CSH and Manchester Custom Framing

As you may have noticed, Covet currently has 5 main additional contributors, whose work has been carefully curated and selected to go alongside our home brand of pieces. These contributors are highly skilled makers and doers and we want to tell you a bit about them!

First up is Callum Higgins, who actually features on the Covet site as two different enterprises - Constructions by CSH and also Manchester Custom Framing.

Callum's use of materials borders on the industrial, but his carefully revised use of mediums such as concrete and OSB means that his pieces are elegant and beautifully textured, and add a really interesting element to your home.

We asked Callum some questions and wanted to have a little look into his studio at Islington Mill in Salford...

When did you start working with concrete and what draws you to it as a material?
During my final year at uni I started exploring concrete as a new material within my artistic practice. During this process I experimented a lot with different forms, shapes and functions of the material, out of which developed the concrete tea light holders and hanging lights.

What inspires you to make work?
Without giving too much away the concrete hanging lights are made using a certain everyday object as the mould. These objects are all around us and whenever I see one in an interesting shape I start to picture the potential for a new light design.

What materials or processes are you interested in exploring next?

For the past year I have been working as a joiner which has improved my wood working skills a lot. I'm interested in exploring wood work further and putting these new skills to use. Plywood and OSB interest me much in the same way concrete has, the use of a material intended for raw construction and making something  more interesting out of it. I have a few designs for plywood and OSB large furniture pieces in working on at the moment. The use of these materials has bled through into the framing as well, inspiring me to make more interesting frames as well as the more traditional approach.

What is the best part of being immersed in a community of artists and makers?
There is a lot of support being based in a community of makers like Islington mill, lots of people to bounce your ideas of off and an already existing group of people that are likely to be interested in the thing you are producing.



To see Callum's pieces for Covet, visit our website. 
Keep your eyes peeled for info on our other designers and makers.

Introductions...

Hi!

So I thought that it was time to give a little bit of background and context to Covet, to explain a bit more about what it is and why it is...

At the moment, Covet is just me... Mariel, although there are select pieces on the website that are made by other artists and designers, the site and brand is run by me.

Inspired by the wealth of creativity and productivity of the independent artists and makers around me, I wanted to create a place where people can look at and buy pieces for every aspect of their home - for comfort, beauty and unique styling. Being based at Islington Mill in Salford means that I am surrounded by people whose work I genuinely want to fill my home with, and more specifically, the way that their aesthetics all work together is very important to me. I asked illustrators Aliyah Hussain and John Powell-Jones, textile printer and upholsterer StudioUp, framer Manchester Framing Company, and concrete fixtures maker Constructions by CSH, if they would be involved from the launch, and luckily they all loved the idea! I felt like my home ware pieces and their art work and furniture would go so perfectly well together to style a home, that Covet seemed to come together quite organically.

As for me, I have a background in 3D textiles, prop making, still life styling and costume, and the need for hand made processes in my work is incredibly strong. Recently I have been drawn to a lot of Melbourne based makers and designers, and it has unleashed a use of colour within my practice that I thought had died long ago. Creating unique textiles for the home feels like a really great place to explore texture and colour together, as it gives personality and warmth to the space in your life that is the most personal to you.

For the first Covet collection, I have started from scratch with just white fabric, dying and hand painting all of my fabric, and hand making all of the trims. I really love very textural and intriguing pieces, and I also place a high importance in the skills of craft and the hand made. Because of this, it is my intention that Covet will always have this tactility and care within the pieces and the designers that are chosen for the site too.

So. Our manifesto.
The most important things about Covet, that make it what it is.

• Curating textile products, interior design and artwork together - Covet helps you style your home, not just furnish it.
• Concentrating on sumptuous texture and intriguing designs.
• Focusing on the value and importance of craft and the hand made.
• Supporting and promoting the work of inventive independent makers and designers. 

So now, go and visit our website, where you will find illustrations, hand made frames, bespoke cushions, figurines, hand knitted throws, concrete light fittings and copper framed seating all sitting alongside one another, complementing each other.

You can also follow us on instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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We are currently looking for stockists, so if you would like to stock our products, please get in touch!