A BALANCING ACT
by Niamh McCooey
It’s not long now until London Design Festival arrives on our doorsteps, and what we’re most looking forward to is Decorex. This international event, where interior design professionals discover the finest luxury products from new, emerging and established talent, will return to Syon Park in Middlesex on September 17th, and one of our favourite participants this year is A Rum Fellow; a London based design studio dedicated to artisan textiles and interiors.
Founded by Caroline Lindsell and Dylan O’Shea, this studio’s focus is on beautifully crafted design inspired by the spirit of the British explorers. Finding that balance between heritage and contemporary is at the core of each of their projects, and you can see it easily in all of their designs. The textiles in their Maya collection for instance are all made on a handloom in Guateala by Maya artisans who embroider the patterns as they weave.
A Rum Fellow’s Kaya Rug tells a similar story of personal and quality craft, as it was hand tufted and carved by hand in India. Made in collaboration with Floor_Story rug makers, no one of these woollen Kaya rugs will ever be the same due to their handmade nature. By pairing up the most skilled artists from around the world with the finest furniture makers in the UK, Caroline and Dylan take a truly global approach to craft; balancing the most beautiful parts of its history with today’s newest designs.
We’ll be on the lookout for textiles from A Rum Fellow during Decorex this month, who will be taking part in the event alongside a host of other promising makers and designers. In a special event as part of the festival, Selvedge founder Polly Leonard will also lead textile designer Margo Selby, textile artist Ptolemy Mann, and the creative duo behind interiors and textile brand Wallace Sewell in a discussion on what it takes to maintain a successful and sustainable craft practice today, outlining how to achieve that well balanced recipe for success in the creative textile industry.
Decorex, 17 - 20 September 2017
Syon Park, Brentford, Middlesex,TW8 8JF
Selvedge panel discussion, 20 September 2017. Free to all Decorex ticket holders.