Spring cleaning!!!

So today is the first day of the Easter break and I'm determined to get my studio looking cool and feeling organised which will inevitably make me want to spend every minute in there making gorgeous stuff :) wish me luck! I'm gonna need it ...

Being a "buyer" and grad schemes...let's start with Fenwicks

Besides interior decoration, another area of the field I quite fancy establishing a career in is buying. I'm an organised person with a love working with people, chatting, and completely thrive of a busy environment. As much as I love physically making, sometimes I do feel that I acquire a stronger eye than I do hand- I love to seek out gorgeous stuff and focus on high quality but I can't always produce to the standard I wish I could. I also come from a family of business, so this runs in my blood! I quite fancy getting into a buying office as work experience this year, so here I'm going to voice my findings of what it takes to be a buyer and where I could possibly gain some experience...


I've been reading Fashion & Textiles The Essential Careers Guide ( By Carol Brown, Laurence King Publishing, 2010), they highlight the typical skills of a buyer:

• Knowledge of market trends in order to develop an exciting range appropriate to the target market
• Financial acumen with good negotiation skills
• Commercially minded
• Confident, with excellent communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure

 To help narrow my search, I will focus on a few main medium end retailers within the field and base me research around them. They include FENWICKS, JOHN LEWIS, LAURA ASHLEY. I am also going to look at a higher end brands including LIBERTY, THE CONRAN SHOP AND ANTHROPOLOGIE.

So what does a buyer at Fenwicks do?

"A Buyer sources new products and develops ranges. At Fenwick, a Buyer is a manager, an organiser and a creative thinker focused on selecting the right stock, which is crucial to the business. Using your knowledge and plenty of instinct, you will review and select potential merchandise, fit it into agreed purchase budgets and present enticing, well-planned ranges to the customer. You will, naturally, be working closely with suppliers to set up the best deals and create promotional offers."

"A career as a Buyer offers you plenty of variety, accountability and a fast-moving environment. Decisions you make one day can impact the stores and customers the next. Knowing your customer is key with the constant challenge of considering what is feasible, commercial and profitable."
http://www.fenwick.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/downloads/graduate-brochure.pdf

Even just reading this fuels me with excitement- I love the sound of being able to exercise my creative eye yet have to work within restraints at the same time (budgets and time scales). I have also always worked really hard- in everything I do, so the fact that this career recognises that and offers the option to progress sounds ideal!
This gorgeous pdf leaflet explains everything I need to know about their grad scheme and how I could become a buyer there. The grad scheme definitely sounds like something worth looking into, I had always believed I would land a career that would teach me the ins and outs on the job in order to help me get to the top.

http://www.fenwick.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/Fenwick_DigitalEdition_1.pdf

So this all sounds pretty good, and they are local too which is a bonus. It's not that I aren't will to travel as I know I could gain invaluable experience in London, but for the long term I plan to stay in the North East- it's just home!

Ill finish this post here otherwise it's gonna get lengthy! I'll look at John Lewis next and see how they compare. 

xoxo F

Interior decoration...what even is it?

Following up on my post regarding interior design, I'm going to focus in on the term "Interior Decoration."

At first I struggled to find any definition that didn't include the term "Interior design", but then I stumbled across this...

Although people often think interior decorating and interior designing are the same, they are not. Interior decorators choose the paint color for your wall, while interior designers will knock it down to alter the structure of the room. Interior decorating deals with the look and feel of a room by adding accessories like drapes and rugs; interior designers make the best use of the space.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/interior-decorating-1254.html

This brief (and slightly blunt don't you think?) sums up my thoughts really similarly- that interior designers plan SPACE and how to work with it best, whereas interior decoration involves pulling colours/ features/ furniture and furnishings together to finish the room and compliment the interior design.

Here is another article that supports this explanation,

Interior decorating careers involve creatively planning living and business spaces for individuals and businesses. Interior decorators use color, furniture, window coverings, paint, lighting and artwork to create functional, comfortable spaces that fit their clients' styles. Small and large firms employ interior decorators, while many interior decorators work as independent contractors or consultants.

http://education-portal.com/interior_decorating_career.html

I have also found some helpful information here:

http://freshome.com/2009/02/10/how-to-become-an-interior-decorator/

I am feeling like this is more of what I'm drawn to or even will be more capable of than interior design, or does it even matter what we call it???

Perhaps I would like a career choosing colours, picking furnishings and furniture and using space to its best ability...AND THAT IS THAT. Maybe it's interior design, maybe it's interior decoration? Besides it being vital for Searching for jobs and information about it, once I make it there, does it really matter what we call it??

XOXO F.

p.s If you haven't already, check out http://abigailahern.com- she's my favourite at doing this sort of interior design/decoration, and her advice is awesome. I bought two of her books over the summer and I honestly feel like they they are helping me transform my home- I've totally found myself (my poor husband- I've found him too, bless him!). Her blog is brilliant too-http://www.abigailahern.org

Total inspiration, I'm so excited I've booked myself on her one day design school course in November- a little pre christmas treat for me. Of course, I'll keep you all updated.

xoxo

The possibilities are endless...

Here I am sat in the gorgeous old library building of CCAD, thinking about what on earth I want to do with my life. It's kind of always been a standing joke that I want to do EVERYTHING, with my wise older sister telling me wisely, "Christina, JUST PICK SOMETHING. Pick something, go with it and from there the options will be endless" So I did. I picked textiles, and proving she was right, with masses if industry research before me- I am faced with endless options!

I spent lots of time over the summer reflecting on "life" and what path I'd like to go down. Through the renovation and decoration of my own home, I have definitely developed a love for interior decoration and design (Lookout for my posts on my own pad renovations by the way, I'll keep you in the loop). The term "interior design" is very vague however- my personal opinion of the definition is much more architectural and spacial related than that of "curtain and blind making" which seem to be fairly apparent when searching the term- I'm definitely not knocking curtain and blind makers here by the way- we all need curtains and blinds! But whether or not that classes as interior design, I believe is to be questioned. Feeling that my interpretation of "interior design/ interior decoration needs clearing up lets turn to figuring this out.

So here goes, my "Interior Design" google search.............................

Ignoring the top search result which is a design school, and the second which is Hammonds who are  a fitted room/ furniture business offering a "design" service. This I feel doesn't fit the bill of the wikipedia definition showing below it- 

Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an "effective setting for the range of human activities" that are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who coordinates and manages such projects. Interior design is a multifaceted profession that includes conceptual development, communicating with the stakeholders of a project and the management and execution of the design. 

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interior_design

Lets have a look at the oxford dictionary definition...

The art or process of designing the interior decoration of a room or building.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/interior-design?q=interior+design

I still feel like this is hazy, I'm going to try some more design specific sources, possibly describing the job role. 

"Qualified by education, experience and applied skills, the professional Interior designer accepts the following responsibilities:

1. Identify, research and creatively solve problems pertaining to the function and quality of the interior environment;
2. Perform services relating to interior spaces including programming, design analysis, space planning, aesthetics and inspection of work on site, using specialized knowledge of interior construction, building systems and components, building regulations, equipment, materials and furnishings;
3. Prepare schematics, drawings and documents relating to the design of interior space, in order to enhance the quality of life and protect the health, safety, welfare and environment of the public

http://www.biid.org.uk/education-and-careers/definition-of-a-designer

This is also more helpful, 

Interior designers are creative, imaginative and artistic. They also need to be disciplined, organized and skilled business people. Combining knowledge with aesthetic vision, interior designers work with clients and other design professionals to develop design solutions that are safe, functional, attractive and meet the needs of the people using the space.

The website goes on to describe attributes of successful interior designers, and what it takes to be involved in this career- http://www.careersininteriordesign.com/what.html

From what I'm gathering, interior designers plan, implement and see through/manage all elements of design work taking place in a space. Lots of companies I've found offer various different levels of service, from consultation through to the entire management of a project. I LIKE THE SOUND OF THIS!

I have found a fab looking company based in Newcastle who work on commercial sites. Their portfolio consists of bars, restaurants, hotels, shops and even hair salons. Thie variety of their work sounds really exciting and their standard of finish looks very high. I am definitely contemplating contacting these guys regarding work experience.

http://www.collective-design.co.uk

I also found a gorgeous little place at the other end of the spectrum to collective, they are called The Forge. Based in Bedael, N'Yorks they have a fabulous shop with studio above selling homewares/ interior products / kitchens / wallpaper and fabrics. Alongside this they offer interior design services...

Interior Design Service

Interior Design is an area in which we excel. Not only do we enjoy its challenges but also the hard work which goes into creating a truly bespoke solution for our clients.

We understand that with so many possible styles to contend with, the prospect of choosing a new look for your home can be a daunting one, where hours of decision making often lead to nowhere.

This is where we come in!

We provide a three- tiered service to suit your needs:

Free Colour Consultation

A free colour consultation service is available to all our customers in-store, offering our expertise across the board on paint, wallpaper, fabrics, flooring and more.

Home Consultation

Being able to understand the space in which you need help with is invaluable. Opting for a home consultation allows us to fully assess your problems and ideas,

ensuring that we are able to give you the best possible advice.

This Service costs from £60.00

Full Room Design

A full room design allows you to benefit from every aspect of our knowledge. Mood and sample boards, evoking the intended look and atmosphere of the finished space are skilfully combined and presented to our clients.

We work with you to understand all of your problems and to provide a solution

for every element of the design.

This service costs £270.00 per room

If you then wish to go ahead with the design of your space, we will provide you with a quote to complete the work and are able to make the experience one that is stress and hassle free by project managing the entire refurbishment. Take a look at our Project Management page for further information on this.

Phhewwww lots to take in, I'm pretty certain that I'm leaning mostly towards interiors as my area focus.  I'm going to sleep on this and follow up with a post on interior decoration tomorrow, highlighting the differences between the two.

Night folks.

F XOXOX

Back in the print room

Happy friday!!!

This week we were thrown straight in the deep end after 3 months off over the summer,  our first day back saw us desperately taking notes in our advanced print workshop. We covered new print techniques including devore, illuminated discharge, pearl and metallic pigments, flocking and two-tone dying (for use with devore). After learning the basics I dived straight in to sampling. It's such a nice feeling to be back doing the creative process after such a long break- I feel human again!

These samples are just at the beginning stage as I intend to layer up the techniques to play around with creating intriguing prints... what do you think?

I'll post up some more images of the samples once I've worked into them a little more.

Flick xoxo

This sample was emerald green pigment in discharge paste, the left hand side shows it before it was ironed and the right shows the finished colour after it had been ironed.

 Above shows an example of illuminated discharge. The silk twill was dip-dyed in deep emerald green and cerise red. I then printed on the pink areas using mid-green illuminated discharge, and cerise red on the green areas.

 Above - green pearl and turquoise metallic pigment printed on silk twill hand dyed in cerise red.

Above left devore silk.  Above right is an example of a sample that didn't  quite work out- I hadn't ironed the fabric for long enough to burn out the fibres before I washed it!

Dyed in a two tone bath of black and purple, then screen printed with Devore paste.

First Live Assignment- so exciting...

So I'm three days in to my first week back at uni, and already I feel like I've got a mountain to climb!!! That mountain however, is so far away from any mundane, usual old uni mountain that any non-art students have to face. I can already see that this year is going to be thrillingly fast paced, intense and full of exciting new experiences. The first of which is our live assignment, so this basically means we have to work to a REAL brief for a REAL industry professional- JOANNA COUPLAND!

I had already come accords her work within my search for animal sculpture products, so I really am looking forward to getting the chance to meet and work with her. From her studio in York, Joanna makes all of her products by hand, taking inspiration from nature and taxidermy. Below are a few images of hers, for more gorgeousness, take a peek at her website...http://www.joannacoupland.co.uk.

Misty Morning Inspiration...

So today Daphne and I rose early in light of hitting the beach before the workmen arrive- (we have been cooped up for three days now and were starting to loose the will, but were holding out in hope that the log burner they are fitting is going to change our lives!)

Theres nothing like a good walk to clear the mind so it was a perfect way to start the day. The tide was out and the air was murky- one of my favourite atmospheres. The sea and the beach never fail to remind me that there is so much inspiration in nature, I am mainly drawn to the raw materials, colours and varying texture. I have a feeling that much of my second year work is going to reflect my love of this...fingers crossed I can draw some inspiration from this today, I'm in for a day of research and sketching so I'll hopefully have interesting things to share this evening.

Have a lovely day

xoxo .F.