Donna Wilson + Vital Arts + Royal London Hospital

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People say the effect is only on the mind. It is no such thing. 

The effect is on the body, too. Little as we know about the way in which we are affected by form, by colour, and light, we do know this, that they have an actual physical effect. 

Variety of form and brilliancy of colour in the objects presented to patients, are actual means of recovery.

-Florence Nightingale

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Hi everyone,

We'd like to share with you some news about a project we've been working on over the past few weeks, which we're very proud to be a part of - we are currently working on a commission through arts organization Vital Arts and The Royal London Hospital.  Vital Arts is the arts and health organisation for Barts Health LNHS Trust, charitably funded to deliver arts programmes for the wellbeing of the hospital community.

My team and I have been working on creating an installation and mural in the children's intensive care ward at the Royal London Hospital in an effort to create a positive environment to help make things feel a bit brighter for all who visit the ward. 

  

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Art has proven, throughout paediatric hospitals all over the world, to be an invaluable aid for staff in either distracting children from the more frightening elements of a hospital visit, or simply by positively engaging the patients at a hospital.

Over the past few weeks we have been painting an oversized graphic landscape on the walls of the children's ward. The rural scene features mountains and hills with bright colours and lots of different textures.

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The textured patterns on the hills were created with rubber stamps, which we applied by hand with the help of some of the lovely patients at the hospital. During these workshops, we hoped to give patients a chance to get involved in beautifying their surroundings and also just to spend time doing a simple but fun activity!

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So far we have been able to paint the walls and stamp, but we're still working on installing wooden trees and the last remaining elements of the installation. We hope to complete the project in the coming weeks and as soon as we do, we will be sure to share some photos! 

Inside the mill

If you have ever wondered how tartan is made, here are some photos of a mill I visited this week in Scotland.  I love visiting factories, and most of these mills have amazing clanky old victorian machinery that still work, so many skilled workers, and lots of colourful wool! 

Design for the Fogo Island Inn

A couple of years ago, I was asked to visit the most remote Island called Fogo Island. Off the coast of Newfoundland the island had around 20,000 inhabitants, and the population is dwindling.  An amazing woman called Zita Cobb was born there, and after a successful career in Canada, she had decided to set up a foundation to create employment and to try to give youngsters a reason to stay.  She decided to create an Inn and everything from the building work to the materials, right down to the sheets on the beds had to be sourced and made on the island with the skills they had.  I was lucky enough to be selected by Ilse Crawford to help with the interiors.  The Inn is finished now, and it looks breathtaking!

The most amazing view- The inn sits on the shore and all the rooms over loo the powerful sea.  

 The Inn was designed by Canadian Architect Todd Saunders, and modern structure echoes the fishing huts which are built on stilts all around the shore.

 Here are some shots of the interior- I designed the chair, pouffe and wallpaper above.

 The patchwork quilts are made by the islands guild.

Close up of the Bertha chair, which was inspired by the Island's tradition of boat building. The chair was made by the boat builders, and cushions made by the patchwork guild. http://www.fogoislandinn.ca/fii/a-chair-named-bertha/

What an amazing place! http://www.fogoislandinn.ca

Valentine's Day, Mid-Winter Sample Sale, and February Giveaway!

February is one of our favourite months because of Valentine's Day! It's nice to have a little holiday to remind us to celebrate and treat the people we love.

We've put together some gift ideas for you, which include two new prints - a great gift to show someone you like how much you appreciate them, and each print is signed by Donna:

And in the spirit of celebrating those we love, for our giveaway this month we'd like you to share with us your favourite thing(s) about a person you love in the comments section of this blog! Two lucky winners will win our House Scarf in red. Thank you for participating and we look forward to reading your entries! :) (Our lucky January giveaway winner was Kerstin Duffy.) 

And in other news this month, we are excited to announce our first ever mid-winter Sample Sale! 

This is an opportunity for some happy shopping as well as to see where we work as it will be in our studio. 

Here are the dates and times:

Friday, 21 Feb (6-8pm)

Saturday, 22 Feb (11am-5pm)

Sunday, 23 Feb (11am-4pm)

Location:

Donna Wilson Studio

17 Pundersons Gardens

Unit 8a (Ground Floor)

E2 9QG

1 min walk from Bethnal green underground station

We will be offering a whole slew of winter woollies: scarves, hats, mittens, gloves, and lots of ceramics too. Please note that this time around we will not have a large offering of cushions.

Up to 50% select scarves, hats, and mittens so stock up now! 
Our winters here are long! 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to see the Facebook Page. 

Make Something: a collaboration with John Lewis + January giveaway!

Happy new year to all!

In the spirit of new beginnings and the hope of great things to come this year, we are offering our Oak Leaf Tree Cushion for our January giveaway!

To enter the giveaway, please submit a few lines about new beginnings and fresh starts as a comment on this blog post! And don't forget to include your email address so we can contact you for your address if you're a winner! :)

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This month we are also very proud to present to you Donna's most recent collaboration with John Lewis:

Make Something is a collection of knitting, sewing, and other craft-oriented accessories designed by Donna with the hopes of promoting hobbies and activities that give people a chance to use their hands.

These days, so much of what we do involves looking at a screen or interacting with a device. Nearly everything seems to be turning virtual and as a result, we can easily lose touch with the tangible world around us and our ability to use our hands and be creative.

This range was designed with this in mind, and the idea that maybe we could benefit from taking some time out every now and then to slow down and make something!

 
 

 
 

The collection includes handy totes, knitting cases, sewing kits, and more, all available at John Lewis stores and online.