Donna Wilson at the Milan Furniture Fair 2014

Hello everyone, 

I'd like to share with you two collaborations I worked on this year for the Milan Furniture Fair, which starts next week! It is a very exciting time for all in the design industry and I'm very proud to have been able to work again with two UK based manufacturers that I admire very much for their beautiful work as well as for commitment to UK production: SCP and Ercol.   

First, the pieces I worked on with SCP are the Martha Bench and Arthur Occasional Table: 

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Martha and Arthur are good companions. Both with 4 turned legs, the stool is upholstered in our welsh blanket fabric (from the Field Day collection) which gives the two a cosy homespun feel. The design is loosely based on a traditional milking stool, and uses the traditional peg method of construction. 

Martha and Arthur will be available for viewing at the below location - don't forget to stop by at 4 for an afternoon tipple!  

Salone Internazionale del Mobile / www.scp.co.uk

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With Ercol I have made a very special version of their Original Studio Couch: 

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The Ercol Studio Couch has been covered in a bespoke knitted fabric which was inspired by a Finnish wall hanging I found. To make the couch even more special its arms have been wrapped with thousands of strands of wool creating an eye catching gradient effect and tactile feel.

It's so nice to do these one-off pieces for a UK based company that still sells so many of them, and of course an honour to work with a company that has such a long heritage in UK furniture design - Ercol was founded in 1920!

The Donna Wilson + Ercol Studio Couch will be available for viewing here:

The Green Room at EDIT by designjunction  /  www.ercol.com

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