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One To Watch: Rachel Powell

3rd October 2012
My ‘one to watch’ series is back and I have some fantastic designers in the pipeline to share with you. First up today is the lovely Rachel Powell. Surface pattern and wallpaper designer Rachel, talks to us about what inspires her and what she hopes to achieve in the near future. Enjoy…
When did you realise you had a passion for design?
I didn’t realise my passion until I started art college, but there were lots of things I did when I was little that make me realise it was always sitting there. I use to move my furniture around in my bedroom at least once a month from the age of about 11. I had a constant need to re design my space, it resulted having the thinnest carpet in existence from me dragging furniture across it. Once I set up a little pretend shop, I use to line up my stationery collection on the counter (by counter I mean chest of drawers) and sell it to my customers (by customers I mean my cat). I still have an eye for an awesome bit of stationery.

Where do you inspirations come from?
Living on a farm, it inspires me in lots of ways, visually and emotionally. I like to try and capture the peacefulness in my work and combine it with my love for mid century design. I have a very peaceful lifestyle but it is punctuated with the odd bit of craziness which I think shows in some of my prints, particularly my new Deere John print launching in November. Mid century design inspires me hugley, I love the playfulness of 50’s  furniture and the palettes of 70’s prints.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Seeing my first rolls of wallpaper come off the print table, I was excited and petrified all at the same time! It was the moment when I realised ‘right then, no going back now!’ 

What do you hope to achieve in 5 years time?
Ultimately I’d love to have a studio in a little town that doubles up as a shop front so people can pop in and buy my products! Other than that, I aim to continue to develop my prints and explore pattern on other surfaces. It’s important to try and step outside of the box a little once in a while.

What famous artists/designers do you admire or inspires you the most?
There are so many, I love swedish and finnish design, Maija Isola is a favourite along with Stig Lindberg. Also love Alexander Girard and Charley Harper.
In five words how would you describe yourself ?
Chatty, thoughtful, hard to please!

What 5 things couldn’t you live with out? 
Marmite, my horse, diet coke, muddy boots and my family. 

3 Comments

  1. Lorraine@begolden.co.uk

    3rd October 2012 at 11:39 am

    I love these fresh and interesting designs, look forward to hearing more about Rachel's wallpapers

  2. Emily

    3rd October 2012 at 12:05 pm

    These are really lovely, bold, eye catching designs. Definitely one to watch.

    Emily.
    Furniture Pack Rental

  3. Petra

    14th October 2012 at 12:09 am

    She's such a lovely person you want to see her do well 🙂

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