STORE VISIT - heal's

Last week I popped into the Heal's Autumn Winter press show. Whilst I didn't see too much print and pattern on display it was a great excuse to see what is currently on sale in the store. I really admired the cushions by Living Union featuring the mid century designs of Robert Stewart (above & below). These classic 1950's prints feature the shapes and colours that are characteristic of the era. Robert Stewart led the printed textiles department at Glasgow School of Art for over 30 years and is best known for his influential prints, many of which have been lovingly reproduced by homewares brand Living Union. Four designs are currently available at Heal's.

Below : A few snap shots from the Heal's store on Tottenham Court Road.

Below : Le Jardin D'Ete is a collection designed by Royal College of Art graduate Claire de Quénetain for Heal's. The pattern features a beautiful floral with light watercolour shades to conjure up idyllic scenes of springtime while darker free-flowing brush strokes are overlaid for detail to give a very painterly expression. The natural motifs and curvy lines were inspired by free-flowing postmodern pattern of the 1980s.

Below : More expressive prints come from Royal College of Art graduates Danny Augustine and Adam Bridgland. Designed exclusively for Heal's Augustine & Bridgland have created bright floral designs on cushions and wall art with painterly Monet style florals. The designs are produced using the monoprint method which involves quickly and impulsively marking out the rich primary colours by hand. You can see this method in action here.

Below : British Textile Designer Kit Miles' striking design on cushions depicts painterly brush strokes in varying scales and colours.

Below : Mugs by Hvass And Hannibal. The design incorporates the signature tree motifs taken from the Heal's 1810 Herbarium design.

Below :  More snaps from in the Heals store...

And finally from Heal's we have a few snapshots of things to come for 2015 snapped at their press show last week....