DESIGNER SPEAK

Lucy Ackroyd appreciates brands which reinvent classic English looking designs by giving them a bit of an eccentric twist. We spoke to the designer about her personal style inspiration and work...

Words of design from Lucy Ackroyd

Tell us something about your journey as a designer...

I always knew it was interiors and homewares that fascinate me and I’ve been very lucky to work in this field. I like to work in an area that demands creativity and innovation. It is a challenge but a rewarding one. I have also worked in retail sector and in a less creative capacity during my initial work life, but I feel that being creative is what gets me out of the bed every morning. So thank goodness, I’ve had this fantastic opportunity.

What are the themes that you take while working?

Working on the Christy brand means that heritage is a theme that occurs regularly. This could mean beautiful historic damasks or exotic chinoiserie prints from the Victorian era - sometimes it’s amazing how contemporary and on-trend they look with the right colour approach.

What are your inspirations and why?

I’m very inspired by my garden. It is my favourite hobby. So, when I see beautiful colours and forms in flowers or foliage, I try to keep it all inside my head and try to feed into the design process.

What’s your personal style?

I love historical and vintage looks and this is evident in my own home, it means that working with all the gorgeous archive pieces we have at Christy is an absolute pleasure!

My personal style is simple and classic, with a dash of whimsy usually brought into my outfits.” Lucy Ackroyd Design Manager, Welspun Global Brands Ltd

Which part of the world has influenced you and why?

I seem to be under the spell of the Far East. Many of the exciting designs I’ve worked on have very Chinese or Japanese imagery. Cultures of the Far East have really strong visual qualities, often with a very elegant and serene aesthetic. They are full of inspiration for designers.

What is the best advice you have received?

The best advice is to find something you can do for a living that you actually enjoy - it is an awful long time to spend doing something you don’t like!

What is your motto?

Keep smiling. It doesn’t cost anything and the world is better for it.

What are you currently interested in and how is it feeding into your designs?

Colour, colour, colour. Bright shades are coming back into our market and I love it. It is a breath of fresh air! This is especially feeding into prints, because we can produce them digitally with almost no restrictions on colour.

Are you more design-oriented or more technical-oriented?

I enjoy learning everything I can from a technical point of view and it really helps me as a designer. But my heart lies with the creative side of my role, so design-orientated.

What are you most excited to work on next?

Soon, I’ll be selecting next season’s colours for some stunning accessories. It will mean distilling the most gorgeous trends of the season down to a few shades of pure colour that will complement our design collection. It will be a joy to do and when we see our samples I’ll be very excited indeed. Like a child in a sweet shop!