MY COUNTRY BUSINESS
Textile designer Helen Round
The Cornish countryside and coast are the inspiration behind Helen Round’s linen textiles
Helen Round is Cornish through and through. Not only was she was born and brought up in the county, but she was raised on one of Cornwall’s most iconic sites, St Michael’s Mount, where her parents had also grown up. So Cornwall, not surprisingly, shapes each design she creates. ‘Its coastline, beautiful coves and beaches and gentle way of life are what keep me here,’ says Helen. ‘The coastal walks, wildlife, hedgerows and my wild Cornish garden are constant inspiration for my drawings and designs.’
Helen taught at an FE college, but after having her children, Reuben, now 23, and Phoebe, now 20, she wanted a change. ‘I had always loved textiles,’ Helen says. So she enrolled in an evening class doing A-level textiles and then went on to do a Fine Art Textiles degree 14 years ago. ‘I had always loved making things, even as a child – my mum taught me how to use a sewing machine. After I finished my degree, I was keen to use my new skills in a creative job and thought, “What can I do now?”’
Helen became involved with Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery and worked as a textile artist on a number of exhibitions, as well as holding contemporary craft workshops. ‘I found myself teaching for four or five years, then I realised I wanted to get back to making beautiful, functional things.’
So, in 2012, Helen set up her own business creating homeware and lifestyle accessories made from high-quality pure linen. ‘I had always loved printing, and screenprinting works well with textiles, so I decided to merge the two things together,’ she says.
‘The key is making beautiful things that are functional, using the best-quality fabric I can source. My first piece was a long crossover apron, then I thought, “What else do people use in their homes?” and developed collections and products within them.’
Her range now includes aprons, bags, cushions, lampshades, fabrics, table linens and mugs. Helen started from her kitchen table, but a year later, moved to a purposebuilt studio at the top of her Cornish garden.
Helen’s main marketing tool was her website. ‘I worked hard on social media, too,’ she says. Design journalist Charlotte » Abrahams came across her work and