BETHAN GRAY
The award-winning British designer’s instinct for marrying contemporary shapes with artisanal techniques is on full show in her first living and bedroom ranges
Tell us about your new living lines, ‘Ripple’ and ‘Shell’… I’ve wanted to design my own range of seating since I launched the studio in 2010. The ‘Ripple’ sofa, my first modular piece, is based on my own way of living – I love huge sofas where everyone can come together, though I’m always fighting with my son over who gets the cosy corner! The two collections are connected by an undulating ripple – a reference to scallop shells. A lot of my inspiration comes from the natural world. What were the challenges of introducing upholstery? We produced the pieces with Coakley & Cox in Norfolk. Working with craftspeople is a big part of what I enjoy about designing, and it’s all about knowing how far you can push things. It took two people to upholster the threeseater sofa in this huge piece of heavy leather, but it’s so worth it for that seamless end result. Those little details are important to me. We’ve selected some fabrics, but we use customers’ choices too. The alpaca bouclé from Rosemary Hallgarten is the softest I’ve ever felt. Why did you decide to launch a bedroom range? I knew I wanted to expand into different rooms and I’d had a lot of requests for bedroom furniture. It can be quite complicated, as standard sizing varies between markets, but this is all made to order by Shamsian in Oman. They introduced me to these incredible metal marquetry techniques. The ‘Nizwa’ pattern is inspired by the castellations of a fort there, while the ‘Dhow’ traces the undulating lines of a sailing vessel. It’s beautiful, but it must be useful, too – adjustable feet, cable management. I want people to really live with these designs (bethangray.com).
‘I WANT PEOPLE TO REALLY LIVE WITH THESE DESIGNS’