Focus On: Selina Rose
Introducing the hottest designers of the moment.
Designer-maker Selina Rose creates fashion-forward textiles, homewares and bespoke surfaces using renewable and biodegradable wool felt: ‘If I were to sum up my style I would describe it as bold, colourful, tactile, natural, simple yet sophisticated.’ Turning heads in the international design world, Selina’s received a raft of awards and nominations including the Arts Council’s grant for the arts, Homes and Gardens Classic Design awards in 2007 and Craft Central’s Bright Ideas award in 2008. Launching an exclusive collection for Heal’s in 2009, you can find Selina’s felt furnishings at www.selinarose.co.uk.
A fresh approach to a familiar material, Selina’s innovative cutwork designs harness new technology while referencing natural forms and architectural geometries. These highly original, beguiling surfaces are suitable for a multitude of interior applications including rugs, throws and runners, acoustic wall panels, window treatments, room dividers, lighting and upholstery. Manufactured entirely in the UK, Selina’s high-impact designs are coloured using environmentally friendly dyes in her own distinctive colour palette of rich jewel tones and vivid brights, paired with soft pastels, greys and black. Breaking away from traditional woven textiles, these pierced felt surfaces create a visually striking, modern aesthetic celebrating the timeless appeal of plant forms, geometric motifs and meticulous craft. Visual drama in colour and pattern is united with the enticing tactility of cut and folded felt. Rugs, throws and table runners feature poetic botanical patterns, such as the enchanting rose petal and foliate Bloom design. Contemporary felt room dividers and window panels allow light to pass through the intricate cutwork creating a play of shadows and animating interior space.
New for 2010, Selina’s Connect panels feature layers of contrasting coloured felt with circular incisions revealing a geometric grid pattern of colourful dots. A unique interpretation of the colour-blocking trend in interior design, Connect demonstrates Selina’s innovative fashion-conscious approach. Another new addition, the stylised Oli pattern is inspired by the winged propeller-like structure of sycamore seedpods. Combining both botanical and geometric forms in one textile, the Oli design exemplifies Selina’s simple yet sophisticated aesthetic. This new cutwork pattern features on rugs, throws and coordinating coasters in a choice of 14 vibrant colours. The hugely popular Flutterby cushions are also given a 2010 makeover in three additional colourways: lime, hot pink and orange. Partial cuts are made in the top layer of felt, folded to reveal a contrasting coloured felt behind and creating a three-dimensional textured surface. The same origami-inspired Cut + Fold technique is used on Selina’s fabulous Scale stool, a statement piece reminiscent of Christopher Kane’s Spring-Summer 2009 catwalk collection, which secured his rising-star status in the world of fashion. Made to order in your chosen colourway, the semi-circular scales fan out around the stool to reveal the layer of felt beneath.
Best known for her botanical cutwork rugs, throws and runners, this exceptional Cut + Fold technique has elevated Selina’s felt surfaces to a new level of design innovation.
‘My ‘Cut + Fold’ range of felt surfaces can be used for acoustic paneling, blinds, screens, room dividers and upholstery. I wanted to create something new and innovative for the contract interiors market. Following on from the success of my cut-out, fretwork style felt designs I was experimenting in the studio with concepts inspired by traditional origami. I wanted to create a 3 dimensional surface using the felt playing on its paper-like qualities, for example the way it cuts without fraying, you can fold, pleat and manipulate it into shape. I developed a technique of making partial cuts into the surface and folding shapes back to create advent calendar style flaps or windows revealing contrasting coloured felts behind. I launched the collection at 100% Design 2009 and it was really well received and designs such as Scale, Faceted and Flutterby now adorn the walls and windows of luxury hotels, offices and residential interiors.’
The Cut + Fold technique caught the eye of international design and engineering firm Arup, which commissioned Selina to create bespoke acoustic felt panelling and window treatments for its new London Headquarters in Fitzrovia. The architectural qualities of Selina’s Cut + Fold surfaces are a perfect match for this innovative design firm, leading the field in structural engineering since its Modernist projects of the 1930s. Across 200 linear metres, spanning two buildings and 17 rooms, Selina produced 150 bespoke Cut + Fold panels in her geometric Faceted, Arrows and Scale designs, featuring grey on blue and grey on yellow felt layers. Functional, tactile and visually interesting, the acoustic panels absorb and reduce reverberant noise, making them ideal for music rooms, studios and playrooms at home.
Including the Scale stool and Cut + Fold felts, Selina’s new collection will be on show at 100% Design in Earls Court Arena, 23rd-26th September 2010, stand H12. Visit www.selinarose.co.uk for more information on bespoke services and to buy online.
