The Maker's Atelier - a journey in colour selection

For the last twelve months I've been working on a very personal project that has become The Maker's Atelier. I have always made my own clothes and when someone suggested I publish my own dressmaking patterns, I thought it was an interesting idea. I've never bought dressmaking patterns, they're not very fashionable and they don't relate to my style. So I felt here was a gap in the dressmaking market where I could introduce a level of style and sophistication. But the interesting thing is the colour journey that has taken place during the development of The Maker's Atelier brand and its products.

I started the business concept the same way I start all my projects with a moodboard.  I take what I think are the key ingredients, which I then embellish, and then edit, until I've captured the essence of what I'm trying to create. Above is part of the moodboard; on the left is the section that relates to my own wardrobe, including my clothes-rail with the colours I wear - blues to greys to white with tans and sands for summer. On the righthand side are my first thoughts on branding - I knew I wanted a classic understated logo that would last and that ideally it would be in grey as this is the perfect "backdrop" colour.

 I worked with Eighth Day Design who have created all my previous websites and branding to develop The Maker's Atelier. They did a brilliant job including creating The Maker's Atelier type face inspired by the stencilled type found on dressmaking mannequins. The full branding story can be found here and as you can see we kept to the greys for the branding. It was a different story with the clothing....

The plan was to illustrate the patterns, with real size 12 women, photographed using natural light wearing a series of blue samples. But following the first test shoot with photographer Amelia Shepherd, I realised that we couldn't see the garment details with the depth of blues I had chosen. This detail is integral to dressmakers - they need to see the seams etc of what they are going to make. So I had a week in which to recreate all the samples in paler neutrals. The colour selection had become driven by the technicalities of the photographic look we wanted and the suitable fabrics I could quickly lay my hands on.

For the shoot location we used the building where The Maker's Atelier is based in Kemptown Brighton - there are a series of large rooms but the best background we have found is a pale grey; Dulux 00NN 53/000. This is completely neutral with a high Light Reflective Value (53) so the natural light can bounce around and soften the look.

After the final shoot we chose the images above for the first six pattern fronts which were published last August. Since then I've been experimenting with pattern and other colours in preparation for the next set of styles. But its a fine line with what works and what doesn't. But as a designer its been a fascinating journey perfecting everything into a saleable product - the results can be viewed here www.themakersatelier.com

A recent photo shoot

 

I've just done a photo shoot of some of my recent interiors, with photographer Leigh Simpson. I love working with Leigh because I have an excuse to play around with the styling, as he likes to shoot the detail as much as the overall interior.

These pictures are from two kitchens I've worked on for male clients. I find that men like very functional kitchens with lots of clean lines; my female clients prefer a softer look; so plenty of scope for styling these photos. With this grey kitchen I thought the deep mauves of figs, aubergines and beetroot would work well.

The client for this white kitchen, wanted an uncluttered look with no visible electrical sockets or appliances, with the exception of the minimal hob and oven - so here I've added textural leaves.

But this is my favourite; I like the earthiness of these potatoes and mushrooms against the sleekness of the straight clinical lines.

My pink crush.

Hawkins Brown Biochemistry Building, University of Oxford      WAN photos Tim Crocker 

I've never really liked pink, even as a child, I found it a bit too sweet. But things started to change when I fell in love with the Hawkins Brown Biochemistry Building in Oxford, a couple of years ago. The Beautiful tones of rose pink, apricot and honey used for the bris soleil, work so well with the surrounding sandstone brickwork.

Raf Simmonds for Jill Sander A/W 2012 / The Sartorialist Milan 20.4.2012    

Then last spring Raf Simmonds showed this stunning camel and pink coat for the Jill Sander A/W 2012 collection. By coincidence at the same time I saw this fabulous picture from The Sartorialist - the pink of those shoes mixed with the strong neutral palette of chocolate, cream and caramel - gorgeous.

So the trend for the neutral and pink mix just grew on me. I started to see versions of this palette everywhere; form Farrow and Ball's promotional pictures above, to these palettes below from the ever inspiring La Boheme blog

I particularly like the way orange and ginger tones are being added here.
But the level of pink that completely swung it for me, is this subtle shade of blush.....

The Independent magazine 29.12.2012

This picture, styled by Magda Bryk and photographed by Rory Payne, captures spring's tone on tone colour look perfectly. The strong clean lines of the burgundy Prada coat, softened by the 'hint of pink' silk top from COS - I'm won over!

Finchley Memorial Hospital

It's been a really busy summer with two residential projects and my involvement with the redevelopment of Finchley Memorial Hospital. I love these first pictures of the finished hospital building taken by Benedict Luxmore, I think they really show the spirit of the architecture by Murphy Philipps Architects.

The greens of the colour palette I developed were inspired by the hospital's setting within a proposed health campus of therapy gardens, community gardens and playing fields; the gardens will be part of phase two to be completed next year. I have selected the levels of green to provide a sense of calm and reassurance while inspiring feelings of hope, renewal and rejuvenation.  

Green has traditionally been associated with hospitals. It is especially used in operating theatres where surgeons are carrying out close work involving red blood - to look away towards a level of green allows the eye to rest and refocus.

Snowdon Blue

In last week's Observer Eva Wiseman interviewed Lord Snowdon about his trick of getting his photographic subjects to wear a blue shirt if a session wasn't going to plan. Snowdon says "The blue shirt is anonymous and yet a kind of uniform. It's a simple backdrop that leaves us to focus on the sitter's face without distraction".
Sixty of Snowdon's portraits have now been presented in a book, published by the Swedish fashion company Acne Studios, called Snowdon Blue. To coincide with the book and the exhibition of the portraits in the Acne Studio's store in Dover Street, London, the clothing company have designed a limited edition of blue shirts.
The portrait of David Bowie is extraordinary, but I think portraits of him always are, I find his eyes disturbing and compelling at the same time.

By coincidence I picked up the COS Spring & Summer magazine yesterday, inside is a series of portraits by Anuschka Blommers & Niels Schumm of students from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, all wearing blue COS garments. Studying these portraits made me realise how right Snowdon's observation was, the cool calmness of the blue allows the person to come to the fore. In both sets of photographs, the sitters are white, it would be interesting to see if a blue shirt has the same effect with Asian and black skin.