A joyful commission from For Cardiff to create a colourful public art installation at Cardiff Central railway station. The brief was to enhance a previously bleak area and make it more interesting, uplifting and welcoming for visitors.

The designs were inspired by Cardiff ‘s rich architectural history. The patterns celebrate and magnify period motifs found on buildings both at the station and around the city. The aim was to create contemporary patterns that are rooted in history and have a sense of place. Transport motifs also appear to reflect the sites location.

The project was supported by Great Western Railway’s customer and community improvement fund and by Transport For Wales.

When For Cardiff commissioned me to paint a fun, family friendly pavement mural on Queen Street I knew that the amazing Bethan Richards illustrator would make the perfect collaborator.

We worked digitally, passing files between us to create the layout of bold shapes, patterns and traditional hopscotch that would encourage passing children to interact and play.

The install took us two long days during which we had some uplifting engagement from passersby who all responded so positively to the addition of colour and pattern into the area.

The brief stipulated that the design had to be removable with power washing at some future point and so we used specialist water based playground paint from Britannia Paints

Our backs were complaining but our hearts were singing when we removed the barriers and children immediately ran into the area to play. Happy days indeed.

Such a pleasure to design cut steel panels for Cadw’s Porthmawr tower, one of the main entrances in Caernarfon town wall.

At one point in history the tower was used as a cinema and some of the older town residents still remember it well. Cadw wanted to reflect that in the design which was inspired by film reels and light rays. Working in collaboration with Make Your Mark Studio I also designed and illustrated 6 posters that mark other significant periods in the towers history. They will be installed in the tower with lightboxes behind in order to give them a big screen feel.

A pattern rooted in Landscape. A design collaboration with Jon Pountney, inspired by his landscape photography for Ysbyrd Lle/Spirit of Place: a community art project commissioned by Addo Creative.

The pattern development began with looking through Jon’s photographs of the Eglwysilan and Sengenydd area and creating shapes and emblems and picking colours that could be woven together to give a real sense of place. A pattern with a story that the community could recognise and relate to.

I had the pattern printed onto cotton drill and the amazing camouflage coat was created by costume designer Lindsay Bonaccorsi

Lolfa is Wales Millennium Centre’s designated space for families to chill out with their children. Based on their chosen floral theme we brought some lively colour to the space with printed window vinyls and interior signage. The space will go though further changes in 2024 so we were tasked with designing something impactful but not too costly with regards install.

1. Wallpaper Mural

2. Tree Centrepiece

3. Fabrics

We love working with open minded, open hearted people and working on the rebrand with Ceo Matt Jones was a pleasure from start to finish. Set up by Matt after selling his former Ad agency for seven figures Mesoa for Men is a brand with two objectives he’s passionate about:

1. To demystify men’s skincare and offer an effective range of high quality, organic products.

2. To help break the stigma around men’s mental health and give their users a safe platform to talk, listen and express themselves.

We began with a pattern. Using a collection of equal circles, fluid lines and interconnecting positive and negative shapes we created an icon to reflect their brand values of quality, connectivity and community.

Based on the letter M the monochrome design is strong but soft, fluid but balanced and works equally well in positive or negative.

We used the icon to create a brand pattern that can be used in a multitude of ways. Scroll to see it in the background of packaging.

The products are getting great reviews and Matt now works closely with Brotectors to further extend the conversation around men’s mental health.

We also designed the Mesoa tea tree packaging pattern. More info here

The Secret Garden cafe in Bute Park is a haven within a haven. A sustainable, walled garden cafe run by owner Mel; an all round positive force who cares hugely about nature and the wellbeing of the planet. Concerned about the loss of natural meadows and the negative effect on the ecosystem, she asked us to the design a takeaway cup that she could sell to raise much needed funds for the Wildlife Trust in Wales.

We created a folk art inspired design that features some of the insects that are so important to maintain the biodiversity of the planet.

When we met with Danni and Ian Brodie to talk about painting a mural in their Bricks n’ Mortar cafe their first request was for something uplifting and colourful. We chatted about their location near the park and asked about motifs and symbols that held some meaning for them. We learned that they loved birds, trees, sunflowers, the seasons and community. We learned that they thought coffee cherries looked more interesting than coffee beans. We learned that family is the incredibly important to them and most especially of course, their two young sons Jack and Max who are very fond of squirrel watching.

The design was informed by the information they’d shared. A summer sunflower framed between tree branches, coffee cherries and foliage acting as end pieces. Spring bluebells springing up here and there. A cold winter cloud bringing droplets of rain. The boys are represented by the squirrels that they love so much and the reaching hands represent the community around them. So far it’s raised a lot a smiles and we hope that will continue for a long time yet!

Special thanks to the lovely Alice Artwork who did the evening painting shifts with us.

In their own words:

CARDIFF CIVIC SOCIETY IS A MEMBERSHIP ORGANISATION AND CHARITY THAT AIMS TO CONSERVE, SUSTAIN AND ENHANCE THE NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF THE CITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS.

We’re delighted to have worked with them to create a visual style for their identity, website and documents.

The children’s bedrooms at Ty Hafan hospice have been named after beaches chosen by children and their families. This is a small selection of the illustrated signage that we created for the beautiful rooms, each of which has incredible sea views and up to date technology. The sea creatures also appear on the vinyl stickers and printed roller blinds that enliven the bathrooms.

You can see more of our work at Ty Hafan here

All photography by Philip Vile

We’re proud to be Orangebox’s pattern and hacking partners for Campers&Dens, their innovative new range of Pods for workplace interiors.

In times of enormous political & personal uncertainty companies need to build confidence & positivity by offering workspaces that feel extra special; workspaces that help employees feel valued, cared for and safer. With this in mind we’ve designed a range of organic patterns and subtle ombres for sheer fabrics, wall fabrics, rugs & manifestation that help humanise a space by providing a more stimulating, sensory experience both overhead & underfoot.

The designs grew out of research around behaviours and processes that highlight our relationship with the natural world and we’ve named them Germinate, Aerate & Cultivate.

Germinate & Cultivate are terms that can be applied to growing plants or growing ideas, connections & relationships; whilst Aerate is a term used to describe the action of supplying air whether it be the leaves of a plant, oxygenating our blood or increasing the airflow in an interior space.

A bumper of a branding project for Rebel-lion - an advertising agency that are already a roaring success.

Children’s libraries are hugely important places and so we’re always happy to work with library specialists The Design Concept to help make them bright, happy spaces. This is Eltham Library featuring our designs printed on Ezobord - a lightweight, acoustic board made from 50% recycled plastic bottles. The patterned upholstery fabric is from our Patternsitas for Panaz Fabrics collection and is made in Britain from 100% recycled plastic bottles.

Another happy project with library specialists The Design Concept. The upholstery fabric was chosen from our Patternistas for Panaz Fabrics collection. Using the motif from the pattern we created bespoke scaled up artwork for the matching window vinyls and pillar wallpaper. We hope the children who use the space will enjoy the boldness and be as uplifted by the joyful colours as we are.

We are so happy to have worked with Sustrans to create their Active Travel School Award plaques.

We chose super cool, sustainable material fromSmile Plastics which is waterproof, rot proof andmade from 100% recycled waste ensuring each piece is unique and beautiful.

We designed a tree like structure to form a framework for active travel symbols from the Sustrans library. The lines suggest routes of travel and the leaves are a reminder of the environmental and health benefits of walking and cycling to school.
Active Travel and sustainability are subjects close to our hearts and so this was a project to make us smile out loud.

The Sustrans Cymru Active Journeys programme works with the whole school community in transforming the journey to school into an active and healthy one. Three cheers to that!

Working with the management team at Velindre Cancer Centre to help add some life, colour and relevant motifs to the old hospital walls has been a privilege and a pleasure. The reception area had been looking very drab, tired and enclosed and we wanted to create a fresh sense of space, light and cheer that better suited their title Hospital of Hope.

Chris has been having treatment for Melanoma and during our many visits to the hospital we had often felt that, whilst the staff were heroes and the care was exemplary, the building itself felt drab, tired and did nothing to lift the spirits.
Our original window drawing on the hospital entrance doors had a lovely reaction from staff and visitors and so we knew there was an appetite for decoration and happy distraction.
We’re over the moon that the feedback from both patients and staff has been so positive.

Special thanks to Operations Manager Stuart Buswell for his vision and energy, to Ford of Bridgend for the charitable donation, to our long time collaborators Newmor Wallcoverings for printing the wallpaper and to Andrew Owen of Genesis Wales for window vinyl printing and patience and care installing the whole scheme.

It’s always a pleasure to work with Cardiff Council to bring some extra colour to the city centre. For their @childfriendlycardiff Summer Of Smiles event we were asked to design happy, friendly, bi-lingual banners using the colours of the cities #samediff branding. The banners are located in key spots including outside the castle and along Churchill Way where the council are preparing to reopen the canal and pedestrianise the road.

An illustrated map commission from across the pond in sunny Santa Monica L.A.

Cypress Equity Investment were an absolute pleasure to work with and went out of their way to be helpful regarding both reference material and speedy international payments. Worth mentioning as we’ve worked with so many large companies with rigid systems that make life trickier for small suppliers.

A Dogs Trail was a public art event presented by the Dogs Trust, Wild in Art and Peanuts, owners of Snoopy. We were over the moon that our design was sponsored by Mermaid Quay Cardiff and also delighted to be commissioned to create window vinyls to form the backdrop.

The event culminated in an auction that raised £156000 of much needed funds for The Dogs Trust.

We love the ‘Build a Bap’ option at Brodies Bricks & Mortar coffee shop. We designed and painted their mural and we were happy, happy when they then commissioned us to design their new menu. Of course we made them match. When you’re growing hungry, hungry, hungry go check them out!

Glory Stores, the latest hospitality venue in Roath offers coffee, wine, provisions, food and something a little different. A glass or two of Bollinger and a doughnut anyone? We worked with them to create a seasonal image that gives a flavour of the atmosphere and a glimpse of the beautifully packaged provisions that line their shelves. Postcards are available in store and posters are up around the city.

Our second window drawing for the wonderful Betina who runs Brod the Danish Bakery. The first drawing, in the Penarth branch, received a lot of love and Betina wanted to add some cheer and interest to the Pontcanna branch window as customers can only be served at outside seating at present. The budget tight and the brief was for something that made reference to the park but that wasn’t too summery or seasonal as the drawing would still be in situ in December. We framed the top of the window with a linear pattern interspersed with draping foliage and left space at the bottom for the display of staff ginger bread houses that is planned for later in the year. If you’re a regular at Brod you may be able to spot some inspiration we took from their pastries.

A child friendly, fun commission to cheer up the children’s playground at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Terynon in Brynglas Newport. In collaboration with the magnificent Matt Joyce we designed and painted a bright, happy woodland scene onto three sides of the 20ft shipping container that dominated the outside space. Thanks to Sophie Potter for being an ace painting assistant.

A child friendly, fun commission to cheer up the children’s playground at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Terynon in Brynglas Newport. In collaboration with the magnificent Matt Joyce we designed and painted a bright, happy river scene onto three sides of the 14ft shipping container that dominated the outside space. Thanks to Sophie Potter for being an ace painting assistant.

We are big fans of Ffrwrnes and the Pizza Boys so designing their pizza boxes was a treat.

Inspired by the Victorian ironwork above the entrance of their home at Cardiff Indoor Market and the artisan nature of of their offering, we created a pattern that could be linocut and printed to give a handcrafted look to the design.

We photographed the subsequent linoprints and then created vector artwork that could be risoprinted onto the pizza boxes. This kept the look and feel of the lino but ensured the design could be reproduced in numbers large enough to keep up with the amount of mighty tasty pizza flying out through the doors.

We recently had the pleasure of designing a pop up shop for men’s grooming brand Mesoa for Men They not only offer 100% organic, premium products at reasonable prices, they are also working closely with Brotectors to build a community and platform where men can feel safe opening up about their mental health.

For its’ first outing the pop up appeared alongside luxury brands Armani and Tom Ford in John Lewis store Cardiff. The unit was designed to be self supporting, easy to install, to disassemble and to store. It can also be reconfigured for different shape spaces. In the interests of both style and sustainability we sourced vintage Parker Knoll Statesmen chairs and had them refurbished using printed upholstery fabric made in Britain from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The fabric features the Mesoa brand pattern that we designed and is fully fire retardant to international standards and Martindale tested to 100,000 rubs.
The brand pattern was also printed onto sheer, contract quality fabric which was then stretched over plywood frames. The screens divide the space whilst still retaining a feeling of light and space. The triangular shelving provides ample space for product display and adds extra stability to the panels.

Exciting things are happening for the Mesoa brand, we’re delighted to be working with them and look forward to sharing more of their story.

See the our first packaging project for Mesoa

A year on since the start of the pandemic that prompted our first Penylan Pantry window drawing and we were commissioned to create a new design to herald the arrival of spring and offer another message of hope to the local community.

We chose the wonderfully wise of words of Martin Luther King:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can to that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

We drew daffodils, tulips, trailing honeysuckle and a flaming sun in the sky. Of course there are a multitude of bees and a few flitting butterflies too.

The community that love and support the pantry have responded so enthusiastically to our window drawings and that is incredibly uplifting in these difficult, locked down times.

Special thanks to Melissa who runs this beacon of light in Penylan and who is such a positive force in Cardiff.

A privately commissioned window drawing for a fantastic family of five. The large double windows and door now feature a few of their favourite things: plants, pebbles, patterns, birds and a little rescue cat.

Public Health Consultants Eryl Powell and William Beer commissioned us to create an illustration to accompany their thank you letter for colleagues working in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board Public Health team. They wanted an image that conveyed a sense of gratitude, hope, spirit of endeavour, team-work and positivity. The team had shown enormous commitment and fortitude working long hours on the the front lines during the pandemic and as 2020 came to a close Eryl and Will wanted them to be able to take time to reflect and feel proud of their effort and achievements in a year of fear, uncertainty and sacrifice for everyone.

We feel enormously privileged to have been asked to work on this and would like to extend our own thanks to all front line staff and key workers. You are our heroes.

A traditional Christmas window drawing commissioned by Tarryn of Purpose Chiropractic for her lovely family business in Penarth.

A row of trees and patterned houses to sit below the twinkling lights.

Our most ethereal window drawing yet. Creating a design for the window of Rachel Burgess boutique was the perfect autumn commission. Rachel stocks stunning, dresses that are all handmade in Wales along with a range of unusual accessories. Our design was inspired by some of the motifs we saw on her beautiful stock.

Featuring ferns, fronds, oak leaves, acorns and embroidered flowers, the drawing creates a delicate frame for the dresses displayed.

Ty Hafan is one of the UK’s leading paediatric palliative care charities and offers care to children and support for their families, throughout Wales. We were asked to create an colourful, child friendly window drawing on their entrance to cheer up staff and help welcome children and families to the hospice. We in turn had such a warm welcome at the site in Sully. Thanks to all within these walls for the inspiration and positivity. It was a privilege to spend time in such a special place.

We are always happy to work with clients to bespoke our existing patterns for specific requirements and we are great believers in the benefits of public libraries and their importance to communities so this job felt like win win! Design Concept in Glasgow asked for a custom version of our ‘Secret’ pattern to use on the wall of West Norwood’s children’s library in London. The original design is a leafy pattern from our designer collection for Newmor Wallcoverings. We were asked to incorporate illustrations of 6 woodland creatures and to custom size the repeat so that the foxes stood atop the bookcases. Happily both adults and children seem to love the final result. We’re looking forward to working with the library staff to create tote bags and notebooks to raise awareness of the facility.

After working with Cardiff Council to design welcoming, bi-lingual floor graphics for the Castle Quarter Cafe we further developed the creative into a poster campaign with varying, site specific formats for Visit Cardiff / Croeso Caerdydd Once again we were delighted to to collaborate with the #buildhollywood agency Jack Arts who posted the campaign on their many billboard, poster and drum sites all around the city centre. Some sites still feature our Kindness is Catching campaign and it was doubly exciting to see the designs side by side in some areas. It’s been humbling that so many have contacted us to say how much our work has cheered them up during these difficult, pandemic times. We’ve always believed in the uplifting power of colour and pattern and their feedback has kindly confirmed it.

When Cardiff Council tweeted about the installation of signage and street markings to encourage safe distancing and direct footfall when the city centre re-opened after the lockdown, we could see there was an opportunity to add some creativity. We put together a presentation suggesting ways that pattern and colour could help make the city more uplifting and welcoming and emailed it to them with a link to our website and examples of our work. They were working to a very tight schedule but it started a conversation and led to us working together to create the welcoming messaging for the Castle Quarter Cafe area. Amongst the motifs we designed are flowers, forks, leaves, musical notes and bike wheels. We’re keen cyclists and advocates of active travel so we’re very happy that Castle Street has been closed to traffic and cycling infrastructure is being improved. The messages we chose ‘Helo ffrindiau/hello friends, maen braf eich gweld chi eto/it’s good to see you again, croeso/welcome’ are appropriate whether people are visiting for the first time or passing by on a daily basis. We ran the type in a way that it could be read from whichever direction it was being viewed. Inside the hearts are a range of skin tones and our hope is that Cardiff will become more diverse and welcoming to all.

The 240 seat, undercover area is directly in front of Cardiff Castle and is now a traffic free safe place for families and friends to meet and relax. Food and drink can be ordered from a wide array of the cities restaurants.
We’re over the moon that there’s been so much love and support for the project.

When Jack Arts contacted us and asked us to get involved in their #yourspaceormine project we jumped at the opportunity.  In the early days of the pandemic pandemonium they joined forces with their sister agencies Jack Agency and Diabolical and rolled out their ‘Community is Kindness’ poster campaign to bring some positivity to the streets. Initially the only people out and about were on essential errands or daily exercise and the message was so comforting in the strangely surreal times. The posters received a lot of love from all 10 UK cities involved. 

That led on to their #yourspaceormine project involving 10 artists from across Britain who helped bring even more positive messages to their city streets. We are so happy to have made the list.

We created a pattern of sunshine smiles and our ‘Kindness is catching - pass it on’ message felt like the perfect antidote to the general anxiety about catching or spreading the virus. It’s true that you can’t give kindness away - it will always come back to you in one form or another and the more kindness we experience the sunnier we feel. We’ve been contacted by so many people who say it’s made them smile at a time when they felt both insecure and isolated. 

You can read more about the project on Jack Arts and on Creative Boom. We love this quote from Khaly Nguyen of the collective:

“These artists have diverse approaches, styles and perspectives. What they have in common is their goal of uniting and inspiring the community, not just during the crisis but every single day.”

It was a patterned pleasure working with the team at Mesoa to design the packaging for their new range of men’s grooming products. They donate 10% of all their UK profits to the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and are passionate about encouraging men to open up and get support to take care of their mental health. They have created an online platform and are busy building a community where men can share their stories of overcoming personal battles. Their mission has a simple aim, ‘to get men talking’, so three cheers to that!

We created a pattern repeat from the leaf shapes and colours that reflect the freshness of the key ingredients: peppermint, teatree and CBD oil and then using very simple graphic shapes we incorporated a masculine face peering out from the negative spaces between the leaves.

When we began the project the intention was to supply the tubes and jars inside patterned boxes printed by 4 colour process on card. As the project progressed the excess packaging was discarded in the interest of sustainability and we reformatted the design to be 3 colour screen-printed onto the black tubes, jar and tin labels.

Whilst the products have just been launched and are being sold exclusively online at present the aim was always to develop eye-catching packaging that would stand out on and stand up to the competition on retailers shelves. The feedback so far has been ace!

Our third lockdown window drawing was for Kas and Eisha of Waterloo Tea. They had only recently opened their latest venue, had lovingly refurbished the old shop front and applied new window vinyls. Unperturbed they had so many ideas for quotes and questions to put to the community. Wanting to encourage the idea of fundamental change they decided on a quote by Rumi ‘Maybe you are searching among the branches for what can only be found in the roots’

We drew birds with fan tails standing like sentries atop roots that frame a decorative flower. Trailing leaves and searching eyes grow skywards to frame a diving bird.

After completing our window drawing for Penylan Pantry we were contacted by Betina of Brod Danish Bakery. Shortly before the pandemic hit she had opened her second cafe/bakery in Penarth town and she wanted an uplifting message and decoration for the window. Our ‘Kindness will keep us together’ design features ginger bread houses, ginger bread people and seaside motifs like seagull, fish and shells to reflect the coastal location. You’ll be able to spot a snegl or two and if you look closely the flowers are created from the Brod logo.

At the start of the pandemic when so many businesses were forced to close, Mel of Penylan Pantry asked us to spread some cheer to the local community by drawing something happy in the windows. She dropped the keys through our letterbox one morning and left us to mull it over. We wanted to include a meaningful message and Mel came up with the perfect question ‘What kind of world to do we want to emerge after this crisis is over?’ Our design featured reaching hands, searching eyes, trailing leaves and the bees and butterflies that Mel loves so much. A dove soars above to symbolize our hopes for peace and the preservation of our beautiful planet. The window struck a cord with so many who were having to come to terms with a strange new world. What a pleasure to give back to a business we missed so much and the community response has been heartwarming.

We’ve been fans of MT Masking Tape since we started using their tapes in the creative workshops we run for furniture manufacturers and the A&D community. In a range of beautiful colours and with a magic adhesive quality that means they’re both easy to apply and easy to remove, they’re perfect for applying decoration to furniture.

We wanted to experiment further and create some architectural imagery which we can use to develop a new range of workshops. We approached Stone Marketing who are the UK distributors and asked if they’d like to commission us to create some tape cities. Happily they said yes!
We agreed to create a suite of images for use on their social feeds: final artwork, work in progress shots and some mirror repeats that show how imagery can be developed into surface pattern.
Using a selection of plain and patterned tapes we built three images of high rise blocks and fantasy buildings. Brightly coloured, luminous cities with water reflections and sugar coated clouds.
The translucency of some of the tapes mean that new colours and shades can be achieved by layering. For windows, clouds, water and small details we ran the tape along a clean cutting mat and used a sharp scalpel to cut to shape. The mixture of plains and small geometric patterns enabled us to create a wide range of effects and were a pleasure to work with. The results have proved popular and we’ve had requests for prints of the finished designs.

We have been working with PWC’s strategic team to create bold fabric patterns that help give staff a sense of place and pride in their workspace at More London; an impressive contemporary building on the banks of the Thames with direct views of Tower Bridge.

This pattern is called BLOCKS and takes its name from both the tower blocks of the City of London and the printing blocks that we used to create the original marks that make up the design. Inspired by the city scape views and paved pathways between the buildings and along the river, we created a strong diamond repeat in colourways that suggest both day and night.

The open plan office gives people flexibility to move around the building to different workspaces suitable to an array of tasks and helps their staff to feel focused, motivated and valued. Our patterns provide contrast, points of difference and personality within the overall scheme.

We have been working with PWC’s strategic team to create bold fabric patterns that help give staff a sense of place and pride in their workspace at More London; an impressive contemporary building on the banks of the Thames with direct views of Tower Bridge.

The Thames has been incredibly important in establishing London as one of the financial centres of the world. This pattern is made up of icons relating to trade both past and present along with everyday items like scissors, cutlery, locks and keys that are commonly found when mudlarking - little links to the past that are still relevant to life along the Thames today. The bikes and runners highlight the area as a place of recreation as well as work.

The open plan office gives people flexibility to move around the building to different workspaces suitable to an array of tasks and helps their staff to feel focused, motivated and valued. Our patterns provide contrast, points of difference and personality within the overall scheme.

MF Design commissioned us to create a bespoke version of our ‘Thin Leaf’ pattern for one of their corporate clients in the cosmetics sector.

We worked with the upholsterers to deliver ‘made to measure’ printed fabric for the banquette seating. This allowed them to have a black border around the pattern without any seams or joins which minimised time, cost and waste. We also created a circular version of the pattern for upholstery onto stool seat pads. The print quality was fantastic and we were able to deliver a fully waterproof, fire-retardant upholstery fabric on time and on budget.

See other colourways in the collection http://www.patternistas.co.uk/pattern-collections#/thin-leaf-pattern/

We are able to bespoke existing designs or create new from scratch to a brief. We can advise on how best to apply pattern to almost any interior surface or substrate, contact us for details.

We adapted our Pollinator pattern to create a honey label for our very sweet bee keeping friend Richard Thomas.

Our collaboration with Ezobord allows us to create patterned, acoustic wall panels to soften sounds and sooth your busy brain. So many interior spaces are designed using hard materials and, as beautiful as many of them are, we’ve long bemoaned the rising noise levels as sounds reverberate against metal, wood and glass.

We searched for a sustainable acoustic material with a printable surface that could be cut into interesting shapes and still retain it’s form. Manufactured from 50% recycled plastic bottles, Ezobord met all the criteria. So now you can plant one of our acoustic trees or choose a loud pattern to help create quiet spaces. 

If you’d like to talk to us about your own bespoke design then fire away. We’re very good listeners and would love to produce the perfect pattern for your interior project.

Contact us for samples.

Specification of the Ezobord material
Colours

15 standard colours. The board can be cut and printed achieving really interesting effects.

Composition

100% Polyester (min 50% recycled PET Fibre).

Thickness
9mm and 12mm as standard. Other thicknesses available on request.

Dimensions
Overall sheet maximum dimension 1220mm x 2440mm

Fire Testing
ASTM E-84 Class A / CAN ULC S102.
En13501: 2017.

Environment
Made with recycled polyester fibre, 50% of which comes from recycled water bottles which contributes to LEED MR credit of Recycled content. No VOC’s.

Acoustics
NRC 0.85 (subject to mounting conditions) Refer to ASTM C423 test chart for specific absorption rate/frequency

9mm: NRC 0.25 - with 50mm air gap 0.75
12mm: NRC 0.45 - with 50mm air gap 0.85

Applications
Wall and ceiling, visual and acoustical privacy barriers, acoustic canopies, and other custom applications. There are a number of standard fixing options and systems, please request a brochure.

General
Impact resistant, bacteria resistant, moisture resistant and installation friendly.

We always find that the understanding of the particular processes that are involved in turning our designs into real products are fundemental to how our designs evolve. Tiles really get you thinking because, not only do you have to work on the design of the motif, but you also have to consider the way the repeat works and how the laying pattern can change depending on who is installing the finished product.

We worked closely with Johnson Design team and creative director Darren Clanford to produce six bespoke, tiled panels for use in interior and exterior schemes.

Here is what Johnson Tiles have said in their blog; "Renowned for their eye-catching, decorative interiors, Patternistas makes the perfect partner for us.
Darren Clanford, Creative Director at Johnson Tiles, said: “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. As the UK’s leading tile manufacturer – having been at the forefront of the industry since 1901 – it’s of the upmost importance that we continue to push our boundaries to ensure that tiles remain at the centre of any design scheme.
“What’s so unique about our collaboration with the fantastic design duo, Patternistas, is our ability to transfer their creativity to a medium that suits both internal and external projects. Thanks to our expert Artile™ service, the vibrancy of Chris and Suzanne’s work can be applied to any design project.”

Watch this video showing the manufacturing at Johnson Tiles, the UK’s leading tile manufacturer

We're over the moon that Manchester based 'Loose Button Upholstery' have included a Patternistas section on their recently updated website. Their fantastic range of footstools are now available upholstered in our patterns which have been digitally printed on to a fine contract velvet - fully fire retardant, suitable for domestic & commercial use.

Our 'Pollen' and 'Chorus' designs are offered, each in five different colours, and you can choose from hairpin legs or tapered metal legs in brass or copper for even more loveliness! Perfect for putting your feet up and also useful as extra seating for offices, reception areas, bars and restaurants.

Loose Button specialise in custom-made furniture, contemporary upholstery & furnishings all made in their workshop in Didsbury. Their passion and love for interiors results in cool custom pieces and restored and re-upholstered furniture which customers adore.

Here is what they have to say about us on their website:
“Patternistas is a creative duo who 'TRANSFORM PRODUCT AND SPACES WITH THE UPLIFTING POWER OF PATTERN' - which is so true when you look at the bold and bright designs produced in a modern yet retro style.

We think these designs work really well with our round footstools and elevate their mid-century style.  So much so that we've added some super cool new legs with these tapered brushed copper & brass versions. Of course, we still like the hairpin leg options too!

Like all our made in house furniture you can take your pick and #makeityours as we custom-make each to order. Available in two designs and five colours you can choose from POLLEN based on flowerhead stamen or CHORUS a design based on a soaring bird silhouette.
If you're looking for a real statement piece  and something that is not widely available to the retail market then you'll definitely stand out with these designs.  Working brilliantly well for a splash of colour in your lounge, living room or bedroom they function as an additional seat too!
Printed by the Lancashire based group Panaz, European leaders in hospitality, healthcare & commercial fabrics.”

Click here to view the Patternistas Stools on the Loose button website

We recently had some fun designing a patterned cover for ‘Impression’ magazine, MIx Interiors hospitality supplement.

The result was “New Order”, a pattern which is at first glance abstract but look closely and you may spot some traditional symbols from the sharing, caring world of hospitality.

The pattern is made up from circular 'mandalas' that are created from simple hospitality symbols such as glasses, cutlery, plants, lights and stools.

We are extremely proud that this collection was shortlisted for the 2016 FX Design Awards and the Mixology North Design Awards both in the Surfaces category.
This collection was originally developed in 2016 for Ocee Design and is now available to the whole market.

Taking their inspiration from nature the patterns are constructed from stylised illustrations of moths, beetles, tree and flowers. The geometric repeats are available in striking palettes allowing for harmonious colour combinations or dynamic colour contrasts.

Features
Four patterns, sixteen colour ways
Available on different substrates for use as upholstery, curtains, bedding, blackout blinds, shower curtains and cushions
Digitally printed in the UK by Panaz
Short runs - 4 linear metre minimum order

Sustainability
Panaz has been committed to manufacturing with sustainability at its heart since 1985. Continuous attention to all their manufacturing processes, including waste management, maintains a clean, sustainable production environment.

Panaz digital printed contract fabrics are manufactured from 100% woven polyester and produced using sublimatic printing techniques which involve no chemical processes, water or effluents. All of our printing inks are water soluble and no solvents are used during the printing process.

Cardiff has a multitude of cafes offering quality beverages but for tea and coffee of the highest calibre it’s hard to beat the wonderful Waterloo Tea group. The first venue they established was Waterloo Gardens Teahouse; full of warmth and character it's situated opposite beautiful Edwardian Parks and regularly listed in the National Media ‘Top Ten’ cafes.

It’s one of our favourite places to relax and refuel and so we were very happy to talk fabrics with owners Kasim and Aisha. The popularity of the cafe meant that the soft furnishings had seen a whole lot of action and the time had come for refurbishment.

They needed a hard-wearing, cost-effective contract fabric that could take the busy pace and give their existing seating a lively shot of colour. After browsing through our online gallery of ready-made pattern collections they settled on our Doo-dah and Hendrix designs.

As their brand colours are orange, green and grey we customised the colours to match and added a shot of bright turquoise to create some extra zing. The designs were initially sampled on paper so that we could lay them on the furniture and help them decide what scale they preferred and then we supplied fabric samples so that they could be certain they were happy with their choice.

The patterns were teamed with plain vinyls in grey and green and Kas and Aisha commissioned their favourite local upholsterer to carry out the transformation.

Our friends at Panaz in Burnley digitally printed the fabric and also supplied the bomb proof vinyls.

Joy Everley jewellers are a family business who have been based in the colourful area of Carnaby Street for the last 15 years. We've long admired the work of Joy and Yasmine, the mother and daughter design team.

We were excited to collaborate with them and create designs for their summer window display consisting of full colour, flower power vinyls and cut out acrylic hanging honeybees. We were extra happy that they are helping support the British Beekeeping Society with 10% donation from sales of their new collection of bee jewellery.

To help spread the word we also designed them an A5 promotional postcard featuring a line illustration perfect for colouring in. Available from the shop or downloadable as a PDF from their website www.joyeverley.co.uk

They'll be running three colouring competitions over the summer period with each of the winners receiving a beautiful bee bangle. We hope you'll enter and share your colourful contributions on instagram and twitter.

The Artistry of Block Making

Uncle Goose produce amazing handmade, sustainable wooden blocks in the American state of Michigan. The company is run by the remarkable Pete Bultman who first made contact with Suzanne having fallen for a monochrome paisley pattern she'd posted on her @illustrator_eye instagram The company is an inspiration and we are over the moon to be associated with them and happy as happy can be to have designed patterns for their Swahili and Hindi language blocks.

Find out more about them and feast your eyes on their full range www,unclegoose.com

Suzanne was asked to contribute a double page spread to the Amelia's Magazine limited addiction colouring book which features 44 artists from around the world. The book has been widely blogged about and received great reviews from all quarters.

Follow the link to read Amelia's interview with Suzanne whttp/wwwameliasmagazinecom/art/an-interview-with-suzanne-carpenter-amelias-colourful-colouring-companion-featured-artist/2015/10/21/eg-1

Penylan Pantry is so much more than your average cafe!

Suzanne has worked with the owners of the Pantry to bring some of their unique personality to the physical space both inside and out.

They are a corner shop come deli that promotes local producers, the community and the environment.

We love the fact that they shout about the wonderful produce available here in Wales and the UK,  helping support our local producers, bakers, makers, farmers and dairies. They are a good food hub.

Proyecto Ensamble "Out-Fox". Suzanne was one of 30 designers from around the world who were invited to customise a fox template designed by Proyecto Ensamble for an exhibition at the Plop Illustration Gallery in Santiago, Chile.

This design was one of the 12 artworks chosen to be printed up as a limited edition pack.

If you would like to have a go at making up one of the fox designs then send us an email to chris@patternistas.co.uk and we will send one out to you in the post.

This lovely old steel bike frame was found at Cardiff Cycle Workshops. It was just what we needed for testing out some vinyl spider patterns.

Built by Graham Weigh in the early 80's in Chester, it's just the job for early morning sessions bombing around the velodrome.