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Ribbons, Strips and Diamonds Three-part Window Dressing Set by Lesley Bloomfield Faedi |
Home > Winners > Design #24549 >Interview |
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FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
LB: As much as I elaborate sketchy drawings of window dressing items as they spontaneously come in to my head, I may also find myself deliberately creating an item to suit a client’s requirements. In this instance, I would say that it was a bit of both, for the idea for this three-part window dressing set had not only been in the back of my mind for a while but was already mapped out on paper before meeting or knowing anything about the client in question. After a first visit to the client's home where I could get my first impressions of personality and style and after having understood what the client was expecting of me : a practical, stylish aesthetic set , combining several fabrics and shapes, the painting suddenly came to life. We were definitely on the same wavelength.
FS: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
LB: My main objective has been to satisfy the client but I would also say myself at the same time, for if I can’ t be creative then I would prefer not to make anything at all. I can"t be contented with just making a pair of ordinary curtains or any other article for that matter. This three-part item had to offer the practical advantages of fully lined curtains (insulation, solar protection, echo dampening, warmth, masking of an ugly view) and a blind (filtering of light) and also had to be particularly original, aesthetic, stylish and striking via the combination of different coloured fabrics (pea/light/metallic dark green, navy blue, white), textures (satin ribbons, linen, net), shapes (small/big diamonds) and surfaces (piping versus flat fabric panels).
FS: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
LB: I hope for the moment, at a local level, to make more of this type of product for my clients, on a made-to-measure basis and likewise with other creations of mine. I think it”s more the desire to have my style and logo recognised. I certainly wouldn’t be indifferent to the prospect of having this set or any other creations of mine marketed at a national and/or international level.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
LB: I would say it took me a good month or so to get the initial design down on paper with a few intervals in between, but over three months to make, for I had to make this three-part set twice over, since there were two enormous sets of sliding glass patio doors to cater for. Of course, there’s a fair amount of trial and error to go through before eventually producing and being satisfied with the final creation.
FS: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
LB: My design is not being produced by another company. I am, however, open to business proposals.
FS: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
LB: No.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
LB: I would say that this is a particularly defined target, a niche market comprising customers looking for something practical, stylish, aesthetically pleasing to the eye and essentially unique.. These are the people who cocoon their interiors, appreciate design, art, sculptures etc.. and their homes illustrate this. Generally speaking, on what concerns most of my creative work these people are my customers.
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
LB: If this set offers the traditional practical advantages of fully lined curtains (insulation, solar protection, echo dampening, warmth, masking of an ugly view) and a blind (filtering of light), it differs from traditional window dressing by being original, aesthetic and stylish and the combination of different coloured fabrics (pea/light/metallic dark green, navy blue, white), textures (satin ribbons, linen, net), shapes (small/big diamonds) surfaces (piping versus flat fabric panels) and play on light contribute to the striking effect.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
LB: The title "Ribbons, Strips and Diamonds" contains three basic elements, namely, strips which may be seen in the combination of different coloured fabrics vertically and horizontally within this three-part set and the presence of ribbons dangling from the top of the curtains or bordering the central blind element ; ribbons, which speak for themselves as do the the variably sized navy blue, light and pea green diamonds present on the curtains and the blind.
FS: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
LB: Essential elements in the making of this design were a sketchbook and pencil, my sewing machine, tools such as needles, scissors and of course the raw materials (fabric , net, lining, thread, ribbon, beads, eyelets, wooden batten, hooks, plastic piping normally used for plumbing purposes).
FS: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
LB: I would say the most unique aspect of my design is its aesthetic shape and the play on light, which can be far more easily appreciated when seen in reality.
FS: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
LB: I'm the sole creator of this design.
FS: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
LB: The only real technology involved in the making of this design was limited to the usage of a sewing machine combined with manual work.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
LB: The only research necessary was that involved in finding out what the client really wanted and how I might go about satisfying her needs. While considering practicality, my research focused on aesthetics, the client wishing to take possession of a unique, striking set that corresponded to her perception of art and and the meaning of “artistic” (presence of paintings, sculptures on the premises). My research also focused on light variation (too much or less at certain times of the day) thus, curtains needed to be drawn to, aside, or let loose with light equally filtering through and around the descending net and fabric panels. Further research was more post creation in confirming that my design was original.
FS: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
LB: The real challenge for me here was to create a practical, original, stylish and artistic design. The curtain and central item difficulties involved corresponding placement of base diamonds/fabric strips to initial eyelet spacing which were overcome by constantly measuring and bringing base diamonds closer to the curtain heading. Other difficulties included material loss, maintenance of net rigidity, panel irregularity which were overcome by adding 5 to 10mm when sewing seams ; stretching, pinning and tacking well ; often measuring and ensuring tightly fitting pipes.
FS: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
LB: I live in an area where people do not seem to be particularly susceptible to window treatment, unlike in my country of origin (Great Britain), and even after different promotional measures within the framework of my one-person business to attract potential clients, I felt that the results were rather mediocre. My final reaction already last year was to go further afield to really discover if there were other people out there who could possibly appreciate my work. So, I decided that the best way of going about this was to try entering an international design competition, and in this instance, the “A Design Award”. I was pleasantly surprised in the 2010 – 2011 A’ Design Award Competition when I received the encouraging results : runner-up with the design “De-escalating Shades” . I decided to have another attempt at the A’ Design Award Competition 2011 – 2012 and was voted in as a winner with the design “Ribbons, Strips and Diamonds” and runner-up with the design “Autumn Leaves”.
FS: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
LB: Whether it be this particular design or any other design that I may have created, I always feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment on completing a product. Creation often involves countless hours of work, passion, hard thinking and labour as if going through the process of giving birth. Each time, I feel I better myself in sewing and design techniques, becoming more and more of a perfectionist, becoming more and more attentive to the smallest details.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A' Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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