Women in Design

In March we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). A day to celebrate the achievements of women globally.

IWD has been observed (that we know of) since 1908. In New York City women marched for shorter hours, better pay and their right to vote. Since then, IWD has grown across the world over the decades. Since the ’90s, each year started to adopt an annual theme from titles like, “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future” to “Women and Human Rights” to “World Free of Violence Against Women”, with this year’s being “#PressforProgress”.

IWD celebrates many achievements from women in history. Some of the biggest names across the design industry are female, so with IWD coming up next month (8 March), we want to focus on celebrating women in design, past and present, established and emerging, from interior designers to lighting designers.

Feed your passion for creativity and design with great inspirational women to follow and products to watch…

 

Paula Scher

A Graphic Designer, Painter and Art Educator,  Paula Scher was the first female Principal at Pentagram in New York, the world’s largest independently owned design studio. Scher has been in the design industry for over four decades, and her teaching career being two of them. She has produced work for a number of well-known clients from all over the world, a few being; Tiffany & Co., Coca-Cola, Citibank and the Museum of Modern Art. Known for her influential, eclectic approach to typography and creating maps that combine both text and design with the bold use of colour. Recently she created an illustration for the #MeToo Movement.

 

Image 1: Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

Image 2, 3 + 4: Paula Scher, Works

Image 5: #MeToo movement illustration

 

Fiona Lynch

Fiona Lynch is an Interior Designer based in Melbourne. Lynch studied Fine Art and then went on to study Interior Design. She runs her own independent practice, Fiona Lynch. Renowned for their creative and artistic approach, Fiona Lynch creates beautifully thought-out interiors for clients across residential, hospitality and retail. Alongside being an Interior Design expert Fiona is also a rug designer. Looking through Fiona Lynch’s projects her interiors create beautifully thought out spaces all visually appealing through the use of soft and hard furnishings, textures, lighting and colour. Her rug designs offer bold uses of colour and shapes which will help to create the right mood in its interior setting.

 

Image 1: Smalls

Image 2: Balwyn House

Image 3: Balwyn House

Image 4: Paddington House

Image 5 + 6: Tretford ‘Fields’ Rug Collection

Emily McDowell

Emily McDowell is an American Illustrator and Designer, after leaving her successful career in advertising in 2011 she launched her own greetings cards company Emily McDowell Studio, now a multi-million dollar company selling products in stores all over the world. Known for their very truthful but relatable greeting cards, creating art that connects with real life relationships rather than our ideal ones. As well as this, the studio supports self-love and girl power which is shown throughout a variety of products.

 

Image 1: Mothers Day Card

Image 2: Broken Objects Print

Image 3: Every Great Woman Card

Image 4: Girl Power Print

Image 5: Grown Ass Lady Mug

Image 6: I Have Done Love Print

 

Arent & Pyke

Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke are the duo that make Arent&Pyke, an interior design studio based in Sydney, specialists passionate about helping their clients’ visions come to life, from the planning stage to the decoration and styling with everything in-between. Arent combines her expertise of Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) with an Advanced Diploma in Interior Design creating a very specific skill set. Pyke has a Bachelor of Interior Architecture, with this, her attention to detail and great eye for beautiful combinations have resulted in her being highly respected for her work. Creating stunning residential spaces through use of both colour, pattern, space and styling.

Image 1 & 2: Barcom Terrace

Image 3 & 4: Bronte Beach House

Image 5: Macmasters Beach House

Rachel Castle

Rachel Castle is a designer known for her use of bright colours and fun, eye-catching designs. Her studio, CASTLE, is based in Sydney and offers a range of artworks that are sewn, screen and hand painted by Rachel.  The range includes prints, bed linen, apparel and much more. Her designs offer positivity throughout her product range, from her bold choice of words and the meaning behind them, to the colour palettes to the playful use of shapes and patterns.

 

Image 1: Darling Cushion

Image 2: Doggie Tea Towel

Image 3: Jumble Garden

Image 4: Human T-Shirt

Image 5: Happy Little Vegemite

Abigail Brown – Artist/Illustrator

Abigail is an artist and illustrator based in London, England. Abigail’s love for nature, animals and fabrics are shown through her work. She creates beautifully painted illustrations, hand stitched framed fabric artwork and animals made out of fabric and paper mâché. Her work is visually stunning, and the textures brought to her work through brush strokes, various fabrics and hand stitches create real character and uniqueness throughout her collections.

 

Image 1 & 6: Birds & Giraffe Illustrations

Image 2 & 3: Art Dolls

Image 4 & 7: Fabric Birds

Image 5: Paper Mâché Sculpture

Sibella Court

Sibella calls herself a ‘keeper of collections’. She is a lover of creating spaces that make you love your home and possessions. She is a believer in repurposing homewares and accessories to style a space and create stunning scenes. Sibella runs her own design studio and retail shop in Sydney, The Society Inc. which specialises in hospitality interiors and product development to name a few. The Society Inc. create unique interiors through great attention to detail and cleverly thought out styling.

Image 1: Hotel Palisade

Image 2: The Pines – Ivanhoe Hotel

Image 3: Murobond Foundation

Image 4 & 5: Blaxland Residence

 

Kelly Hoppen

Kelly Hoppen started her interior design career back when she was just 16 years old when she was commissioned to design a family friend’s kitchen. Since then her career has rocketed with awards, books and many clients seeking her talents. In 2015 Kelly was awarded a WIE (Woman: Inspiration & Enterprise) award which celebrates the success of the most inspirational women in the UK. Kelly creates sensational interiors through her use of colour, textures and placement. Her global work includes a variety of interiors from yachts to restaurants to hotels to apartments and so on… each one creating the perfect mood.

Image 1: Pearl Yacht 75

Image 2: The Hotel, Dubai

Image 3: The Ski Chalet, France

Image 4: The Town House, London

 

Bernabeifreeman

Based in St Kilda, Victoria, bernabeifreeman is made up of duo Rina and Kelly, two product designers who have won numerous awards and have worked with a variety of companies and clients. Their work spans from lighting to outdoor furniture to rugs and much more. Great use of colour, texture and shapes are used to make up their designs making each product uniquely exquisite. They have recently teamed up with Waverley Mills textile mill to create a visually stunning range of throws that again, use beautiful colour schemes, subtle shapes and patterns.

Image 1 & 2: Waverley Mills

Image 3 & 4: Designer Rugs

Image 5 & 6: Tait

Image 7:  ISM Objects

Image 8: Seams Lights