Creating Heirlooms For The Future with SYRETT
One of the most exciting highlights of the year so far has been our collaboration with talented contemporary artist SYRETT. Coming together with the idea of creating bespoke furniture that can be treasured and passed on to future generations, like creating heirlooms for the future, shaped the stories of this exclusive collection.
With SYRETT's background in textiles and a shared passion for beautifully constructed objects, combined with our bespoke and fine upholstery methods, this collaboration has been an inspiring process for us, and has received a great deal of interest since the launch.
We sat down with SYRETT in the beautiful surroundings of the private members club - Blacks - in London where we talked more about this exclusive collaboration:
How did this collaboration come about?
I have always been drawn to traditional craftsmanship, be it a painting or photography, a beautifully designed garment or an everyday object, I enjoy having things around me that are beautifully constructed and fill me with pleasure. I’m obsessed with blurring the boundaries between art and fashion and on meeting the team at ROOME LONDON I soon realised that they shared the same vision, so working together seemed like a natural fit.
How different has it been applying your artistic approach in translating your art onto furniture?
Having a background in textiles and an extremely inquisitive mind definitely helps.
I work collaboratively with the ROOME LONDON team, sharing my designs with their London studio, then the teams of highly skilled artisans in Norfolk craft the pieces. Seeing my artwork take shape on pieces of furniture has been an amazing experience for me, it’s both familiar yet at the same time completely different. The craftsmen who work on these pieces are incredibly skilled and are among just a handful of people who are able to produce these kind of designs by hand. They are artists in their own right and I’m both thrilled and humbled to be working with them.
Why furniture?
I’m passionate about art being open, and by creating these bespoke furniture pieces with ROOME LONDON, I hope that I can bring my art to a broader audience. There’s no reason why art has to sit on a wall, to be art. I love the idea of people beginning to see that functional doesn’t have to be boring or unattractive, and although these pieces are technically seen as furniture, they are as much a piece of art as anything I have ever created.
What inspired your designs for ROOME LONDON?
These designs were taken from an earlier series, The Designer Collection, a series of abstract prints created using nail varnish. The world of fashion has long since been a source of inspiration to me and this series examined and brought to life the gloss and polish of a luxury fashion brand.
Who do you think the furniture pieces will appeal to?
I think these pieces will appeal to those looking to make a statement within their home. That said, I would like them to be more than just a talking point. I would like people to be drawn to these pieces because they love them and connect emotionally with them. I think it’s time that people started investing in things that bring them great pleasure every single day. I like the idea of creating heirlooms for the future, pieces that sit in the house that children remember fondly in years to come, that help tell a story.
Why is art important (right now)?
While art has always been an incredibly important part of my life, I believe that in times of uncertainty art takes on an even greater role. Putting it simply, art moves people, it inspires, provokes, excites and encourages curiosity – it helps people to think outside of their normal patterns of thinking – to escape a little from the day to day. My ability to appreciate and create art has had a profound effect on my life and has helped me to navigate some serious health challenges, it’s where I turn when I need to recalibrate, and it’s for these reasons that I think it’s so important.
Please visit SYRETT's website to find out more about his work.
To view our SYRETT's exclusive furniture collection, click here.