Aline Johnson

 

I’m going to show my chandelier, which I haven’t shown at many trade shows. It’s mainly to get people inspired by lighting, and to get commissions off people who like this kind of work. I’m showing my vases too, which actually turn upside down into handkerchief lampshades. That’s something I haven’t shown before either, highlighting that double-function. I’m showing my hanging light as well, they are all very colourful, all made of colourful striped material.

 

 

I’m doing another show at the same time called London Interiors at Earl’s Court. And it’s overlapping. So I’m taking my feather chandelier, the feather lights and my amenite work. It’ll be very different. It’ll be a whiter theme, while House & Garden will be the colourful one.

 

 

 

 

 

I started doing stripes a long time ago. I used to work in knitwear initially, and to work in stripes is the easiest thing you can do when you start. After having children I retrained in glass and thought, ‘ooh I can do stripes again!’ Again, in glass, it is a natural progression because it is easy to cut straight lines and once you get started with colour variations and patterns it goes on from there really. Once you like stripes they never leave you alone, it sort of bonds you there. People still like it; it goes in and out of fashion quite a lot. Suddenly there will be stripes everywhere, they are classic in a way.

 

I always say my main inspiration comes from the Dorset coastline where I spend a lot of time. It has connotations of a lot of beach paraphernalia with all the bright seashore inflatables, bright plastic things, and bright colours - and of course the stripes of the deck chairs. Also seaside sticks of rock, sweets like liquorice allsorts, the shiny glass with colours lends itself well to those images.

 

What other design items, which inspire your own work, would you personally choose to put in your house?

 

I’d love to have a Dale Chihuly chandelier, but you have to have the right setting. It wouldn’t fit in my house because you need a big building; so maybe a little Dale Chihuly chandelier.

 

How do you see your products fitting with the House and Garden target audience?

 

I hope it will be a good fit. It’s very much a show to the general public, so there is a direct audience who are looking to embellish their interiors. It is especially beneficial showing with Hidden Art, where you are alongside other designers. I think it is always good to show with other people who are of a certain calibre and design standard. By getting a cluster of different ideas and products, you reinforce each other’s output in a way. If you were just in a little stand at Homes and Gardens you probably wouldn’t do as well as if you had a cluster of people who have interesting products to offer.

 

 

I have, I went last year. I must say I never made it upstairs where we’re going to be. There is so much happening there, so much to look at, nice food. This year though there is more of a focus on upstairs.

 

 

For me, it is most similar to Country Living. Country Living is a little less product-based, a little more mainstream. House and Garden will be specifically targeted to homes and interiors. I assume they have similar audiences, although H&G might be slightly more cutting-edge, with people more interested more in modern interiors.

 

 

The offer from Hidden art is very good. I’ve been saying I’ll do less and less shows because they cost a fortune to do and take a great investment of time. But it is great to tap into new audiences, and Hidden Art makes it easier to do that.

 

 

I aim to get commissions for mostly residential places. I want to push my lighting designs as well. I’m sure the occasional interior designer will visit the show, and that’s my main aim; to work with interior designers and architects in the future. At the moment though I prefer selling to the general public because you get a more enthusiastic response.

 

 

Hidden Art have been very useful in getting prepared to show at House & Garden. Obviously this is their first year at the show, but they present designer-makers with such a great imitative. Without their opportunities and help you get stuck in a designer corner, where you go to 100% design and that’s about it. Having their help means that you open yourself up to new markets and customers.

 

The fact that House and Garden ties in so closely with the e-shop provides some great options; it’s a good marketing tool. People can come and look at your products, and then go home and see it on their computer – and link up their own image of the item with the picture on the screen. It will also help people get in touch, because my products are so site specific it is good for them to be seen in the flesh. It is also good for people to see the designer behind it the product. House and Garden is not just a space for selling opportunities; it’s a chance for interaction with the designer-makers. People get excited if they get something commissioned too. They get involved and they give their angle. It’s nice.