Spotlight

COLLABORATIVE MOODBOARD PROJECT

7th May 2020

One of the things that’s really struck me over these weeks of lockdown has been the need for creativity. Personally, I’ve been taking more photos, creating more stories on Steller, and feeling the need to write more. For me, it’s been a means of keeping my head positive and focussed, and scrolling through Instagram and talking to friends, it’s clear that I’m not alone in this.

And as many of us are now spending more time at home – pretty much all our time in the last six-plus weeks – chances are that we’re also looking around and considering the improvements we could make, and the creative interior projects we might embrace. Textile designer Claire Gaudion responded to this when launching her Collaborative Moodboard Project.

Realising that people might be searching for design inspo for a project, whether current or future, Claire had the idea of creating free personalised moodboards that would include inspiration from a range of sources. In the spirit of collaboration and as a means of bringing the design community together, Claire invited others to get involved include product and interior designers and interiors and lifestyle photographers – if you scroll to the bottom of this post, you’ll find a list of the design studios, brands and photographers who have collaborated.

“The idea stemmed from my ongoing workshops on moodboards and related creative design projects and wanting to do something positive and offer a distraction for people during this difficult time,” Claire explains. “While we’re all spending much more time at home, people might be thinking about how they can freshen up their interiors. Rather than just focus this on our blog with recommendations about colour and materials, and how these elements can really make a difference to our homes, I wanted to do something a bit different, and more collaborative. Something more personalised that would inspire people to think ahead, to plan something they could engage with and look forward to as a future project.”

“I think it’s quite important to have something positive and forward-looking to focus on right now,” Claire says. “So the idea of creating moodboards seemed like a good fit. They could inspire people to start planning projects, but also offered the opportunity to connect with other lifestyle and interior design businesses to showcase their work in the moodboards too, thereby bringing a whole range of design inspiration to people and introducing them to brands they may not have already discovered.”

Claire has always been a firm believer in collaboration. As she says: “Design itself is a very collaborative process and my business has been working in collaboration with others ever since we launched. Our rugs are a good example of this as these are created in collaboration with Momo Rugs in the Netherlands. And I run workshops with Creative Interiors.”

Looking through these moodboards there are elements that I’m immediately drawn to: Claire’s handloom woven Zala Rugs that are made entirely from recycled plastic bottles, and which take their design cue from the patterns seen on the surface of the sea and underwater reefs; Hemming & Wills’ pendant lights, particularly the beautiful Aku pendant above with its combination of a hand-turned wooden beech top with lacquered brass; and the gorgeous hues and sculptural forms of the handcrafted ceramics by Hana Karim.

Some of the collaborating brands are businesses that Claire has worked with before. “Others are those whose work I really admire, so I approached them and asked if they’d like to be involved, and some of them were recommended to me by friends in our industry, like Karolina Barnes who has many connections through ESTILA’s creative community and is always championing collaborations,” Claire explains. “The response has been really lovely, both from the number of moodboard requests that we are getting, but also from the enthusiasm of the brands that we’re collaborating with. There has been so much sharing on Instagram stories! While we are all social distancing and working from home this is just another positive way to feel connected.”

You can find out more information and request your own free personalised moodboard here.

Follow on Instagram at @clairegaudion.

All moodboard images by Claire Gaudion.

 

  • Mary Anne Bake 9th May 2020 at 8:55 pm

    I like the idea of having this collaborative mood board project while on lockdown. That Hanna Karem Ceramics is pretty attractive. Is it for sale?

    • Fiona Reid 10th May 2020 at 9:07 pm

      I’s a great idea isn’t it! Yes indeed, you can find Hana Karim’s online shop at this link – although most pieces appear to be sold. This may also been affected by the lockdown/Covid-19 restrictions as possibly Hana hasn’t been able to update stock.