The other day I was talking about how I wanted to inject a bit of pale pink into my home (see the post here). I haven’t got the time just yet to get the paint brushes out but when Nottingham-based interior accessories brand Lane contacted me about their collaboration with British paint brand Little Greene, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to test that perfect shade of pink out in my living room.
The two have teamed up to create the concertina-shaped Twin Tone lampshade, each shade bringing together two colours that have been carefully matched from the Little Greene collection. Made entirely out of thick paper from one of the oldest mills in the country, they come in six gorgeous colour ways, ranging from the light and bright Loft White and Orange Aurora, through the moodier Balsalt (dark blue) and Brighton (pale blue) and my personal favourite, Light Peachblossom and Carmine (dusky pink). Don’t you just love the names?
Mine fits in perfectly above our small, round, white table in the living room, casting a soft haze over our meals and cups of tea; previously we had a boring, cheap lampshade that was nothing pretty to look at, so this is a real improvement. The wire also hangs a bit lower this time so we can actually appreciate it. I love how you can get a glimpse of bright pink inside, without having something too garish or over the top; and I think I’m pretty sold on the pink colour, I’m ordering me a pot of Light Peachblossom and painting the walls!
(psst… you lucky readers can get 20% off one of Lane’s lampshades (the shades cost £65) for a limited time by entering the promotion code ‘catesthill’ (offer lasts until 3 May). They also have some equally beautiful graphic screen prints that might be finding their way into my basket…)
I was also eager to find out a bit more about the design process, so scroll down for a little Q&A with Lane’s director Joff Casciani, to discover how the two brands met at London’s designjunction and where Lane gets its inspiration from.
How and why did you start Lane?
Ollie and I already had a graphic design business, but we were really passionate about interiors and British mid-century design. I was also frustrated that so many products being sold were being manufactured in the Far East and wanted to develop products close to home using the skills and expertise on our doorstep.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I’m really inspired by lots of things and go through phases of researching different areas of interest. I’ve been heavily influenced by mid-century graphic design, particularly coming out of Italy – more specifically Milan in the 50’s and 60’s. I did a Fine Art degree many years ago and was inspired by mid-century American minimal painters such as Frank Stella and Josef Albers. Nowadays I spend alot of time looking at contemporary art and listening to contemporary music, which often has fantastic artwork associated with it.
How does your design process work?
It’s quite fluid between myself and Ollie – we usually have an idea of what we want to do, inspired by an existing material, artwork, process or a design or what we think might be an emerging trend. However by the time we have worked through it, it’s usually completely different from when we started. We will often develop the idea through an initial discussion, one of us will work on it, then the other will take over and develop it from there. It’s kind of like a game of ping pong.
What does the average day look like for you?
Pretty damned busy! I get up around 7.30, have a coffee and some sourdough toast (my partner has a bakery – Small Food Bakery at Primary Studios in Nottingham, where our studio is), do all my phone calls and emails in the morning, design work in the afternoon/evening. We always eat lunch together in the studio which I often cook (look out for #lanelunch on Twitter). I usually finish at 7ish and then go home and cook, watch a bit of telly or listen to music.
How did the collaboration with Little Greene come about?
They approached us at Design Junction, initially to do some notebooks, but I suggested the lampshade might be more effective. We have similar brand values and attitude so it just naturally developed from there.
How are the two-tone lampshades made?
The lampshades are die cut and laser cut, then they are hand assembled in our studio.
What does the future hold for Lane? What else are you working on at the moment?
Right now we’re working to expand the product range and are developing a table lamp and cushions too. But lots more later in the year.
and here are all the colour ways, which one is your favourite? Don’t forget the 20% off code ‘catesthill’ too!
All images my own, bottom image: Lane
This post was written in collaboration with Lane, with the lampshade gifted for the purposes of the post, as always views and opinions are my own.
