Entries for this competition have now closed, thank you to everyone who entered. The winner is Hilary!
Readers of the blog can, though, get 15% off emerybloom’s prints with code CATE15.
Finding and sourcing affordable art for the home can be a nightmare – you want something unique, that no one else has, but not something that’s going to cost the earth. Emerybloom is a new discovery of mine: a company set up by Welsh graphic designer Gareth Emery and his Swedish wife, My, that creates beautiful Scandinavian art prints from Malmö, Sweden. Gareth graduated from Falmouth University’s graphic design course in 2007 and for the past few years has been working mostly with online digital media – emerybloom is his way of going back to his offline roots, working purely with print.
Featuring graphic motifs, geometric shapes and circular maps, each piece is printed on 100% cotton paper, using eco-friendly inks and recycled packaging. My favourite is the jagged lines of the ‘Wilderness’ print (above) and of course, I would have to say, the minimal letter ‘C’. And at about £27 a pop (for an A4 print), they’re a great way to get some colour and scandi-style onto a wall without breaking the bank.
I was eager to find out a little bit more about how the brand started (just a few months ago!) and what inspires the arty duo – scroll down for an interview with Gareth and details of the giveaway!
Skogen
How and why did you start emerybloom?
Since I work full time as an Art Director for a full service e-commerce company specialising in the fashion industry most of my work is digital/online based and only seen on a screen. Emerybloom is my way of getting back to my printing roots. It started when my wife and I had just moved into our new house. We needed some art for the walls and when we were looking around for prints in the sizes we needed, we couldn’t find any.
It was then that I decided to make my own designs. After a while, friends started asking about the prints on the walls and once I told them that they were mine, they suggested that I sell them myself. Of course living in a different country with different rules and regulations as well as the language held me back for a long time until one day I just decided to do it and chance it. I’ve learnt so much in these last few months, it’s insane!
Where does the name emerybloom come from?
emerybloom is a combination of both mine and my wifes surnames – Emery & Hedblom.
How would you describe emerybloom?
A brand oozing Scandinavian minimalism, clean lines and neutral colours. A brand with deep regard for the environment and quality in everything we do and make.
Alpha – C
Square
Cyklist
Where does your inspiration come from?
Everything around me really, from the bikes in the city to the trees in the parks, Sweden has a lot to offer.
How does your design process work?
I usually have ideas just before I go to sleep (very annoying) so I tend to sketch them down right there and then and continue further the evening after. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Some designs take a long time to get right and can take weeks, but some go surprisingly fast, usually the more complicated ones.
twothousandfifteen – this year’s limited edition print with brass number details.
How are your prints made?
We’re very concerned about the environment so we’ve set it up so that each print is made after an order is placed. This way we can cut down on dead stock and excess waste. It means each print is fresh and for some prints has the bonus feature of being customisable. All our prints are printed on 310g 100% cotton paper and printed with environmentally friendly eco-inks. They’re produced locally and shipped in recycled cardboard tubes.
What does the future hold for emerybloom?
At the moment we want to keep building our brand and growing our assortment – try new things, new ideas, meet new people… simply enjoy the experience of being a newbie on the market.
Thanks emerybloom!
Dimension
Alpha – M
Metropolitan – Copenhagen
Stag
Hero
Wilderness
Rhino
The lovely people at emerybloom are kindly offering you the chance to win one of their A4 prints (printed with a white border with eco-friendly water-based inks on 310g 100% cotton paper). There’s 18 beautiful designs (see them all here) so we’re letting the winner choose which one they’d like!
HOW TO ENTER:
Either:
– comment on this blog post below, including which design is your favourite (NB. twothousandfifteen and the maps prints don’t come in A4 size)
OR
– follow me on instagram @catesthill as well as @emerybloom, regram a pic of one of their A4 prints and include the hashtag #emerybloomgiveaway
Entries will close on 12th May and a winner will be picked out of a hat. Good luck!
