Selfridge Spots -  Cylinder Table Lamp
A beautifully fine textured silk velvet and merino wool lampshade in a circular pattern with a waxed oak base. The lampshade is mounted on a solid English Oak base finished with antique brass light fittings and a twisted linen flex cord. A wonderful combination of contrasting surface textures and subtle lighting effects.
 
 
Translucency & Opacity Collection 
The Selfridge Spots table lamp is part of the Translucency & Opacity Collection, a range of felted textiles developed during my MA research into haptic perception. 
 
Intrigued by our instinct to touch and its’ importance to the human experience, I wanted to create a collection of fabrics and functional objects that explores tactility and engaged the senses. Investigating the relationship between actual and perceived textures the felted devore fabrics are deconstructed before being reconstructed to develop a complex surface and structure. These sumptuous fabrics invite tactile curiosity and question our perception of texture, especially when the hidden textures and patterns are revealed when illuminated.
 
Each design within the collection has been inspired by my love of architecture, with the designs developed from my photographs and drawing of iconic buildings.
 
 
The Lampshade 
The circle design on this shade has been inspired by 15,000 anodised aluminium discs mounted on the exterior of the Birmingham Selfridges Building, designed by Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levete.
 
The lampshades are handmade by fusing the traditional practice of wet felting with devore. The design are screen printed to remove the velvet pile before the silk velvet pieces and merino wool are worked together by hand. This involves applying an olive oil solution to the fabric and fibres before rubbing and rolling them until they intermingle and fuse together, to form a permanent bond. This felted fabric is then attached to a heat and fire resistant backing and frame.  
 
The Lamp Base
The round wooden lamp base is made of solid English Oak. It has been created in collaboration with Matt Foster of Plane Structures. Matt prepares and cuts my design in the wood before I finish the lamp base with antique brass lamp fittings and twisted natural linen flex cord. The wood is then polished with beeswax to bring out the beautiful patina and textures of the wood.
Wooden Base measurements - 4cm x 15cm x 15cm
 
Each item is a truly unique piece of work, individually handmade in my garden studio in South Birmingham. Due to the handmade production processes, each lampshade & base may have a slightly different placement of design or wood grain than can be seen in the photos above. Lamp in the image is the 40cm high model.
 
...Our lampshades evoke feelings of warmth and comfort...