Colour Obsession
Colour is in my genes! My grandfather Frank had an innovative printing company called Chromoworks, bringing colourful prints and posters from the artworks of famous artists such as Nash, Lowrey to inject optimism and brightness into war-torn London. I was brought up in a very visual environment, my father Paul Winner was a painter and I spent many Saturdays sketching with him by the River Thames. After high school I went on to study design in London at Chelsea Art School and Middlesex University and in New York at The School of Visual Arts and the State University of New York.
This stands me in good stead now that colour is my business as well as my love. Because my designs are concerned with colours, tones and hues, specifically the way they can be layered one on the other (eg in After Matisse, inspired by overlapping cut-outs) I am very particular about the dyes used.
I analyse colours very closely and specify from many different colour systems using over 6000 shades to get the exact match required. Our manufacturers in India and I work painstakingly, often making small changes which might not be visible to most but which to me are critical to the success of the design. Colours and samples are sent back and forth – as well as images, of course. Eventually we agree on what I call a ‘colour necklace’ for each design, detailing all of the precise shades to be used. When the colours are just right, their combinations sing and delight the eye. It is wonderful to hear back from our many clients who appreciate the energising vibrancy that one of our rugs can bring into their home and office by injecting a perfect combination of colour.