Meet the Maker - Charlotte Packe

My name is Charlotte Packe and my trading name is Charlotte Packe Studios, maker of lights! 

I’m a lighting designer and artist who has been working with lighting since 1990, creating lighting installations and designing bespoke luminaires for private and corporate clients as well as manufacturing small batch runs for selective retail outlets.

I have a studio and workshops in London and Norfolk. Once or twice a year I design a limited edition of luminaires for retail.

I trained at Goldsmith College, specialising in embroidery, textiles and fine art.

On graduating I set up studios in Limehouse, then Clerkenwell where I designed my first lamp - The Calyx in 1993. It sold internationally via the first Conran Shops - where small batch runs moved into manufacture.

My initial degree course at Goldsmiths developed my interest in materials, part sculpture, with function:

‘Light is one of the most magical forces, it is the most important element in our world and therefore within our home. I am inspired and in awe by light and to be able to work with such a magical force and then to select materials which control, capture, direct and enhance - it is the best part of the world we live in.’

After having my son, I wanted to give children access to good materials to work with, so I started a company called Sparrowkids - ethically sourced wool felts and cut out shapes to develop creativity.

I wound this down about three years ago to go back to my lighting - Charlotte Packe Lighting Design is an independent UK consultancy creating contemporary lighting schemes for residential and commercial properties:

I’m now working with clients to create bespoke lighting for residential and boutique hotels.

I also specialise in consultation which leads to planning concepts, advice on current products from selected manufacturers, the design and making of one off pieces and the enhancement of existing lighting schemes.

Charlotte will be at our final Homeworks Christmas Bazaar tomorrow.

Meet the Maker - Cardabelle Design

My name is Kate Guy and my design practice is called Cardabelle Design. I have a studio at the Kingsgate Workshops in Kilburn:

I specialise in linocut prints and designs, both original artwork and also screen-printed onto kitchen products, organic cotton textiles and hand made tiles:

I trained at Wimbledon and Norwich Schools of Art, graduating with a BaHons in Graphic Design and Animation. I worked in an animation studio in Camden and then went to lead their tracing department in Budapest.

After having children I worked as a freelance designer for a few years before training as a teacher. I worked in a large secondary school in North West London running the Art and Design department for 12 years. I left last year to develop my own company Cardabelle Design:

I started Cardabelle Design because I wanted to combine my graphic design background with my love of traditional printmaking techniques in order to produce unique, quality homeware:

My influences come from my home in North West London and the Languedoc region of South West France where I have family and friends. A Cardabelle is a thistle from this area which locals pin to their doors to keep out evil influences.

I have always loved printmaking, in particular the strong graphic qualities of lino-cut and screen printing. I use these techniques to make one-off, hand-made prints, and then using these original prints I have developed collections of quality items for the kitchen and home:

I take my principle inspiration from food and the kitchen; I feel that the kitchen is the true heart of the home and the smells and tastes that can be found in this social hub are prominent in my work, in particular natural, simple cooking with wild organic ingredients.

Kate will be at Homeworks this Sunday 11 December.

Meet the Maker - Annie Neill

My name is Annie Neill and I graduated from Central St. Martins College of Art and Design with a BA(Hons) in Textile Design in 1993.

I worked as an inhouse designer for a knitted swatch agency, designing and selling new designs, ideas and trends to the American market.
I also worked on private commissions before setting up my own business in 2004 designing and selling my own range of luxury knitwear.
My designs include woollen garter stitch berets, beanies and gloves, rib beanies, fingerless gloves and fingerless mittens:

My best sellers include mens and ladies cotton socks and woollen socks made using the finest of yarns and the unique softness of Scottish water.

I’m delighted that through my business I’m supporting the skills, craftsmanship, tradition and knowledge of generations of makers, taking pride in sewing a ‘Made in Scotland’ label into every piece.

Come and buy Annie’s gorgeous knitwear this Sunday 11 December.

Meet the Maker - Rebecca Denton

My name is Rebecca Denton and I’m an illustrator, painter and printmaker based in North London. I translate my love of storytelling and comedy into the medium of printmaking.

By combining ancient techniques such as etching with fresh ideas, I try to produce work which is both contemporary and unique:

I create handmade fine art prints (etchings, linocuts, monoprints) in my home studio. I also do watercolours and chalk illustrations sold as limited edition prints and cards. Subjects include eccentric animals in unexpected situations and magical dream-like settings:

I have a background in performing arts and have worked as a photographic stills producer, greeting card designer and conceptual illustrator for Getty.

My work can be viewed permanently at the Southbank Printmakers Gallery which holds six exhibitions a year.

Rebecca will be showing her latest work at Homeworks on Sunday 11 December.

Meet the Maker - Home-Grown

We are Helen Lancaster & Nicky Hessenberg. We started Home-Grown 10 years ago, but before that Helen had a small company making clothes for children and Nicky has a constructed textile course at the London College of Furniture. We used also to organize and run a small annual arts and crafts exhibition in our local area which had quite a local following.

Helen has family living in Mumbai and whenever she came back wearing something beautiful and sometimes exotic, friends and strangers would ask "where did you get it?". We decided to start a small company to supply this demand and Home-Grown was born.

We have a range of clothes made for us in Mumbai, designed by us based on traditional Indian designs. Each garment is then individually made by tailors, in good and safe working conditions, adapted for UK sizes and styles. We put the colours and prints together making a completely original and unique collection.

We do not have a shop and sell a few of our styles to a shop in East Dulwich - otherwise our clothes are available from us selling only through charity fairs and sales, by personal request by telephone, email or by visiting our stockroom. We are based in Bayswater, London.

Come and meet Helen & Nicky on 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Simone Selaib - Salandini

My name is Simone Selaib-Salandini and I’m a jewellery designer based in Notting Hill, London.

My work is made up of different collections including Victoria Regia, Industrial and Leaves. They all complement each other and comprise necklaces, rings, earrings, arm bands, bracelets, head pieces and anklets:

All my jewellery is hand crafted by me, I use silver 925 and 999, gold, bronze and semi-precious stones.

I graduated with a BA in Fine Arts and discovered my passion for sculptures and metal. After finishing university I lived in the Italian city of Naples and experienced the wonderful craft of restoration of church ceilings and sculptures.
I love the process of designing and making and I trained as a silversmith, took a course in professional development for designer-makers and began to sell to galleries and shops.

Recently I have participated in Arts and Crafts Fairs and I love the direct contact with the public and to see their reactions to my work.

I draw my inspirations from everyday experiences and the fascination I have for metal itself.

I like to play with line, space, light and shadow; where clear forms are integral part of each piece.

My inspirations reflect my artistic background. Jewellery is intuitive and spontaneous for me, influenced by sculptural and architectural works.

I once read .....‘my business is to create’ and this sums up exactly how I feel!

Simone will be at Homeworks next Sunday 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Vanessa Cohen Handmade Ceramics

I produce a range of handmade white earthenware bowls, platters and cups. I have a Fine Art Degree from The University of Cape Town where I majored in Sculpture.

My degree included a small amount of ceramics but I always had the desire to further my knowledge of the making of ceramic tableware as I very rarely found tableware that I liked.

My love of beautiful handmade things inspired me to take extra classes at Kensington and Chelsea College and I started my business in 2008. All my ceramics are made by hand in my studio which is based in NW10, just off Scrubs Lane.

I produce a delicate range of handmade tableware which very subtly explores and expresses the distorting qualities of thin clay:

An element of chance is embraced as I allow my bowls to uniformly distort into organic egg-like shapes in the kiln. People are drawn to my work and feel compelled to hold it because each piece is imbued with a uniquely ‘imperfect’ and tactile quality.

Vanessa will be at Homeworks on Sunday 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Scamp

As well as running Scamp with sister Stacey, Jennifer is a key member of the Homeworks team and organises our Christmas Bazaars. She recently gave us some time out of her (very busy) schedule to tell us a bit about her creative life:

Stacey (left) and Jennifer (right).

Tell us about who you are:
It’s a family affair at Scamp with myself and my sister Stacey establishing and running the business. We’re both mums, both into design, and both creative souls, who design everything in our range.

When did you start your business?
We began in 2010 making personalised pictures for baby gifts. We’ve grown a lot since then to include printed babywear, nursery accessories and bespoke gifts for little ones (and some for big ones too!). The world of the laser cutter has meant we’ve been able to create a lovely range of wooden kids room accessories and decorations and most recently customised printing has expanded our baby wear range to include pyjamas and blankets as well, all printed in the UK:

What’s your inspiration?
Having our own children very much defines what we want our product ranges to be like - lots of vibrant, colourful and funky babywear, bold and simple graphics on bedroom accessories (we love Scandinavian styles) and personalised products created with stylish parents in mind:

We design all our products ourselves and spend a great deal of design time thinking about how our designs fit in with modern family life - both ours and yours!

Come and meet Jennifer & Stacey at Homeworks on 4 & 11 December:

Meet the Maker - soapNskin

We are Rabia Khan & Samar Fazil and we were introduced to each other as babies - our parents were (and still are!) best friends. Like all girls, while growing up, we were captivated by our mothers’ vast collection of exotic beauty products, it was an eclectic mix; store bought makeup to artisan creams and toners inspired by our heritage from, what seemed like then, faraway lands.

We would whisk away into forbidden cupboards, trying on creams, concealers, mascaras or whatever else we could sneak passed their watchful eyes. We made a lot of mess in the process although, admittedly, not nearly as much as we do now!

Fast forward a few years (ok maybe a decade or two) and we began to realise why our darling mothers had always relied on natural remedies to maintain their youthful glow. Numerous skin problems, from eczema and photosensitivity to acne and everything in between left us exasperated. Over the counter, heavily marketed beauty products, as well as potent prescriptions from doctors promised the world, but delivered so little.

Stuck in a bit of a skin rut – and sick of expensive beauty products – we harnessed our creative energies to create natural products for our own personal use.

Submerged in research, botanical extracts, natural bases, butters and essential oils, we learned that nature, when harnessed correctly, offered effective alternatives. Abandoning chemical laden, mass produced toiletries and cosmetics, years were spent making and perfecting recipes. SoapNSkin was born out of this experimentation and we launched in 2014.

Our products are created by hand in micro batches in our very own kitchens. We use nature as our base, and build on that. Blending essential oils and botanical extracts to create fragrantly scented products that showcase Mother Nature in her glory, and which really benefit the skin. Of course some of our products have to contain preservatives to increase longevity, but these are all carefully selected and are derived from natural means.

For us it’s about sharing what we love, and what has made a positive change in our lives with others.
It’s about natural products, crafted and bottled by hand with love and an attention to detail. Products that are available to anyone who wants to make a positive change to what they put on their skin, and banish the use unnecessary harsh chemicals.

SoapNSkin will be at Homeworks on 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Hélène Turbé

Photo: Lily Bertrand-Webb 

Tell us little bit about who you are and where you are based?
My Name is Hélène Turbé, I’m a fine jewellery maker based in West London. I live near Kensal Rise and my studio is based just behind Ladbroke Grove.
I’m passionate about the handcrafting process and can spend hours working on details. I totally love working close to my work creating an intimacy with each of my pieces. My work is inspired by the ornate allure of jewellery dating from Antique, Byzantine and Victorian eras, enhanced by intensively repeated details, and by the use of coloured gemstones and pearls:



Where did you train and when did you start your business?
After working 10 years in Paris as a producer manager in the media Industry, I finally moved to London to accomplish my two dreams; to live in London and to study a fashion course.

In 2001, I joined London Metropolitan University to study jewellery and ended 3 years later with a First Class Honours degree.

In 2009, I set up my workshop while looking after my three kids. Very quickly, I managed to sell my work to few shops in London. I now work from an Artists Community Studio called Kindred Studio in St Marks Road (behind Ladbroke Grove) where I share my space with six other brilliant makers. I still work for the same retailers who have supported me from the beginning while making bespoke order for private customers. Very soon you will be able to shop through my website.




What inspired you to become a designer and set up your company?
Very young, I was fascinated by illustrations in children’s books, by my mother’s haberdashery and carving wood. I guess my curiosity never left me. I grew up on a little island surrounded by religious signs called Ile d’Yeu in West of France. Everything inspires me, all my surroundings. I’m fascinated by icon figures, icon medals, and rosaries:



Usually I start drawing some ideas and designs on my sketchbook, and once I’m happy and ready for it, I move to my bench where I start making a model before working directly on gold.
Depending of the piece, but sometimes it can take 2/3 weeks before finishing it.

Hélène will be at Homeworks on both 4 & 11 December.

Meet the Maker - Studio Rajka

My name is Rajka, my company name is Studio Rajka and I live, design, create and make my knitwear in my studio in Brentford, West London.
I studied chemistry at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. I have never studied design, but I started to knit when I was a child and sold my knitwear at university to supplement my tiny student budget.

I have been creative all my professional life, and after many years in the fashion industry I started my knitwear company two years ago, turning my passion into my profession.
I’m inspired by everyday life and my aim is to create luxurious but affordable knitwear, both traditional and contemporary, using naturally sourced sustainable and renewable materials:

I use Scottish and Italian spun lambswool, cashmere and blended yarn.

My products are unique, I rarely made more than two same. I am always happy to do custom orders.

Studio Rajka will be at Homeworks on Sunday 4 December.