Helen Yardley
Drawings for Floors
23 January – 6 March 2014
British designer, Helen Yardley, studied textile design at the Royal College of Art, establishing her studio in London in 1983. Known for her signature bold, painterly style and dramatic use of colour, she produces innovative, abstract designs that enhance a wide range of interior spaces.
“I was initially attracted to designing rugs as I realised they are essentially drawings for floors. These are drawings with a strong physical presence; you sit on them, you lie on them; they perform a whole range of functions. Unlike a conventional drawing, rugs are seen from every angle, which makes creating a dynamic within the parameters more of a challenge. The wall hangings were a natural progression as we were being commissioned to make rugs to hang on walls.
I started to use hand-dyed industrial felt to create a unique, hand-crafted piece that would bring an ambient sense of warmth to any interior space and absorb sound effectively.
I am passionate about colour, and the relationship between colours I find infinitely fascinating. Each colour has its own personality and responds uniquely to every other. Take one colour, add another and there is a dynamic; a third will alter it yet again. Modulate any colour by tone or saturation and the whole balance shifts once more.”
Helen Yardley has exhibited worldwide and designed for companies in Japan, France and the UK and her work is held in collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Academy and the British Crafts Council.
Past clients include: British Pavilion, Shanghai Expo; New Stock Exchange Abu Dhabi; Coutts Bank, the Strand; House of Commons, Portcullis House; Fidelity Investments; Clyde and Co; Royal Academy; Cisco Systems; Metropolitan Hotel; Stock Exchange London.
