Journal Edition 1

INSIDE02. BIRMINGHAM MADE ME04. DESIGN AND THE OLYMPICS06. PRODUCTS 08. INTERVIEW

FIRST EDITION | PLANT & MOSS LTD | GREAT BRITAIN

We unveiled new additions to our col-lection at the re-launched 100% Design Festival, the UK’s leading contemporary design event held at Earl’s Court.

Showcasing our latest range, we fused heritage and industrial themes by contrasting natural materials with re-appropriated, industrially manufactured objects. We strive to create products that will become heirlooms, passed on from generation to generation, a response to the tide of disposable culture.

www.PlantandMoss.com

his summer we expanded our inherently quirky product range to include the Bisley Suite; our

first sofa and loveseat launched exclusively with Heal’s.

The opportunity emerged after we first met the esteemed Heal’s team in September 2011 at the London Design Festival. After being selected to participate in the Heal’s Discovers collection, an initiative first instigated by Ambrose Heal’s advocacy of young designers’ work, we presented designs for the project and proposed an uphol-stered range.“Supporting great design has always been close to our hearts at Heal’s. We believe exceptional talent needs nur-turing, which is why each year we showcase the work of the best up-and-coming furniture and homeware design-ers in our Heal’s Discovers collection.”Starting out as a bed-makers in 1810, and later embrac-ing the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement, Heal’s has a long history of collaborating with prominent designers. Mies van de Rohe, Marcel Breuer and Robin and Lucienne Day are just a few of the legends they have attracted in the past. Today, they continue to work with

GREAT BRITISH CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

Relax and put your feet up as Plant & Moss launch their first sofa range with Heal’s

T major names like Philippe Starck, Tom Dixon, Orla Kiely, John Reeves and Matthew Hilton.Determined to uphold our clear sense of quintessential British style and manufacture, we set out to realise our Discovers project by compiling mood boards of herit-age products such as shooting jackets and plaid picnic blankets to conjure a fusion of leather and woollen tweed fabrics.Honouring Heal’s distinctive reputation as a forerun-ner of contemporary furniture design, the Bisley Suite echoes this ethos cleverly juxtaposing a sense of the tra-ditional with a contemporary twist. Its playful personal-ity is revealed in its unique proportions of short arms enveloped in tactile leather and deep woollen fabric seat and back. The user enjoys an even more relaxing experience from this added depth being able to recline, snuggle and feel at home in this undeniably chic addi-tion to their flat or apartment. Continued on page 2

hilst the eyes of the world watched over the greatest athletes of a generation per-form their amazing sporting feats in London, some of the UK’s best established

and emerging designers took part in their own world-class collaboration with the Brit-ish Business Embassy at Lancaster House.The neo-classical mansion in the heart of London was re-styled and re-imagined to show the world’s business leaders the power of UK design and innovation. Continued on page 4

W

Plant & Moss represent Great Britain in the Olympics

| Arco Wall Lamp |

| Clamp Lamp Chandelier |

This year we are delighted to launch new variations of the Bistro Stacking Chair, Arco Rod Floor Lamp and latest edi-tions of our Original Clamp Lamp series to include a larger side lamp and table lamp. We are also pleased to introduce the Clamp Lamp Chandelier recently ex-hibited at the Birmingham Made Me de-sign expo and the Bisley Suite launched with Heal’s earlier this year.

| Lancaster House |

london

The

Journal

- Edition No.1 -

James Plant and James Moss would like to welcome you to this first edi-tion of our printed journal. In this issue we launch the Bisley Suite with Heal’s Discovers, visit Lancaster House in the Olympics and chat with Mark Hodge about his Companion Stool for Plant & Moss.

This edition also brings together our core product range as a beauti-ful centre-fold pull-out, and sees the launch of UrbaneStore.com where all of are designs are available to love, cherish and purchase.

- DIRECTORS -

James Plant & James Moss

- EDITORS -

Aly GrimesFrazer Price

- CONTRIBUTORS -

Ben KirkbyElodie FlamontLizzie Unwin

- REFERENCES -

With thanks to; Beverley Nielson, Kristina Grund-berg, James Towle, Mark Hodge, Tatsuya Akita.Image refrences;pg.1 Heal and Sons Ltd, Innovision, UKTIpg.2 Heal and Sons Ltd pg.3 Idea Birmingham, Birmingham Made Me pg.4 UKTi, Innovision pg.8 Kristina Grundberg pg.9 TwentyTwenty, Sky Liv-ing, Dujour.com, pg.11 mydeco.com, James Towle,Article Refrences;pg.1 Heal and Sons Ltd, UKTI, Innovision, pg.2 Idea Birmingham, Birmingham Made Me, Bev-erley Neilson, Birmingham City University, Em-ber Television Productions pg.4 UKTI, Innovi-sion, David Cameron pg.8 Mark Hodge, Kristina Grundberg, Sky Living, TwentyTwenty, Morag Bruce, Tatsuya Akita, pg.11 Mydeco.com

Plant and Moss ltd.13c Pitsford Street,Jewellery Quarter,Birmingham, B18 6LJ

his June saw the inaugural year of Birmingham Made Me (BMME), a design expo brought to life by the pioneering

think tank Idea Birmingham and the City Council to cel-ebrate and ‘showcase a brilliant new wave of design talent’.

Beverly Nielson, the Project Lead explained that “there’s something very unique about the Midlands that is being overlooked. We’re not just a sort of ‘metal-bashing heartland’; we are actually the centre, the crucible of creativity and productivity”. Having established the Plant & Moss brand in the Jewellery Quar-ter only three years previously, we were delighted and honoured to participate alongside other great Midlands-based designers and creatives in a collective effort to resurrect Birmingham’s reputation as the country’s design capital. Curating one of the Mailbox’s prime window spaces gave us the opportunity to present our unique vision and key product range to the design-thirsty crowd. Our beautifully crafted wooden seating, stylish accessories and playful lighting pieces from our best-selling Clamp Lamp range all made and appearance whilst the Clamp Lamp Chandelier took centre-stage and looked magnificent.

The event strongly reinforced the abilities of UK manufacture on many levels. With iconic and traditional designs from AGA, Brooks Cycles and Morgan Cars (Acme Whistles, Emma Bridgewater and Jaguar Land Rover), the expo also exhibited new design technolo-gies as well as serving as a platform for emerging brands.Just the beginning of many more successes to come, the BMME campaign was a undoubtedly monumental feat and eye-opener in demonstrating the abundance of creative talent that surrounds the Midlands. Here’s hoping for next year!

Plant & Moss make history at Birmingham Made Me

T

Continued from page 1. The Bisley Suite (with its name pertaining to the notable hunting-town of Bisley), celebrates quality craftsmanship and champions local and national industry culmi-nating in a beautiful set made to the highest standards. Only the best materials are incorpo-rated in the design such as the woollen fabrics sourced from a traditional British mill founded in the 1830s. Yes indeed, heirlooms and inher-itance have surpassed the rush of materialism and the desire for quality is back with a shift of focus to “improve not move”.This first sofa suite from Plant & Moss is a fine example of a wonderfully innovative and con-temporary product that fundamentally main-tains its archetypal ‘Britishness’ that follows in the footsteps of Heal’s great legacy.

“We’re not just a sort of ‘metal-bashing heartland’; we are actually the centre,

the crucible of creativity and productivity

”

02. EVENTS The Plant & Moss Journal - Edition No.1

Relax and put your feet up as Plant & Moss launch their first sofa range with Heal’s

| Plant & Moss’ Jewellery Quarter Studio |

The Love Seat from the Bisley Suite range.The Bisley Suite by Plant & Moss is available exclusively from Heals.co.uk


| Our window space in The Birmingham Mailbox |

Continued from page 1. This remarkable transformation was overseen by a creative panel led by Sir John Sorrell (Founder of the London Design Festival) and Diana Yakeley, President of the British Institute of Interior Design. The intention was not to challenge the historical environs of Lancaster House, but rather

Plant & Moss represent Great Britain in the London 2012 Home Games with their own Olympic torch; the Arco Rod

On your marks, get set, glow!

“At a time when it is global business

partnerships and investments that will get the world back to growth, nothing symbolises the opportunity of partnership and collaboration

more than the Olympics

” - David Cameron, UK Trade & Investment Publication, 2012


04. CULTURE The Plant & Moss Journal - Edition No.1

to work with these as a frame within which to house modern interventions, touches of humour and excellence of service in order to create a unique environment that is designed specifically to celebrate the best of British trade and industry. Plant & Moss participated alongside other Great British designers and leading talents such as Lee Broom, Heatherwick Studios, Sir Terrence Conran and Ron Arad (to name a few), selecting their Arco Rod to represent the brand and fundamentally ‘British’ vision.

First spotted by Innovision on behalf of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) at last year’s Tramshed Trade Fair, the Arco Rod is an adjustable pendant lamp that refer-ences sea-faring imagery and industrial processes in its playful incorporation of a fishing rod with a winch, breeze-block and bulb.As ambassadors of emerging British designers within the Olympic Tournament and putting up a strong performance against our competitors, Plant & Moss have come a long way since setting sail in 2009.

| Inset: Introducing the new Arco Floor Lamp || Interior of Lancaster House |

Plant & Moss was conceived in 2009 by James Plant and James Moss as a British design brand that fuses contemporary design with character and charm.

Hand-crafted in Great Britain the product range incorporates a mixture of time-honoured skills and modern techniques. Each piece is produced in limited runs and therefore can be deemed unique through its manufacture process, evolv-ing character or truth to materials.

At Plant & Moss, we strive to create quality Brit-ish designs that will enrich an interior with ex-clusivity, style and quirkiness.

“The brand identity is very much about being a British brand, creating products that you’ll love and cherish for a long time.

We like to think that our products are all very human.”

05. PROFILE The Plant & Moss Journal - Edition No.1

2012: Emerging Brands 100% Design, LDF 2012London Olympics 2012 with the British Business Em-bassy at Lancaster House Plant & Moss are selected to represent Great British Design.Plant & Moss are ‘Styled to Rock’ with Sky Living supplying to the set. Topman shop installation - LondonHeals Discovers - Plant & Moss design the Bisley SuiteBirmingham Made Me; Design Expo

2011: Anthropologie Start selling the Arco RodTop Drawer, Kensington Olympia, Autumn Fair with Interiors Lifestyle FuturesThe Tramshed 2011, Rivington Street London, Lon-don Design FestivalFirst full collection Launched at LDF 2011

2010: Liberty of London becomes our first retailer with the Clamp LampPedlars love the Tube Chair and Clamp LampHomeless - Hong Kong take our designs to AsiaNandos with Du Boulay put our lights next to St Pauls at the One New Change building

We join Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Bseen) with The University of BirminghamDesigners Block show Birmingham Interiors some style and invite Plant & Moss to the NEC Birming-ham

2009:‘One Year On’ and New Designers invites us back, curated by Thorsten Van EltenVoted 2nd in Channel 4’s Top New Designers Finalist for EDF Ideal Homes Show, Innovation NationTom Dixon Studios presents The Dock, London Design Week where Plant & Moss launch their prototype collectionBistro Arm Chairs exhibited at the V&A

2008:Selected by 100% Design as a New Designers win-ner to be at 100% Futures Nominated for Homes & Gardens Young Designer of the Year New Designers, 100% Design Young Designer AwardVillage Underground, New Designers SelectionNew Designers, Business Design Centre IslingtonErcol presents, Ercol Showrooms, Buckinghamshire

The Journey of Plant & Moss, Achievements & ExhibitionsAbout

Clients


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This collection contrasts traditionally crafted pieces made from natural materials with reappropriated, industrially manufactured objects. We aim to create products that will become heirlooms, passed on from generation to generation, a response to the tide of

disposable culture.

Plant & Moss is very much a British brand, creating products that you’ll love and cherish for a long time.

◆

1. Akita Pen Stand 2. Akita Tape Dispenser 3. Akita Desk Lamp 4. Akita Desk Set 5. 398 Light 6. 398 Pendant 7. 398 Cluster 8. 284 Lamp 9. Table Clamp Lamp Plain 10. Side Clamp Lamp Pleated 11. Original Clamp Lamp Small 12. Original Clamp Lamp 13. Log Stool 14. Tribal Stool 15. Companion Stool Maple 16. Companion Stool Walnut 17. Block Stool 18. Block Bench 19. Earthen Lamp 20. Earthen Lamp Cluster x 3 21. Pallet Coffee Table 22. Pallet Coffee Table 23. Pallet Coffee Table 24. Pallet Coffee Table 25. Maple Bistro Side Chair 26. Colour Bistro Side Chair in Maple 27. Bistro Side Chair with Cushioned Seat and Back in Maple 28. Colour Bistro Arm Chair in Maple 29. Bistro Arm Chair in Walnut 30. Stacked Bistro Chairs 31. Bistro Table in Maple 32. Colour Bistro Table in Maple 33. Earthen Lamp Chandelier 34. Arco Wall Lamp 35. Clamp Lamp Chandelier 36. Earthen Lamp Chandelier 37. Odd Couples Bench 38. Bisley Loveseat 39. Bisley Sofa 40. Arco Floor Lamp

5 6 7 8

13 14 15 16

21 22 23 24

29 30 31 32

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39 40


This collection contrasts traditionally crafted pieces made from natural materials with reappropriated, industrially manufactured objects. We aim to create products that will become heirlooms, passed on from generation to generation, a response to the tide of

disposable culture.

Plant & Moss is very much a British brand, creating products that you’ll love and cherish for a long time.

◆

1. Akita Pen Stand 2. Akita Tape Dispenser 3. Akita Desk Lamp 4. Akita Desk Set 5. 398 Light 6. 398 Pendant 7. 398 Cluster 8. 284 Lamp 9. Table Clamp Lamp Plain 10. Side Clamp Lamp Pleated 11. Original Clamp Lamp Small 12. Original Clamp Lamp 13. Log Stool 14. Tribal Stool 15. Companion Stool Maple 16. Companion Stool Walnut 17. Block Stool 18. Block Bench 19. Earthen Lamp 20. Earthen Lamp Cluster x 3 21. Pallet Coffee Table 22. Pallet Coffee Table 23. Pallet Coffee Table 24. Pallet Coffee Table 25. Maple Bistro Side Chair 26. Colour Bistro Side Chair in Maple 27. Bistro Side Chair with Cushioned Seat and Back in Maple 28. Colour Bistro Arm Chair in Maple 29. Bistro Arm Chair in Walnut 30. Stacked Bistro Chairs 31. Bistro Table in Maple 32. Colour Bistro Table in Maple 33. Earthen Lamp Chandelier 34. Arco Wall Lamp 35. Clamp Lamp Chandelier 36. Earthen Lamp Chandelier 37. Odd Couples Bench 38. Bisley Loveseat 39. Bisley Sofa 40. Arco Floor Lamp

Interview with a Companion

Mark Hodgedesigner of the

Companion Stool

“Home sweet home,My Ercol chair and Plant & Moss lamp;

a match made in heaven.”- Kristina Grundberg

(kristinagrundberg.com, kristinagrundberg.blogspot.co.uk)

a family heirloom to be handed down through generations. Know-ing the history of our belonging enables us to establish a greater emotional connection to them.

Do you have any favourite designer who particularly influence you?

MH: I’ve always found the Bouroullec Brothers’ innovative and intelligent approach to design a great source of inspiration.

Which design of yours are you most proud of so far and why?

MH: At the moment I would say that I am most proud of the Companion Stool as it typifies my desire to question what I can add to a traditional design.

What product would you like to design in the future?

MH: In the future I would like to design a product that truly makes a difference.

08. INTERVIEW The Plant & Moss Journal - Edition No.1


How did Plant & Moss find out about you and your work and how did the collaboration emerge?

MH: I knew both James Plant and James Moss from studying together at Buckinghamshire New University. Plant & Moss had liked the stool since I designed it several years ago and were keen to include it as part of their furniture range.

What was the inspiration and concept behind the Companion Stool?

MH: The concept for the Companion Stool grew from question-ing whether value can be added to a very familiar form. The stool seeks to become a life-long friend through its familiar design that has stood the test of time, whilst the band around its leg adds a subtle decoration.

Why do you think it’s important that the Companion Stool has a birth date?

MH: The birth date marks the beginning of the stool’s life as

| The Companion Stool in Walnut and Maple |

aking centre stage alongside pop megastar Rihanna, the discerning young designer, Henry

Holland and fashionista Nicola Roberts, Plant & Moss were delighted when asked to contribute to the furnishing of Sky Living’s first ‘Styled To Rock’ series.

Featuring a whole host of hand-crafted products from our core collection, the Odd Couples Bench, Bistro Chairs and Clamp Lamp, all enjoyed a presence under the limelight in front of the style savvy nation.The series aims to uncover talented new fashion design-ers who are invited to design garments for pioneers of the music industry. As an emerging brand ourselves, the programme’s producers, Twenty Twenty, were keen to have Plant & Moss take part in the series promoting new designers.

Plant & Mossare ‘Styled to Rock’

creation of the young Japanese designer, Tatsuya Akita and produced exclusively by the Plant & Moss studio, the Akita Desktop Range comprises a cylindrical pen stand,

tape dispenser and desk lamp.

This striking array of office-ware contrasts the glossy sheen of copper and brass metals with the matt finish of concrete, whilst a recurring oak ring features in each item to heighten a sense of co-hesion. A variety of modern techniques with rare and time-honoured craft processes are further incorporated, such as metal spinning by hand (think clay pot moulding with metal).Akita’s aim was to keep the designs simple, functional and practical. The set typifies industrial principles in its ‘no frills’ aesthetic, yet the presence of luxury metals adds a touch of the decora-tive. He explains that “the desk set range came from and investigation of materials and processes. The intention was to exploit material characteristics: concrete has weight, durability and a raw feel, the spun metal and turned wood relate to the function of the objects and result in a pure form. Material selection always plays a major role in what I do but the things that inspire me are too numerous to mention. Each project brings with it new things to explore and research.”Plant & Moss have been collaborating with Akita since they first discovered his work at New Designers 2011 where the former Northumbria University student was exhibiting his final year work. “We saw his work and immediately fell in love with the contrasting desk set and his Earthen Lamps (also available to purchase from Plant & Moss), so much so we decided to work with him to take his prototype designs and turn them into a reality”. Following this discovery, the under-stated elegance of desktop range has attracted the attention of the discerning interiors industry, featuring in Wallpaper*, Daily Tonic and most recently, re-exhibited at New Designers One Year On show in July 2012. Hailed by Livingetc.’s Acting News Editor, Morag Bruce as “the world’s most attractive desk set”, the simplistic beauty of the Akita Desktop Range promises functional-ity, lasting appeal and most importantly, the envy of your colleagues.

The Akita Desktop Range is available to purchase from our online store at Urbanestore.com

T

A


09. STYLE The Plant & Moss Journal - Edition No.1

We’ve been featured in a variety of esteemed publica-tions including Wallpaper*, The Financial Time; Super Interiors and Elle Decoration to name a few. To view

these articles and for a look over the othersvisit plantandmoss.com/press

-

image courtesy of D

u Jour.com

“The world’s most attractive desk set

” - Morag Bruce, Acting News Editor of Livingetc.

| Sky Living’s ‘Styled to Rock’ |

The

Bistro Range

QUALITY BRITISH DESIGN

The Bistro Range from Plant & Moss manufactured with Sitting Firm

11. COMPETITION The Plant & Moss Journal - Edition No.1

The playful brief required participants to design an interior to the style of the Plant & Moss brand using initial mood boards that outline our identity and the Mydeco 3D Home Planner web programme. The interactive facility offers hours of fun, enabling the designer to arrange their own virtual room and fill it with a cornucopia of digital furnish-ings such as the Clamp Lamp - also an interactive mechanism in its adjustable nature.We were dazzled by the variation of exciting and imaginative entries demonstrating a huge amount of talent and creativity. However there could only be one winner and we were delighted to announce the winner in May awarding the prize to The_Hunter_and_Gatherer with their Plant & Moss, Wood and Brick design.Featuring a range of our staple products, the design drew on Plant & Moss’ industrial personality in its emphasis of raw materials, linear composition and ‘rustic feel’ culminat-ing in a wonderfully sleek and sophisticated space. The Arco Lamp, Pallet Coffee Table, Maple Bistro Chair, Block Bench and Stool and 284 Filter Lamp all made an appearance in the winning entry. Have a go designing your own virtual room and see which Plant & Moss pieces you would feature by visiting mydeco.com

| The Winner: The_Hunter_and _Gatherer a.k.a James Towle |

| The winning entry: ‘Wood and Brick’ |


As a long-standing supplier for Mydeco, Plant & Moss teamed up with the curated online boutique to launch a competition encour-aging interior design enthusiasts to get their creative juices flowing and a chance to win an Original Clamp Lamp, our best-selling design.

Design a room online with Mydeco for Plant & Moss

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