Introducing... People Will Always Need Plates

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of... plates (and tea towels)! Thank goodness then, for the existence of design duo, People Will Always Need Plates. Famous for their witty, thoughtful and stylish products depicting iconic landmarks, we recently discovered that their passion for concrete holds no bounds!


Tell us a bit about yourself...
Who are you both and what do you do?
We are Hannah and Robin. Hannah's background is ceramics - an MA in 'pots and bottles' from the RCA. Robin studied industrial design at Brunel, and then went off to play in the glamorous world of branding and exhibition design for many years before being led to the dark side of batch production and collaboration with Hannah. All that consultancy work combined with freelancing has made a good solid ground from which to build People Will...



We set up the company as an antithesis to consultancy work and veer towards exceedingly geeky subject matter that we love, rather than producing design that'll necessarily sell the best. We know this is a luxury and are endlessly appreciative that we've found an audience and customer base as enthusiastic as ourselves.

Which has been your favourite building to work on for People Will Always Need Plates?
Trellick Tower is undoubtedly our bestseller - but also particularly Hannah's favourite. She wrote her dissertation on brutalist architecture as an undergraduate and her enthusiasm for reinforced concrete just keeps on growing. It's an added delight that Trellick is the Marmite of our range - everyone has a strong opinion of it - and we've enjoyed numerous debates with customers about the pros and cons of Trellick and its sister tower in Bow.


You do a lot of bespoke, commissioned PWANP projects for unusual buildings up and down the UK. In the case of Sheffield’s Tinsley Cooling Towers (which have unfortunately since been demolished) do you feel like you’re doing your bit to try and protect and preserve part of England’s heritage (even if it’s only in memory)?

We tend to choose buildings that we love. Unfortunately, these are often much-hated concrete edifices that hold no value in the eyes of the conservator or developer and so they're all too frequently demolished to make way for McMansions and twee mock-Tudor boxes - the English dream. We hope that we raise the profile of brutalist architecture by celebrating it in a similar manner to that of Doulton or Spode's castles and cottages on their Victorian ware.

We've helped Twentieth Century Society by producing ware to be sold by them for fundraising as they actively promote and campaign to save the architecture we most love.

Do you have a favourite architectural style/period? Do you ever find yourself hankering after a bit of Victorian gothic or some medieval masonry?
We do sometimes draw a bit of Victoriana - the V&A nearly sent us blind with all its crenellations and mock-gothic detailing - and Liverpool Cathedral sent Robin slightly mad for a few days! Older architecture does suit our style surprisingly well, it's just that when commissioned it's often modernists that see the value in working with us. As previously mentioned, we're suckers for concrete from the 1960s, though a good dose of Georgian geometry comes in close second.


What other projects are you currently involved with?
We're very busy with commissions for the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, MARTa in Herford, Germany and new products as part of Hidden Art's Select range this year.

Do you enjoy straying away from your People Will Always Need Plates aesthetic, for example when you worked on products for Habitat?
We still freelance for the big boys now and again. It's refreshing to work on larger scale projects and not have to be wrapped up in the minutiae of production issues and the like. There are lots of other considerations when working for clients and it keeps us firmly grounded and disciplined in what is traditionally the job of the designer. Our current project is top secret for a super dooper client... but until it's launched in Heal's in August we have to keep schtum.


If you weren’t both designers, what do you think you would be doing instead?
Hannah - architect or grubby potter. I cannot let go of my craft-led roots.
Robin - definitely making something in a workshop with big machinery, or international motor racing star.

Town or Country (or seaside)?
Hannah - seaside. Ideally someplace warm enough to take a dip most of the year - and with mountains nearby. Did someone say Big Sur??
Robin - Yeah, San Francisco during the week, somewhere in Cow Hollow maybe, then Big Sur for the weekend.


And, almost relating to the question above, fancy restaurant or Sunday pub lunch (or fish and chips)?
Hannah - fancy restaurant to ensure good tableware. People will always need... a good table setting.
Robin - all of the above, I've never met a food I didn't like.

And finally, who does the washing up in your household (and do they dry the dishes with your tea towels)?
Hannah washes (mostly) and drying up is a shared chore - we have lots of Unity Peg tea towels in varying states of decay. We're hankering after some Lush Designs’ Foxes next though as they're a super hit on the mugs in our house with the wee'un.


You should head on over to the People Will Always Need Plates online headquarters, as they are currently having a brutal(ist) 50% off sale on all their remaining Ain't Concrete Great? plates.

Storm in a Teacup - hoist the mainsail!

Hooray! Also 'just in' is another new design to add to our ToDryFor artist-commissioned range; this time it's a tempestuous treat from designer/illustrator HelloWilson!

Batten down the hatches, position your compass to tea time, and set sail back to dry land (and dishes)!

Storm in a Teacup is priced at £9.95 and can be purchased here...

Sunny Days are here at last!

Here in the UK we've recently been enjoying the first few (and probably last) sunny days of the British summer. We're all packing up our picnic baskets, buying strawberries by the bucket-load and heading on down to parks and beaches across the country!

Why not bring the sun (and his hat) into your kitchen with one of the latest tea towels in our ToDryFor range? Designed by Ben Javens, an artist whose retro-aesthetic we've been lusting after for some time now, the Sunny Days tea towel will transform dull days into happy times.

We also fell in love with Ben's inspiration for the design, a beautiful and cheery song entitled Take A Picture, by Margo Guryan:

We've been singing it in the shower ever since we heard it!

Sunny Days is priced at £9.95 and is available here...

Introducing... Snowden Flood

Not only does Snowden Flood have the coolest name of anyone in the entire universe, but she is also one of the best interior accessories designers around. Her vibrant artwork graces mugs, glasses, aprons, cushions, plates, and of course tea towels! We had a chat with the lovely lady herself and she kindly answered a few of our questions...

Tell us a bit about yourself... Who are you and what do you do?
I'm a designer and I design interiors accessories which I manufacture in the UK. I also have another side to my business designing and making bespoke products, accessories and components for interior designers and architects and their high-end projects. I'm a single mother to a pesky young boy so I work from home so that I can alternate my business with the laundry, cooking, Lego building and school runs!

Have you always designed products? If you weren’t a designer, what would you be doing?
My degree and masters were in Fine Art and Sculpture but I was a mature student. I left school at 14 (expelled I'm afraid!) and have done all sorts of jobs. I'm happiest when I'm doing something creative that involves some problem solving!

What’s been your favourite design project and why?
That's a hard one! The two British Museum projects I worked on were very engaging because they were both very different. One, plates and mugs with a stylised design of the central roof rotunda and the other was a set of glassware inspired by Tree of Life patterning from their collections. I've also been involved with various design projects for a palace in the Middle East over the past few years and they are always extremely challenging in terms of the scale and the quality issues.

What other projects are you currently involved with?
I have a couple that I'm working on right now. I'm producing an exclusive range for the Tate Modern to celebrate their 10th anniversary. I'm working on a set of products for the gorgeous Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, a range of mugs for Dorchester Hotels, and then for my other business, a load of embroidered velvet crests for the backs of dining chairs for a banqueting hall. I'm trying to produce a new collection also but I sometimes struggle to find the time for that along with everything else!

We really like your range of sport-related mugs. Do you have a preferred sport?
Thanks! I like them too. Well I hate to watch sport, I like to participate. When I lived in NY I ran lots of races and that evolved into triathlon when I moved back here. Nowadays I don't have enough time for the training because of my son, so I just run and cycle and do a weekly swimming class at crystal palace with a great coach who makes you swim crazy distances doing impossibly difficult strokes like butterfly which I can barely do!


A lot of your work depicts iconic architecture. Do you have a favourite building / style of architecture?
Yes it's true that some of my products depict landmarks. But actually that stems much more from an interest with the history and tradition of heirlooms and souvenirs than from my interest in architecture per se. So my work is really about looking at familiar and sometimes overlooked sights in a way that celebrates them (as opposed to being about my love of urban architecture). But since you've asked here's a little list of some buildings and styles I like: Grand Central station, Brooklyn bridge, little sheds and houses in people’s back yards, ghost towns of the west USA, adobe houses of New Mexico, British Arts & Crafts architecture, Pierre Chareau House of Glass, Chrysler building, this could go on and on!

We read that you collect graphic novels – do you have a favourite?
I read lots of 'real' books too but I do love graphic novels! I don't have a favourite but I love the work of Joann Sfarr, his subject matter is incredibly varied combined with wonderful drawings and a staggering imagination. I like his series The Rabbi's Cat. Other artists I like are Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan) Art Spiegelman (Maus), Joe Sacco (Palestine)...

What was the last song/piece of music you listened to?
Well I listen to 6 music when I'm working but I don't always know what I'm listening to because it's just there in the background. I always listen to Guy Garveys finest hour on 6 music because it's the closest to the broad range of things I like. Last song I listened to was by The National because I'm listening to their new album on Spotify while writing this.


Tea and cake vs champagne and nibbles? If you had to choose, which one would you prefer and where?
You know what I'd really like best? A NY brunch with a Bloody Mary! I don't drink much of either champagne or tea but I got hooked on a cocktail brunch on a sunday during my 10 years living in NYC. Huevos rancheros with homefries and my bloody mary and I'll be in heaven :-)

And finally, who does the washing up in your household (and do they dry the dishes with your tea towels)?
I do the washing up with occasional help from my son (he recently begged me to be allowed to wash up - I should have taped it to replay when he is a teenager!). But for the most part, it's really always me. Luckily I have a nice range of tea-towels to brighten up the job eh? I have my Motorway, Beach Huts and Cable Cars tea-towels in my kitchen on rotation.

We don't know about you, but we're now dying to know why Snowden was expelled; we're in awe! If you want to find out a bit more about Snowden, why not pop along to http://www.snowdenflood.com/

A very belated PICK ME UP post...

This is a bit of a lame post, as it now seems a little too late to be talking about the wonders of the Pick Me Up exhibition that we visited a couple of weeks ago. However, it was such a fun evening out that we reckon it deserves a mention...

Pick Me Up, a contemporary graphic art fair hosted by Somerset House, was a bit like a sweet shop for art lovers. Dave and I were both overwhelmed by the amount of talent on display and the feast of colour and creation that greeted us as we entered.

We already knew about some of the amazing designers who were exhibiting, including James Joyce (see above), Jez Burrows and Mr Bingo, but it was a delight to discover new up-and-coming names, like Patrick Gildersleeves and Jess Wilson (whose Mighty Ducks illustration was awesome).

In addition, we got to gaze in wonder at Rob Ryan's open studio; he'd shifted his entire work space to Somerset House, recreating it in its entirety (right down to setting up his printing press and filling the walls full of previous work and mementos).

It's incredible to watch the timelapse video showing how Rob and his team worked their papercut magic during the exhibition.

The other fun things about the evening were being able to drink a couple of beers whilst admiring the artwork, eating a massive pretzel for dinner, and having a snooze on the bus back to Oxford. And people say we should get out more...

Feeling a bit cocksure?

Well then... this Roosters tea towel is perfect for you!


Designed by the lovely Luzelle from new supplier Mengsel, Roosters is priced at £9 and is made from 100% cotton.

Introducing... Darling Clementine

Tonje and Ingrid (the dynamic duo behind Norwegian design agency, Darling Clementine), are two of the loveliest ladies we've ever had the pleasure of drinking midday pints with. They are smart, beautiful, funny and fiesty. We've been admiring their designs for some time, so it's great to finally be working with them! Check out our interview with Darling Clementine below...


Tell us a bit about Darling Clementine... Who are you both and how/when did you start working together?
We both have the same background having taken our degrees in England (Manchester for Ingrid and London/Birmingham for Tonje), but didn't meet until we both moved back to Norway. We still remember the thrill of seeing each other’s university sketch books for the first time; it was like looking at a copy of your own work - so many of the references were the same it was almost a little scary! Ingrid had secretly dreamed about working with Tonje, who had started to sell Darling Clementine cards in some shops in Oslo. It also turned out that Tonje had a framed illustration on her kitchen wall in London made by Ingrid, and had tried to track her down but without any luck. When we finally met we were so happy to have found each other!

We love the name Darling Clementine! Where did it come from?
The name came from Tonje's MA project which was a project on nostalgia and how the influences of childhood aesthetics shaped her current work as a designer. Darling Clementine references the song which my Dad used to sing to me when I was little (and it was really sweet as he really can't sing!!) Also, it suggests a narrative, a person, which makes it a great name.


Your greetings cards are incredibly popular in the UK and abroad. How did you decide to work with this medium (as there isn’t really the same card-giving culture in Norway)?
It started out being the easiest and most affordable product to produce in order to get our designs out there. We also really like the idea that we're encouraging people to tell each other more often how much they appreciate one another without there really being an occasion.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your different designs (how do you come up with a badger wearing a beret)?
We get inspiration from anything and everything, from classic illustrators like Paul Rand and Pascal Blanchet, to things we find in flea markets, blogs and contemporary fashion and design. We also tend to 'fall in love' with things for a while, we've had our moustache and beret phase (we still have flash backs from that love affair actually!!), Paris and everything French, harlequin diamonds and our favourite colour orange-red!


We were really excited to hear about your project to rebrand Norway’s most popular ice cream brand (Diplom-Is). You’ve given their famous character, Eskimonika, a new cheeky smile. Can you tell us more about it (and does this mean you will get free ice-cream for life)?
We've heard nothing about free ice cream for life unfortunately!! It was great working on Eskimonika, but it also felt like a big responsibility because she's such a well known character that everyone has a relationship to as she has looked the same for 70 years. We wanted to keep her familiar but fresh, and feel happy with the result!


What’s a typical working day like for Darling Clementine?
Our day starts, without exception, with turning on the coffee machine so we can start the day with a nice cortado. We try to plan our days, but it's sometimes hard to keep it strict as we are good friends and know each other so well now. But we always start the week with Monday meetings, and then we divide our time with freelance work and self initiated projects.

A lot of your illustrations have a nostalgic feel to them. Do you have a favourite period in history with regard to design/fashion/music?
We love the 30's for the elegance and clean design, we love Bauhaus for creating design that is so clever and still looks contemporary to this day, but we also adore the rough cut-out style of Paul Rand and Saul Bass, so I guess it's hard to pick one!


And finally... You’ve worked with cards, wrapping paper, stationery, cushions, t-shirts and now tea towels! Who does the washing up in your studio and will you be drying up the dishes with your designs?
We've been lucky enough to have a dishwasher, so that is a luxury! The towels however will be on display in our office... We are moving office on the 1st of May to a cute place with a shop front and chess pattern floor tiles, so they will surely find their home there!

Why not find out a bit more about Darling Clementine by visiting their fabulous website: www.darlingclementine.no