Last year, when the cutting-edge Frieze London art fair included a special section dedicated to female weavers in its programme, one thing was clear: craft, long dismissed by the art world as folksy and inferior, was finally in a league of its own. Certainly investment in craft is now big business – in its recent report The Market for Craft, the Crafts Council estimated it to be worth £3 billion in the UK.
What’s surprising, perhaps, about this boom in old techniques is the demographic attracted to them. ‘The biggest growth in the craft-buying market is the under 35s. As their tastes and incomes expand, they’re going to be investing more frequently and at higher levels, which bodes very well for the future,’ says Natalie Melton, the Craft Council’s creative director. And it’s not just younger consumers flocking to the area. There is also host of young designers discovering and reinventing artisanship, bringing with them an energy that craft hasn’t seen in years.
Take Sophie Graney, a 25-year-old textile artist and Royal College of Art master’s graduate, who makes candy-hued wall hangings, cushions and rugs. Her palette and materials are modern – rubber-coated yarns, electric cable tubing, patterns inspired by ‘urban wanderings’ – but her techniques are old, combining lace-making and embroidery with handweaving on a traditional loom. ‘I use methods that can only be done by hand, not mass produced, but the loom is like a canvas for my work. I don’t let it limit me.’
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Homes & Gardens.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE NEW SHANGRI-LA
Across the globe, garden designers are creating paradise-like spaces by embracing the flora and heritage of indigenous landscapes
A QUIET PLACE
The beauty of this restored Mallorcan villa is its stillness, both inside and out - and it makes whoever comes to visit completely relaxed
THE HOUSE OF FUN
Fearlessly flamboyant is the best way to describe every space of this 1960s French Regency-style mansion in the hills of Los Angeles
HEART & SOUL
A sophisticated use of fresh colours and playful patterns has ensured this modern Singapore apartment is full of character
IT'S WARM INSIDE
In designer Stephanie Barba Mendoza's home, everything was chosen to make her feel cocooned, looked after and full of joy
Shopping trips
This month, Joy Moyler details her strong desire to travel and the pieces she loves collecting along the way
A step ahead
A staircase has a dramatic impact on an interior and a great one is both beautiful and practical
Make an entrance
Tiffany Duggan of Studio Duggan opens the door planning and styling a small hallway
STATE OF THE ART Collector's piece
Six interior designers tell us the artists we should be investing in right now
Mexican revolution
Creatives are restoring abandoned homes from the Yucatán's golden era and there's lots to learn from these historic houses