It's a tough call to expand your successful, low-key clothing brand into other areas. Reputations are at stake. Following in the footsteps of designers such as Nicole Farhi (who arguably over-expanded), and Jasper Conran (who has certainly, in our humble opinion, over-exposed his name), Cathal McAteer has released the first homewares collection, Folk Ceramics.
We're delighted to report that it's as considered and intricate as all that this Scottish designer's label has released.
As regular readers may recall, we're great fans of Folk and we're delighted that his reputation is, if anything, enhanced by this collection.
Ceramics are a collaboration with the safe hands of Brickett Davda, a favourite of Jamie Oliver among many others. Bowls have boldly coloured interiors to contrast with neutral exteriors. The aesthetic is directly congruent with the Folk ethos of superbly detailed simplicity.
There are tempting hand-crafted table lamps too. Once again, like all Folk's pieces, they're deceptively simple and honestly constructed. Bases are in scrap marble (who knew?) and of metals cast in wax, so that no two are the same.
Cables, far from being hidden, are proudly wound around brass lamp uprights. Once again, like all that this designer releases, there's nothing hidden, nothing deceptive.
There's a real calm about this first collection of homewares from Folk. We can't wait to see more.
