Behind the design: the Tigris collection
Our platter and jug especially are conversational pieces that bring colour and charm to a tablescape, rather than everyday basics you keep in the kitchen cupboard. ‘I'd want the platter out on show when people come round, and the jug filled with flowers at all times!’ says Sinead.
The Home & Gift Team take us through the development of Tigris, from the initial sketches in a drawing pad to the first collection of colourful products to hit the OB shelves.
From concept to creation
‘The concept behind the Tigris design emerged by looking at traditional antique Tibetan and other Eastern tiger rugs,’ says Sinead. ‘We then translated this into our own OB style, with the hand-drawn tiger and paisley motifs to create the full Tigris print for textiles. Tigris soon became widely loved by the team and can be found across a variety of different homeware products, and soon to be featured on furniture pieces!’
The range is launching with a collection of eight homeware products, incorporating the design across ceramics and textiles. It all starts with the designer creating the sketches on paper, then these are scanned and converted into a digital version that can be applied to our products. It is digitally printed onto our cushions, woven into our throw, handpainted onto the table and created in hand- sewn beads for our Tigris wall art.
For the ceramics, including the jugs and platter, the design is individually hand-painted onto each piece using a wax resist technique, explained by our Home & Gift Team, ‘This is where a wax pattern is applied, which can be directly onto the base ceramic or on top of the first glaze, depending on the type of design. The wax then resists any glaze applied on top from adhering. When placed into the kiln the wax then melts away leaving the design and ceramic underneath exposed.’ It is an intricate and lengthy process and means each piece will include variations.
‘The concept behind the Tigris design emerged by looking at traditional antique Tibetan and other Eastern tiger rugs’
Old meets new
One of the main themes being focused on for AW23 by the Home & Gift Team is reimagining and reinterpreting traditional craft techniques, and the Tigris design has been incorporated into this. They wanted to develop a small collection with one of our suppliers in India that specialises in hand-painting, creating a traditional Indian-style bajot table featuring the vibrant design.
A bajot table is a low table historically used in India as a prayer table. They would be topped with statues of gods and goddesses and spiritual items to protect the home. They can be used as a standalone decorative item or to elevate a plant pot from the floor or showcase a special item. Some people keep them next to the bed to use as a surface to rest coffee or breakfast on.
The artisans working in the factory have taken the Tigris artwork designed in the OB Studios and brought it to life in the creation of these diminutive tables, taking a years-old technique and giving it a fresh, contemporary spin with our dynamic tiger.
