‘Limited Editions’ features designer/makers who produce beautiful batch production homeware and jewellery, with affordable pieces that have been carefully selected to ensure this is no compromise on design or quality.
On display are handcrafted wooden tea and coffee caddies by Liverpool based furniture maker Hugh Miller, exclusive desk tidies and a newly developed side table by Manchester based product designers Chung Tyson, colourful functional ceramics by Linda Bloomfield, elegant and functional fine bone china tableware by Reiko Kaneko, beautiful woodcut and papercut pictures by For Me & For You Designs, nature inspired ceramic coasters and badges by Alison Milner, ceramic photographic wall plaques and tea light holders by David Rhys Jones, illustrative functional ceramics by Helen Beard, limited edition prints and homewares by Folded Forest, pipework candleabras, candlesticks, ceramic planters and pendant lights by Nick Fraser, innovative concrete jewellery by Block Design, prints and homewares by The Art Rooms, knitted lambswool creatures by Donna Wilson, laser cut fabric and leather necklaces and framed screenprints by Christine Toh, limited prints by local printmaker Sue Mclaren, laser cut paper lamps, candle covers and delicate hanging decorations by Hannah Nunn and jewellery inspired by art, music, design and architecture by Esa Evans.
About Bluecoat Display Centre
The Bluecoat Display Centre is a haven for enthusiasts of everything exquisite in the field of contemporary craft and design. Situated in the heart of Liverpool (click here for a map).
Our friendly and knowledgeable team consisting of Director; Samantha Rhodes, Assistant Directors; Kate Moult and Frances Gill-Smith and Gallery Assistant ; Claire Smith, offer specialist help and advice to anyone wishing to purchase, commission or collect contemporary crafts.
The Bluecoat Display Centre is a nationally and internationally recognised contemporary craft and design gallery that has been established since 1959. We sell, exhibit and promote over 350 selected contemporary craftspeople each year working in a broad variety of media.
All works in this exhibition are for sale, please contact the gallery with enquiries here
Linda Bloomfield designs and makes tableware based on her thrown porcelain with dimples and visible throwing lines showing the hand of the maker. She uses a tactile satin matt glaze on the outside and colour on the inside.
Prices – Teapot £48, mugs, small plates and bowls £12, dinner plates £12
Alison Milner describes herself as a designer of 2D for 3D and the relationship of nature to the built environment is a key theme in her practice. Her aesthetic is clean and clear – reducing, simplifying and uncovering underlying patterns.
Coasters £7 each or a set of 6 for £36
Helen Beard’s individual pieces begin with drawings of quirky individuals and curious places. The ‘Dailyware’ pots featured in this show are sip-cast in a Staffordshire porcelain from moulds of Helen’s wheel thrown forms decorated with special lithographically printed ceramic decals of Helen’s artwork. They are fired three times to be tough enough for dishwashers, microwaves an everyday use.
Prices – Egg cups £15, beakers £26, bowls £45, mugs £32
David Rhys Jones trained at Central Saint Martins and has exhibited widely, including The V&A Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Courtauld Institute. The techniques that David uses to apply images to forms were developed whilst studying for his MA at Central Saint Martins. The images are printed using ceramic pigments and fired onto the ceramic surface at 800 degrees centigrade, making them light fast and permanent. Informed by journeys or site-specific locations; they are recorded using photography and drawings. The image becomes an object, a hybrid of sculpture and photography. The artworks record the experience of the location and also create a narrative of the walk.
‘Filmstrip’ wall piece £45
The Art Rooms was founded in 2007 by Jacky Al-Samarraie after a change of career and, whilst studying graphic design, discovering a love and appreciation of printmaking and letterpress. Jacky developed a style of work using blocks of colour which later evolved into her signature Landscape Collection, which combine simple silhouette images with block of vibrant colour.
Art Rooms Serenity Landscape Mug (coloured border with trees) – £17
Staffordshire fine bone china mug with box, available in blue, grey and mustard. Diameter x height: 8 x 9 cm
Donna Wilson has been designing, manufacturing and distributing her curious creatures, luxurious lambswool cushions, knitwear and ever-expanding collection of home accessories since 2003.
She honed her home-taught talents at the Royal College of Art. It was there that she knitted her very first creatures and began selling them to local shops in the city. It’s fair to say Donna’s studio wouldn’t be where it is today without its network of talented craftspeople who help to bring her products to life. Keeping UK manufacturing and crafts alive has long been an important part of Donna’s work and she is proud to say that each Donna Wilson product is, wherever possible, made in the UK by people who take great pride and care in their work.
Tara Ashe began Block Design in 2000 keen to combine a passion for design with an engineering background. The first Block product was a vase since then they have added desk accessories, jewellery and homeware to their collection. 20 years on Tara leads a team of 7 creatives integral to design and production.
Price range – earstuds £20 – pendants £27
Block Design Concrete Disc Pendant (Light Blue) – £27
Block concrete disc pendant inspired by iconic British Brutalist architecture with light blue detail.
Cord length: 26 inches
Pendant width: 3 cm
“This statement pendant embraces the character of concrete, a lively non-sterile material. Its surface reflects its history, presenting imperfections and changing with you and your environment.” – Block Design
ESA EVANS jewellery is contemporary, high quality and affordable. Her laser cut designs are brought to life in a variety of finishes including 18ct gold and rose-gold plating, flawless powder-coating, vibrant enamels or simply elegant, polished stainless steel. These are high quality pieces designed for everyday and special occasion wear.
“I began making jewellery for myself, because I couldn’t find the pieces that expressed a sense of humour in the way that I wanted. I wanted to wear strong, witty design every day at an affordable price.”
Esa Evans Honeycomb Pendant – £42
Gold plated steel pendant and chain.
Chain length: 18 inches Pendant width: 5 cm
Designer Nick Fraser’s collection of interior products combine function with character and a playfulness. Limited Editions features his pipework series includes candlesticks, candelabras and coat racks made from powder coated copper pipe and brass fittings. The show also includes his geometric pendant lights and plant holders in terracotta dip glazed on the inside to reflect the light.
Pipework series white double candelabra £45, single candlesticks £35 each
For Me and For You was established by husband and wife team, Jacqueline and Stewart Morton-Collings, they produce woodcut and papercut pictures that create shadows when illuminated. Using their own photographs as inspiration their range includes local landscapes, birds and animals, trees and people.
Prices – Small framed paper cuts £30 – layered £45, sets of 4 coasters £17, wood cut pictures from £45
Sue McLaren describes being an apprentice in the craft of letterpress printing since leaving full time teaching in 2011. Since then she has created several books including Brutalist Buildings in Britain and the De La Warr Pavilion illustrated with monochrome linocut prints, which are available framed or mounted from the exhibition. Much of Sue’s work was carried out at Juniper Press at the Bluecoat.
Prices – Framed Prints £37 each. St. Anne Limehouse – St. Mary Woolnoth, City – St Alfege, Greenwich –
Christ Church, Spitalfields – Kingsway Ventilation Shaft – National Theatre – The Barbican
Liverpool Sugar Silo – Stairway – Foyer – Spiral
Unframed mounted prints £22 each. St. George in the East, Wapping, Into the Light, Preston Bus Station, Christ the King
Hugh Miller studied architecture at Newcastle University followed by a Masters at Sheffield University. His business combines his understanding of architecture with his love of wood in the design and manufacture of handmade fine furniture.
Hugh Miller Tall Tea Caddie – £195
Oiled walnut tea caddie with brass details and gold leaf.
Dimensions (length x width x height): 9 x 9 x 18 cm
Tea caddies are available in tall, wide and cube and in oak, ebonised oak and walnut.
Coffee caddies are available in small, medium and large and in elm and ebonised wood.
Hannah Nunn studied Crafts at Carmarthen college in West Wales she originally made a range of paper cut greetings cards which made it to Libertys, Harrods, Paperchase and many craft galleries across the country. Whilst holding my paper cuts up to the light to enjoy the silhouettes, the idea of making lamps seemed the next exciting step.
I’ve been making my lamps for fifteen years now. What a time it’s been. My work has taken me on many adventures and I’ve met many amazing people. It has led me to open a shop, start a blog and write a book. The best thing of all though is that it allows my love of making things and my motivation to create more beauty in the world to be at the heart of everything I do.
Small Oval table light: 29cm high, 23 cm wide and 12 cm deep. Price £85
Tall lights round or oval: 42cm tall, diameter of 13cm. Price £95
Christine Toh works with textile and paper and is interested in the layering effect of printing techniques and plays with colours. Her work tries to capture the fragility within the elements surrounding us and the traces and marks left behind with the passage of time.
Framed screenprint and laser cut on cotton Price £84 also available as framed screenprint with laser cut leather, paper collage or silk.
Reiko Kaneko started out designing a range of products which she had made around the world but it was the joy of working with ceramicists in The Potteries, and tapping into over two centuries of knowledge in fine bone china production that led her to concentrate on ceramics. Reiko’s functional bone china ware is beautifully thin and light; and the pure white china is dipped in rich glazes to produce unique studio pieces.
Tableware price range – Mugs £21 – £25, jugs £19 – £29, Dinner plates £38
All Stoke fine bone china, hand glazed. Please note: each piece is decorated by hand and may vary from the photographs shown.
SIDE table by Chung Tyson
Desk TIDY by Chung Tyson
Chung Tyson are a multi disciplinary design studio based in Manchester. Ming Chung and Nick Tyson are fully qualified architects and makers with over 20 years experience in the fields of architecture, design and education.
Our projects range from product design to self-build architecture and set construction for television.
We take a hands on approach to all our projects and believe that thoughtful design has the potential to enhance the everyday experience.
SIDE| 2020
An accent table for placing your favourite items.
The linoleum lined tray and profiled plywood legs consider asymmetry and balance. A simple repeating outline reveals a chamfered edge and corner with an off-set mitre, a detail that gave us the greatest challenge in maintaining structural integrity and a lightweight character.
The design integrates small-scale batch production alongside bespoke details. Using materials found in architecture – phenolic plywood is typically used for casting concrete and is given a different appreciation as a piece of furniture.
SIDE is made using the combination of an open source digital CNC machine and analogue tools, hand finished in a limited production run for the Bluecoat Display Centre.
Available in two types of birch plywood and classic linoleum colours. Price £245
Desk TIDY 30cm – Price £36 Available in ash with olive, smoky blue or salsa linoleum. Dimensions (width x depth x height): 30 x 9.5 x 2 cm