One of the most special parts of creating Hay & Co Studio has been seeing the designs move from something painted by hand at my desk to a pattern carved into wood and printed onto fabric.
Every design in the first collection began with a paintbrush.
I wanted the patterns to feel relaxed, organic and full of character, rather than too precise or computer-generated. So I started painting shapes, lines and repeated forms by hand, experimenting with different scales, spacing and colour combinations until each design felt right.
Some ideas came together quickly, while others went through many versions. A line might need to be slightly softer, a shape a little less perfect, or the spacing adjusted so the pattern felt balanced without becoming too formal. It was very much a process of trial and error, with plenty of painted pages spread across the table.
That handmade quality was important to me from the beginning. I didn’t want the patterns to feel overly polished or completely uniform. The slight variations in the brushstrokes were part of what made them feel warm and personal, and I wanted that same sense of movement to remain when they were transferred onto fabric.
Once the final designs were ready, they were sent to our artisans in India, where they were translated into hand-carved wooden printing blocks.
Seeing that stage of the process for the first time was quite incredible. Every line and shape from the original painting had to be carefully carved into wood, creating a block that could then be dipped into colour and pressed repeatedly onto the fabric by hand.
It is such a thoughtful and skilled process. Each section of the pattern needs to be carefully aligned, and every impression carries the subtle differences that come from something being made by a person rather than a machine.
Those slight shifts in colour, pressure and placement are not imperfections to me. They are part of the beauty of hand block printing and give every piece its own character.
There is something very special about knowing that a pattern started as a simple brushstroke in my studio and then passed through the hands of skilled craftspeople before becoming a finished cushion.
It brings together two different forms of making: the creative process of painting the original design and the traditional craft of carving and printing it by hand.
That journey is at the heart of Hay & Co Studio. Thoughtful designs, beautiful materials and pieces that carry the story of how they were made. I cannot wait for you to see them in your own homes.