bethan gray presentation

Bethan Gray

Bethan Gray is one of the UK’s most celebrated furniture and homeware designers, having been awarded four Elle Decoration British Design Awards, including the Best British Designer and The Best British Tableware Designer.

Go!

Born in Cardiff from a Scottish father and Welsh mother, whose a descendant of a nomadic Rajasthani clan that migrated across Arabia and Persia over centuries. Her curiousity and inspiration from her backgrounds fuelled her creativity and interpretation of the world.

History

1998

Bethan Gray graduated from De Montfort University in Leicester after studying 3D design, specialising in furniture.

1998

She forged her early career with Habitat, where she became Head of Habitat's Furniture Department, leading an extremely successful design team between 2004-2008.

2008

After a decade working with Habitat, she established Bethan Gray Designs, her own company, taking inspiration from her own cultural background.

"I think it’s about capturing those fleeting moments in time or tiny details, that can pass us by if we’re not paying attention, and translating them using exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful natural materials – those are things we can all connect to, but resonate particularly here."

Style and Technique

Bethan Gray's designs are simple and contemporary, however embracing styles from a range of cultures. Her products have a very high standard of manufacture, blending high quality natural materials with craft skills and modern industrial processes. The results are elegent, aesthetically pleasing, stylish and tactile.

"Working with artisan experts in their fields pushes the boundaries of my designs and, in return, I can push them to go the extra mile and try something new. I want to design pieces which are not only beautiful, but that connect with the stories of who is making them and where they come from."

‘My mother’s side of the family descends from a nomadic Rajasthani clan that migrated across Arabia and Persia over centuries, before eventually settling in Wales where I grew up. I’ve always been inspired by my heritage and definitely caught the family travel bug – I have been to India, Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa and South America and the art and the culture I have experienced on my travels has inspired a lot of my work. Everything I design starts with a story, whether it is a 12th-century Italian cathedral or the three-legged Welsh cricket tables of my childhood. But these stories are all distinctive parts of the cultures to which they belong, so collaboration is a really important part of my practice.’

- Taking inspiration from her Persian heritage and other's cultures, she is able to create unique and flattering designs, celebrating the beauty of the world around her. - She often collaborates with local artisans to promote declining cultural design techniques.

Victoria Family

Shamsian Collection

“When I visited the Omani fort, the sun was setting, so it had this natural ombre from the light. That’s what we tried to recreate, the crenellations of the fort and colours of an Omani sunset,” Named after Iranian artist Mohamad Reza Shamsian, who Gray collaborated with.

Inspired by the traditional teaware in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s archive in London – combining classic Italian marble with the traditional British ritual of drinking tea.

The Ruby Tree

The Siena Collection

‘I’ve drawn inspiration from the black and white medieval churches in Italy – which combines monochrome with incredible detailing in blush marble.’ Inspired by her travels throughout Europe, particularly the exquisite striped marble interior of the medieval cathedral in Siena.

"Lapis Lazuli is one of the most iconic stones in history, which appears throughout the arts of the Islamic world, even ground into blue ink for illuminating precious manuscripts." Collaboration between Islamic art and craft revivalist Mitchell Abdul Karim Crites.