Patternity

Patternity is a London based design studio and blog specialising in the discovery and application of pattern in luxury fashion and interior design. Founded in August 2009 by art director Anna Murray, 27 and Textile & Surface Designer Grace Winteringham, 25, Patternity manifests their shared vision and mutual appreciation for pattern found everywhere and everyday "from the mundane to the magnificent."

How long have you been running Patternity?
Anna: Grace and I met just over a year ago. Both of us had been working on personal projects that involved experimentation with pattern across the creative fields. I was working as an art director within the fashion and luxury fields and Grace had been working on various projects as a freelance designer specialising in surface pattern design. We realised we had a very similar eye for seeing pattern everywhere and a shared desire to push the application of pattern in our work as a studio.

Were patterns something you were interested in exploring before you started work on the blog or has that interest snowballed along with the popularity of the blog?
Grace: Patterns were always at the very heart of Patternity and why we started it, hence the name. It was our shared love of all things patterned that drew us together. We both had a huge database of our own imagery along with found imagery that we wanted to share. Our blog, or as we call it, "resource", seemed the best way to share our Patternity vision; seeing pattern and finding inspiration everywhere from the mundane to the magnificent. We receive contributions and imagery sent to us everyday so Patternity seems to be doing what we hoped, to encourage people to embrace their surroundings and appreciate the overlooked; enhancing the everyday.

Patternity presents patterns in all their different forms, what would you say is the most unusual or unexpected place you have found patterns?
A: More an occurrence than one single pattern but we absolutely love the shadows cast by the everyday objects that surround us, the contrast of light and dark, the effect of a three-dimensional form creating a two-dimensional visual. These differing contrasts, shades and shapes that translate onto another surface are often so beautiful but often overlooked.

What is your favourite ever pattern?
G: It is the types of patterns that inspire us with the work we produce as a studio. So our favouite ever pattern would have to be our symmetrical and geometric, monochrome trademark Patternity print which is a breakdown and rearrangement of the shapes that make up the logo. It involves the fundamental building blocks of design: circles, triangles, rectangles and squares.

Patternity is now selling patterned products? How did that come about and what are you selling?
A: We wanted to develop limited edition ranges of special everyday products that bear our trademark Patternity print – such as laptop sleeves, which are coming soon, and limited edition screen printed tights; unique wearable art pieces for the legs. The tights are the first edition in the collectible series. Each autumn/winter instalment comes hand-packed and individually numbered, a one of 1,000 piece to collect & treasure. You can also buy limited edition screen prints from the exhibition we curated earlier this year – including our own Patternity print, all available from the shop and studio section of www.patternity.co.uk.

Text by Laura Havlin