Faye Toogood

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"In all of my work I’ve tried to link the conceptual to the visual, although it’s much harder with the objects and furniture because they have to work, whereas a photograph only needs to evoke an emotion and a space an experience."







"Bubble drifting, Into a place
Where planets shift and,
The moon's erased,
Its features lift in the glare" (here)








Delicate Interference: Assemblage 3 There is something about the latest works from Faye Toogood that premiered at Phillips de Pury that remind me of space. Not deep space, the space you might get lost in forever, but perhaps a grounded, softer space, one where you can live, coexist with the stars, and planets, taking notes about the shifts of shadows off the moon.

There are few designers working today, crossing lines, and combining elements with such ease as Faye Toogood. Her work simply knows no limits, appearing effortless, as if she is simply making objects for a world only she is aware of. This latest series is evidence of her desire to produce works of timelessness, something every object maker dreams of.

Monica Khemsurov, from the incredible Sight Unseen interviewed Faye Toogood for the catalog, which has been on my nightstand ever since I received it. Track this catalog down, or read an excerpt of the interview on Sight Unseen here.....

- David John

watercolour drawing of cage for birds 2011

excerpt from interview....

What would you say is the thread that unites all three of your professional identities—the stylist, the interior designer, the object designer?

Not adhering to the rules when it comes to the process of design. In all of my work I’ve tried to link the conceptual to the visual, although it’s much harder with the objects and furniture because they have to work, whereas a photograph only needs to evoke an emotion and a space an experience. I’m also trying to challenge the perception of materials and constructions and our emotional connection with the objects we choose live with. Not in a worthy way that will change the world, but just in a way that allows people to look at things differently..."

"Well styling is about reinvention, and about picking up on what’s going on. If you’re a particularly good stylist, you pick up on it before anyone else does. While I hope that my objects and furniture aren’t fashionable or trend-based, I do think they appeal to people for the same reasons my styling does—it’s intuitive, it captures the attitude of its time, and it’s coming from someone who is obsessed with observing the world around us. I think those are the qualities that give my work relevance and longevity. I’m much more interested in longevity now that I’m designing three-dimensional spaces and objects. After working on magazines and the transient image, one ambition I had for the pieces is that they have permanence; they shouldn’t be something you tire of. Perhaps their heaviness also helps imply that, as they’re not easy to move and thus won’t be easy to get rid of."

Alter Piece 2011
steel, patinated sandcast bronze, iridescent glass

Studio Toogood designs, directs and executes interiors and environments from concept through to creation. Offering a full creative direction and interior design service, the Studio’s projects range from the two-dimensional page to the three-dimensional space, and from the real to the conceptual. Under the creative direction of London-based designer, Faye Toogood, the Studio collaborates with clients who seek alternative ways of developing their brand or their interior. Its distinctive approach disregards convention in favour of something altogether more brave, joyous and impulsive.





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