LOUISE HEIGHES
Profile
Louise Heighes is a luxury textile artistry studio specializing in creating bespoke leather art pieces working with private clients and interior designers.
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Louise studied Textile Design at Central Saint Martins and sold her final degree collection to Chanel in Paris.
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She spent many years working within the fashion industry, designing for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Azzedine Alaia, Nike and Chanel. Examples of her work have been included in Azzedine Alaia's exhibitions in London and Paris.
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It was here that she fell in love with working with leather. The way it can be cut, woven or folded into 3D shapes, while still remaining soft and tactile provides her imagination with endless opportunities and allows her to create wholly original pieces of leather art.
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Building on her fashion background, she is now using beautiful decorative techniques with luxury materials to produce unique art pieces for the interior design market.
Inspirations
Louise has always been inspired by the flow and movement which she sees in the natural world. Be it a field of wild flowers or the blossom on a tree, she has always loved the way the shape of a single petal or flower can be repeated over again, creating a myriad of ever changing new patterns.
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She is interested in the way two surfaces can become one when intertwined, cut or woven together. The result often produces something entirely new that gives richness to a flat surface.
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Gold weave
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Shiny and matte plumage
Blossom upholstered onto a chair
Wave
These pieces have been inspired by basket weaving.
I love the way a simple pattern can be created in weaving that from a distance looks pretty uniform, but upon closer inspection each small element of the woven pattern is completely unique and slightly different from its neighbours. .
I have recreated this idea using thousands of tiny pieces of leather woven together. Each one slightly different from the next and catching the light in a different way.
Weave
These pieces have been inspired by basket weaving.
I love the way a simple pattern can be created in weaving that from a distance looks pretty uniform, but upon closer inspection each small element of the woven pattern is completely unique and slightly different from its neighbours. .
I have recreated this idea using thousands of tiny pieces of leather woven together. Each one slightly different from the next and catching the light in a different way.
Blossom
One of the first signs of spring is the sudden appearance of an amazing mass of blossom. It always makes me feel happy.
I wanted to re-create the feeling of this with a mass of simple shaped petals running across the leather.
These petals can be grouped together with a leather branch to create a blossom tree or be scattered randomly across the design.
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Blossom
Blossom design re created using two different kinds of leather. Combining a textured background leather with a smooth leather for the blossom petals.
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Feather
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I have always loved the subtle changes in the size and shape of the feathers that make up the wings of a bird. I wanted to play with this idea and make something more geometric in design than my other works.
Chrysanthemum
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The Chrysanthemum looks quite different from all other flowers. The big mass of repeating petals create a pom-pom appearance on a long stem.
I wanted to show the beauty of this flower and the compact nature of its petals. Created using the finest Italian leathers, the Chrysanthemum can be used as a single flower on a panel or repeated to fill up a whole wall.
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Grasses
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I have been inspired by the way grasses sway on mass by the wind and the beautiful patterns this makes.
Grape Hyacinth
I was inspired by the slightly eccentric shape of the Grape Hyacinth. The way its small circular layered petals look like sequins is a delight.
Fern
The way the tips of the fern curl and unfold has always been a thing of beauty to me.
The leaves of the fern almost resemble a feather and make the plant look so light and delicate. I was interested in the way the leaves overlap each other and give volume to the design and I wanted to re-create this in leather.
Wildflower
The Black Medic is a striking yellow wild flower that flourishes in hedgerows throughout the summer. I love the combination of its tight mass of petals in the flower heads with the scattered leaves in this design.
Dahlia
I have tried to capture the mass of small ringed petals that make up the head of the flower of the Dahlia.
I like the way that this design looks almost like a texture of small confetti-like petals.
Geometrics
I love the mathematics involved in creating a pattern and really enjoy beautiful geometric designs.
Many of these designs share their imagery with my more organic designs but with the lay-out being more structured.
These designs have a beautiful rhythm of their own.
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Plumage
Inspired by the short, tightly packed feather of a bird, I have given this design a geometric feel. The way the one, single curved element has been repeated gives the pattern a beautiful rhythm.
This design looks great with two colours of leather, as on the left, or with a shiny and matte combination, as on the right.
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Bespoke
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Louise creates luxury, hand-sculpted leather designs for interiors, furniture and installations.
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Her work is made to commission and is designed specifically for a space or brief and it is totally bespoke to a client’s project.
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Sustainability is a key focus for Louise. She creates designs that will last a lifetime and works with fully sustainable eco leathers.
Her work can be used for wall tiles, embellishing furniture or as stand alone pieces of art. She works with bespoke joiners to enable her designs to be used as decorations on doors, headboards or room screens. They can also be placed under glass and laid on top of a desk or bar creating a unique decorative piece.
Each design is crafted by hand using an intricate 3D process of cutting and almost weaving two pieces of leather together.​
She works with many different materials including genuine leather, various types of faux leather and different papers.
Please contact Louise at her studio for more information and details on how to place a commission.
Commissions
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I appreciate the privilege of private commissions.
Accordingly, unless agreed, all private commissions are executed and archived in confidence.
Brooklyn Home
This work was commissioned by a private client in Brooklyn.
Inspired by the Grape Hyacinth. The three colours in this piece were chosen to fit with the beautiful decor in this home.
London House
I was commissioned by a private client to create a sculpted floral piece of art for their home.
The Studio
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Louise Heighes founded her studio in 2020.
Here she uses her distinctive delicate and subtle artistry twinned with her attention to detail and couture artisan skills to create her artworks.
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Her work is crafted from two layers of sustainably sourced leather meticulously cut and intricately woven together, creating a rich sculptural surface. When installed the 3D nature of the work creates beautiful shadows that add an extra depth to the work.
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The importance of simplicity, craftsmanship and creating something by hand is key to what she does.
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She enjoys creating handcrafted, enduring pieces and her work is bespoke and is designed for a specific space or project. No two pieces are the same.
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Louise is represented by Guilded Gallery and Future Icons. Series One of her work was sold through Future Icons at Burlington Arcade in September 2021. Her work can also be seen annually in London Craft Week.
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Contact
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louiseheighes.com
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@louise_heighes
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+44 (0) 7588 902856