Resin is one of my favourite materials. It’s infinitely versatile and I love it in all of its incarnations. It can be sharp, clean and angular (think crystal-clear Lucite) or softly organic and translucent with the most subtle of silky sheens, like the resin furniture and homewares we’re featuring today.
They’re the creations of San Francisco-based Tina Frey, who hand sculpts her designs in clay initially, after which hand-made moulds are created for each item. Casting is done in small batches by colour, after which the pieces are removed from the moulds and sanded and finished by hand.
Of her design and colour inspiration Tina says:
“Inspiration for the designs come from many things: The shapes are inspired by organic forms in nature and objects found in travels around the world. The colors are inspired by delicious translucent popsicles, candies, and jelly beans.”
Which explains why a lot of Tina’s work looks good enough to eat, like the lemon and raspberry shades above. And resin is so soft and silky and slightly warm to the touch – how tactile are the egg cups below, from the Pedestal Collection? All smooth, wobbly curves and gently tapered, slightly irregular rims … a total delight.
The deep, egg-yolk yellow of the dishes and stool above is a new colour for 2014, and I was lucky enough to see them, along with the rest of the range, at the Maison et Objet show in Paris back in January. As well as being able to admire the work I’d only previously seen online before, a lot of furtive stroking went on too – it was fabulous to be able to hold the beautiful shapes and feel the silky texture of the material. And of course, I was doing my happy dance to see all the amazing turquoise pieces (another new colour) – there are a couple of pictures of them below. It’s one of my favourite colours, so turquoise + resin = joy unconfined in my world.
Below are images of more of Tina’s work that I found on her blog and screen shots from the current catalogue for Spring 2014. Not all the pieces are in her online shop, but I so wanted you to see more of this gorgeous work.
I didn’t think it could get any better until I saw that Tina also makes JEWELLERY! The collection includes a beautiful looking ring, similar in design to the ones I collect in coloured glass, and there’s also a cuff that I am completely in love with. It ticks all the boxes with its simple, clean lines that let the purity and character of the material do all the talking. So, I’m launching my campaign to get Tina Frey Designs (all of them!) available in the UK. Her UK stockists list comprises Mint and the Conran Shop, both in London, but a quick check of their websites didn’t seem to show any current stock. Hopefully that will change!
In the meantime, visit the webiste – Tina Frey Designs – to see her very lovely work, to shop online (at least resin is light, so post and packing isn’t too crazy expensive…) and to see her full list of international stockists.
Images: Tina Frey Designs
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