Sania Pell

Earthborn Paint

October 27, 2016  in diy craft projects, interior styling

This shoot for Earthborn was to showcase two of their products. Their paints and other products are organic and environmentally friendly.

One product was their new crackle paint which creates a textured, cracked effect on painted furniture. Earthborn Crackle is a water-based, oil-free and-acrylic-free medium perfect for creating a textured, crackle effect on painted furniture. Use in between two contrasting paint colours for the ultimate crackle look.

Another product was a clear wax for interior wood surfaces. Used over Earthborn Eco Claypaint it seals the paint surface.

Find out more about Earthborn paints on their website.

Photography Jon Day, Styling by Sania Pell.

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japan – notions of space

September 21, 2016  in inspiring places, interior styling

This shoot was influenced by my love of Japan and experiences on a recent family holiday there. It was photographed by the talented Ben Anders.

I have always admired the way the Japanese use space, embrace texture and use dark shadows and this shoot explores those elements, showing that even when there is empty space, an image can feel complete.

A recent book I read, a gift from a friend, entitled In The Praise Of Shadows is an essay on Japanese aesthetics by author and novelist Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. It explores architecture and a sense of the use of space in buildings. This magical book also includes descriptions of lacquerware under candlelight and illustrates beauty in the imperfect.

I painted the backdrops and surfaces to give texure and interest to calm areas in the shots. The foliage was selected for the natural imperfections. The shot above was influenced by temple moss gardens, small internal courtyard gardens and miniature planting.

Many props were brought back from Japan from visits to flea markets, stationers, calligraphy stores and ceramics galleries. Other props were from home made by Japanese ceramicists and bought from Flow Gallery.

Photography Ben Anders, styling Sania Pell.

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Scandenese in Elle Decoration

July 18, 2016  in interior styling

These images are from my styling story entitled ‘Scandenese’ that was published in the April issue of Elle Decoration UK and photographed by the talented Heidi Lerkenfeldt. The concept was based around my observation of the similarities between Scandinavian and Japanese design, two of my favourite styles.

It illustrates how both cultures celebrate purity and paired back living. The shoot is about clean lines, natural materials and elements of nature which the talented Simone Gooch from Fjura provided with the flowers.

Interior styling by Sania Pell, photography by Heidi Lerkenfeldt.

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Farrow & Ball for Elle magazine

May 21, 2016  in interior styling

I styled these photo stories for Elle and Elle Decoration magazines in conjunction with Farrow & Ball paint company. Photographed by the talented Ben Anders.

The stories showcased paint colours and wallpaper for Spring in two interior environments, one with a fashion bias for Elle, featuring Tracey Neuls shoes, the other with a pure interior base for Elle Decoration.

Photographer Ben Anders, interior stylist Sania Pell.

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Ink on paper

May 11, 2016  in art, interior styling

As an alumna of Edinburgh College of Art and having worked as a professional textile designer for many years, I had an urge to draw and paint again, a different expression of creativity from my styling. My love of flowers and drawing were combined in a capsule collection of twenty original floral ink drawings that I made available for sale. The drawings are expressive direct studies of flowers, using Indian ink and Chinese brushes on off-white, acid-free 300gsm art paper.

I framed the drawings and styled them at home where photographer Beth Evans captured these images.

Produced in early 2015, each drawing is unique, signed and dated on the front and available for purchase directly from me or through Little Lake Flowers.

UPDATE

All drawings sold out before it was possible to make them available for purchase online.

To be notified about the further release of new drawings for sale please use the contact form.

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Line Up – A show of contemporary craft

April 13, 2015  in handmade goodness, interior styling

I have always had a love of craft and purchased it for my home. As an interior stylist I have always drawn to beautiful handmade, handcrafted items and used them in my shoots. They add personality and soul to a photograph and to a home. I discovered Flow Gallery around 15 years ago and it is one of the galleries I have always bought from and borrowed their exquisite pieces and got to know the owner, Yvonna Demczynska, over the years. Yvonne had one of my postcards – a photo from one of my for Elle Decoration stories – displayed on her pinboard for years and at a couple of charity evenings at the gallery, she told me her plans about redeveloping the gallery into an exciting new live/work gallery space and asked me if I would like to curate an exhibition for when the new gallery opened. I was thrilled.

Line Up is an exhibition of contemporary craft that examines shape, pattern and texture within a monochrome palette. The shapes of the handmade objects are graphic and bold with expressive mark making. Compositions of objects are explored, and still lives created that could be displayed in any home. The ceramics selected have a graphic, handmade quality, strong shapes, with some pieces decorated with expressive markings. All pieces are for sale and prices start from £45.00.

The makers selected are a mixture of artists, some I have longstanding relationships with, some are well-known designers I have not yet worked with before but admired, and some are new ceramists who graduated last Summer. Artists include: Akiko Hirai, Astrid Keller, Bettina Dittlmann, Derek Wilson, Dr Tim Willey, Hyu Jin Jo, Kaori Tatebayashi, Nicola Tassie, Jochem de Wit, Silvia K, Theo Adamson and Akiko Hirai.

I shot this series of press images with photographer Beth Evans and you can see and read more about the makers in the April issue of Elle Decoration magazine.

One inspiration for styling the show was Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, which had a lasting impression on me since my first visit in my teens. It is a magical place, the home where Jim Ede, a former curator at the Tate, avid art collector and promoter of the contemporary artists of his day, pioneered art and craft in a domestic context. The idea for the show was to display items as still lives that could be lifted and placed on a mantlepiece or shelf in any home and it fitted perfectly with Yvonna’s new live/work gallery space.

As I wanted to incorporate the Kettle’s Yard influence of craft and art, I have also created a series of paintings especially for the show. They began as textured backgrounds to add to the composition and as a styling tool to frame the ceramics, but also as artworks that could stand alone. They are abstracts on canvas of fleeting views through train windows, florals, sea and landscapes and mainly inspired by nature. A love of painting was reignited at the Slade School of Art where my painted work became about horizons and strong ‘line’ visual which sits with the exhibition theme.

I have also included vintage chairs from Béton Brut to add an additional domestic feel to the gallery space.

The exhibition is showing until 15th May 2015 so if you are in West London then do stop by at:

Flow Gallery
1-5 Needham Road
London
W11 2RP

Opening times: Mon and Tuesday 2pm – 6pm, Wednesday to Saturday 11am – 6pm. Closed Sunday.

All of the items on display are able to be purchased from Flow Gallery and prices range from £45 to £1000.

I took a few quick snaps just before the guests arrived for the packed private view! I also want to say a very big thank you to Yvonna for giving me this opportunity and to the Flow team for a fantastic private view.

The exhibition runs until 15th May so please do visit, I hope you enjoy it.

You can also see more photos from my shoot with Beth Evans here.

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