Every month, we interview one of the makers in our shop. We recently chatted to Eleanor Young, designer of the bright and bold Fun Makes Good to find out more about what inspires her, her love of everyday objects of use, and the most unusual object she’s come across…

Triangles, triangles, circles, circles! These two shapes feature frequently in your work.  Why these two shapes?

Haha, yes I suppose they do feature heavily in my work. I guess I like the simplicity of their form. I like the fact you can fit one inside the other, add them together or create endless pattern combinations.

Where does the inspiration for your patterns come from?

Most of my inspiration up until now has been architectural. However, specific projects have led me to look at Yucatan weaving and patterns found in Mexican temples.

Objects of daily use such as mugs, chairs, coasters, cushions and pouffes are among your creations. What was the object that first started “Fun Makes Good”?

After specialising in embroidered textiles for interiors at University, I wanted to work in 3D and became passionate about chairs and upholstery. The first project was an amazing swivel chair, which I found abandoned and in pieces. It is now my desk chair and I use it everyday.

What’s the most unusual object you’ve ever encountered?

Frem Rojle three legged chairs with curved seats, which were fun to re-cover. I recently bought a very nice hand painted ceramic cheese/butter dome with stripes and yellow handle. I call it my ‘Butter circus’ as it looks like a circus tent.

We would dot Fun Makes Good pouffes all around our houses. How many pouffs do you own?

I have quite a small living room so I only have one of my pouffes, however I have designed all the other upholstery in the room – two armchairs, four dining chairs and a number of cushions. It’s bright!

Where does you colour palette come from?

I use a lot of similar colours, often featuring grey with contrasting oranges and turquoises. I find grey is an excellent base for other colours, it compliments some tones and makes others stand out.

Who is your favourite designer at the moment?

I am never disappointed when a new Marimekko collection comes out.

What’s next?

I have an exciting project in the pipeline taking inspiration from one of my favourite places. I’d really like to work on some more large scale, site-specific projects as well as developing new product lines.

What advice would you give to any upcoming designers?

I work by my motto ‘Fun Makes Good’ if it makes me happy and I am enjoying it, you can’t go wrong!

Fun Makes Good is stocked in Shop at the Old Fire Station and we have a range of items including mugs and coasters to handmade leather pouffes… Visit the Shop or shop online! – www.shopattheoldfirestation.org.uk

Want to know more about the makers in our Shop? Check out the Meet the Maker Page on our website>