A studio visit in London

This week, we stopped by Camilla Barnard’s studio at the Designersblock HQ. In addition to being a fantastic illustrator, she recreates everyday objects in wood—all funny, clever, and fun; I am so incredibly impressed by Camilla’s mind.

I asked her what her dream was in life, and she responded without hesitation that her “ultimate dream is to reproduce everything in the world . . . wouldn’t it be great to remake everything from an Argos catalogue???” I mean, who thinks like that? Well, thankfully, Camilla does, and she’s already made quite a lot, and is on the endless pursuit to interpret as many objects as she can. And her work really do make you smile—especially the electronic stuff. Who couldn’t love a wooden boombox or cell phone? And Camilla smiles when she recounts the amount of times people in her studio pick up a fake pencil or tool thinking it’s real. It's always good for a giggle.

Camilla is inspired, prolific, and clearly gifted with a wild imagination. Her work is so eclectic; I imagine her pieces populating a world of different environments, from shops (she’s already showed in the NY Anthropologie store and will be showing at Paul Smith on London’s Beak St. in the new year) to theaters, museums,  private design and art collections, and beyond (for a recent project,  Camilla recreated an east London pub in her studio). Every encounter with Camilla brings something  something new and vibrant.

Boombox and a Bible.

A sampling of Camilla's exceptionally witty illustration.

Thank Camilla, see you again soon!

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    Ambra Medda

    Ambra is a passionate, seasoned curator, who facilitates great design through innovative collaborations between designers, artists, brands, and institutions. Among many other things.