Q&A: Clarissa Hulse, textile designer
SELF-CONFESSED GIRLY GIRL, textile designer Clarissa Hulse, has a problem with Barbie…
41-year-old Brit Clarissa Hulse studied fashion and textiles in Brighton before launching her own accessories and fashion company in the early 1990s. That company has now morphed into her interiors and design business - an arena she feels much more comfortable in than fashion. Here she talks design and motherhood, and why she hates Barbie.
LittleBig: Are any of your products designed with children in mind?
Clarissa: [Laughs] I have to admit, they’re really not. My business was well established before I had children, and they were definitely not designed with children in mind - they’re silks largely produced in India and so I’m sure they would pass no stringent child-safety tests! Having said that I’d love to do a collaboration with someone to design more child-friendly products. Not necessarily interiors but perhaps a book - my daughter has several with such beautiful illustrations, but sometimes the stories are so awful - they have to be fun to read when you’re doing them hundreds of times!
LB: Have you used your products at home in the kids’ rooms?
CH: Yes, I am in the luxurious position of if a child’s sick on one of my cushions, I’ve got 20 more waiting to take its place! But I also did a mural using my old wallpaper cuttings on my daughter’s bedroom wall [pictured right] - and I used wallpaper in my son’s room because it’s a good way of bringing colour into a room whilst avoiding the likes of Thomas the Tank Engine. I’ve also covered bean bags [pictured below] with my off-cast fabrics - the more robust ones. And I’m about to do a series of lambswool woven botanical themed throws with Johnstons of Elgin, due out in September, which would be lovely for children’s beds: they’ll be soft greys and greens, rich berry and jewel tones and ombre rainbow-y ones that will be quite funky.
LB: How do you manage the whole work/life balance thing?
CH: My life is completely 150 per cent different to before I had children. I was totally obsessed with my business, and now I’m completely obsessed with my children AND my business. I’ve physically got less time to do work, which means the time I’m at work - which is three days a week - I’m much more focussed. But I have to admit it’s taken a long time to find that balance. My son Leo is two now and my daughter Angelica is four, and I’m only beginning to feel like I have a grip again. I have found it difficult getting my creative mojo back - you need your own space to have that creative muse touch you. I’m starting to find that again and feel really inspired by it, and it’s thanks to my nanny who allows me to do a pilates class or something indirectly constructive to the business one morning.
LB: Has motherhood changed your perception of design in general?
CH: I laughed to myself how we nearly bought this insanely expensive table when I was first pregnant. It was this beautiful piece of wood and the grain of it was exquisite. I remember saying to my husband I’d heard that children kind of wreck things, and so we bought this zinc-topped table from the Conran Shop. Every day we thank the Lord we didn’t get that table. You have to get things that look better the more knackered they are, and not spend too much money so you don’t get upset if it gets spoiled. Luckily I’ve lots of antiques that look better the more they’re used. There’s a friend of mine who does exquisite kids’ clothes - you have to dry clean them - and they’re covered with tassels and beads. I love her but to me that’s laughable.
LB: What’s the worst design for kids you’ve encountered?
CH: I do find all that Disney and Barbie thing really insidious. My daughter wants Disney posters all over her room - so far I’ve allowed her a Disney growth chart. But at least with Disney the old films are quite sweet, whereas the whole wretched Barbie thing…. Just from being at a friend’s house, and my daughter seeing a Barbie advert just the once, she’s obsessed now. I think why it’s damanging is that she has this little book called About Me, and she points to the little girl with long blonde hair in it and says ‘That’s me.’ She has brown hair. It’s Barbie’s fault!
LB: And the best design?
CH: I feel like I want to say something exciting and obscure, but I have to say I’ve got the Stokke Sleepi round cot. It’s not only aesthetically pleasing, it’s clever too. You extend the middle and turn it into a nice round-y bed that works great with lots of cushions on it. And Maclaren buggies. Everybody I know has bought a Bugaboo, and no-one uses them. They all have a Maclaren as well and use that instead. I’m so glad I never wasted my money on a Bugaboo!
LB: What are your favourite must-visit places with your kids? And why
are they so great?
CH: London zoo - I’ve got membership and it works out so cheaply if you go a lot. It’s just so brilliant, and not just for the animals. They’ve got playgrounds, face painting, and free parking if you’re a member which is amazing in the Regent’s Park area. I go there most Fridays and hang out for the aftermoons. The children love it. Also my son loves the Aquarium. He’s really into Nemo and fish, and it’s all dark there and dramatic - a bit like being in the cinema - it’s simply amazing. And I love going to galleries with my daughter - we went to the National Portrait Gallery the other day and they’ve got these great books they give you with a set of colouring pencils and they say things like, ‘Go to this room and see how many moustaches you can find.’ We had such a fun day together.
LB: What are your hopes and dreams for a) your business and b) your kids?
CH: Collaborating with other people on projects. It’s inspiring tapping into others’ expertise. For example I have just produced a collection of bedlinen with a bedlinen manufacturer [Coffee Beans design pictured right], and I would love to do a range of swimwear, accessories and sarongs - I think my designs and colours would suit it. As for my daughter, it’d be quite sweet if she were interested in taking over the business one day. She already loves colour - one of her favourite things is my Pantone book! As for my son, it’d be funny if he wanted to too! He’s certainly into painting, but then also trucks and cars.
LB: What are your loves and hates in life and design?
CH: Design hates: is when celebrities get on the design bandwagon. I heard Caprice is about to launch a range of bedlinen - it’s insane. What qualifies her? And then Katie Price launches any random thing and it sells really well. It’s so irritating! God, I sound like such a miserable misanthrope!
Loves: I love plants and flowers and nature. But bizarrely I don’t want to live in the countryside. I feel at peace / at one with myself just looking at the May blossom. It’s so divine and it makes your heart sing. That to me is perfect design.
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