Ecommerce portal Simple Shape launches today on the premise that ‘that working with good people, making good things, makes good sense’. Using the wise motto as a starting point for her business, founder Helen Osgerby has gathered a carefully selected roster of designers and makers, whose work is linked by a minimalist aesthetic and functional purpose.
‘One of the guiding principles behind Simple Shape is that the things in the collection have all been designed, made and crafted in the UK and Ireland,’ explains Osgerby, whose goal is to sell pieces that celebrate manufacturing skills and design savoir-faire.
The first collection (currently available on the site) includes ceramics by Dove Street Pottery and Elliott Ceramics, stationery from Tom Pigeon’s remote Scottish studio and London printers Esme Winter. Textiles from Irish linen experts 31 Chapel Lane and British Isles-woven blankets by Eleanor Pritchard sit alongside minimal but poetic wooden pieces by Sheffield-based Roanna Wells and Devon’s Rosie Brewer.
The objects in the selection are intended to stand the test of time, and the purpose is for them to ‘age gracefully, wear in, not wear out, and be passed to children and grandchildren.’ Osgerby’s goal is to support and maintain the craftsmanship heritage of the area while celebrating design and function.
Simple Shape's motto says ‘that working with good people, making good things, makes good sense’.
Textiles from Irish linen experts 31 Chapel Lane and British Isles-woven blankets by Eleanor Pritchard sit alongside minimal but poetic wooden pieces by Sheffield-based Roanna Wells and Devon’s Rosie Brewer
Made in her workshop in Devon, Rosie Brewer uses the history of the timber to inform her designs
Salad servers by Roanna Wells. Each spoon is individually hand carved from Sycamore trees felled in Norfolk
The Elliott Ceramics collection, made from porcelain, has a marbling effect produced by stain being working into the bod of the clay before being trown on the wheel
The exterior of these bowls are sanded smooth and licked with a clear glazeto the interior creating a contrast between inside and out
Dove Street Pottery is made from fine white stoneware clay
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and SoldierNew exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
'What Makes a Space Nigerian?' is an exhibition celebrating the key elements of West African Homes‘Our aim was to create a space that Nigerians could connect with', says Moyo Adebayo's on his latest exhibition 'What Makes a Space Nigerian?' which explores what defines a Nigerian home
-
Feldspar makes its mark on Whitehall with a festive pop-up at Corinthia HotelDevon-based bone china brand Feldspar makes its first foray into shopkeeping with a pop-up at London’s Corinthia Hotel. Ali Morris speaks with the founders and peeks inside
-
One to Watch: EJM Studio’s stool is inspired by the humble church pewEJM Studio’s ‘Pew’ stool reimagines the traditional British church seating with a modern, eco-conscious twist
-
One to Watch: Family Project’s ‘furniture friends’ are elegant and humorous with lasting emotional valueFamily Project, founded by Francesco Paini, is a London-based design practice drawn to human connection, creating portraiture through furniture and injecting artful expressions into interior spaces
-
‘There are hidden things out there, we just need to look’: Studiomama's stone animals have quirky charmStudiomama founder's Nina Tolstrup and Jack Mama sieve the sands of Kent hunting down playful animal shaped stones for their latest collection
-
‘Natural gold’ straw weaving by Hanny Newton wins the inaugural QEST Sanderson rising star award'I have been passionate and driven to champion straw embroidery as an exquisite, sustainable “natural gold”’: rising star Hanny Newton on winning the inaugural award
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throwsArchitectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
-
British furniture brand Pinch celebrates 20 years of design excellenceUK-based furniture and lighting label Pinch marks two decades in the business with an impressive anniversary collection and a pop-up showroom in New York’s Tribeca
