Shop

Darkroom

posted by Saskia Pomeroy February 4, 2014

Darkroom is an independent store and on-line shop that opened to much acclaim on Lamb’s Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, London in December 2009. Rhonda Drakeford & Lulu Roper-Caldbeck design and curate an eclectic mix of hand-made, unusual and one off accessories for men, women and the home.

Darkroom explores several concepts — at the forefront is the crossover between fashion and interiors and with it the juxtaposition of materials, scale and form. Boundaries between art and design are questioned by functional pieces that also hold sculptural qualities — a necklace may be worn traditionally or hung on the wall as an objet d’art. We also indulge our personal obsession with indigenous African art, textiles and jewellery and present them in new contexts. Although some of our pieces naturally lend themselves to either men or women, many items could be appreciated by both, thus creating a less segregated shopping environment.

The quality of the store’s visual presentation and ambience is of paramount importance to us and we have developed new and intriguing ways of merchandising our product. Bold architectural concepts and colour palettes work together to create a unique and directional environment, with products grouped to create tension and dialogue rather than by genre — a beautiful bag could sit alongside a vase or lampshade that shares a similar aesthetic or material. Rather than being label-led, we prefer to present work by emerging and unknown designers and craftspeople from around the world alongside our own expanding collections.