Smink Things

posted by Marcroy January 28, 2015

We spoke to Marianne Smink who is the brains behind Smink Things. She learned the craft of print design during her time at fashion school in the Netherlands and has worked for several years in high street fashion before starting to look for ways of working that valued the uniqueness of the final product rather than its conformity. After moving to London and completing an MA in Applied Imagination at Central St Martins, Marianne began working with traditional processes to develop products that celebrated subtle imperfection. Through experimentation and a constant search for inspiration, she aims to allow beauty to emerge in every piece. This has led to her current collection of wallpaper, ceramic tiles and concrete tiles.

Ceramic Tiles
The ceramic tiles are the creative source of her tiles and wallpapers collection. They are hand-cut and screen-printed. Through extensive experimenting with clay, glazes, colours and firing techniques Marianne has developed her ceramic tile designs. The tiles can be used for small surfaces like a splash back but also as a signature wall. These gorgeous tiles are all made to order.

Concrete Tiles
By translating her ceramic tile designs into concrete tiles, Marianne is extending her collection with tiles that have a more industrial look. The first design is now ready via her website.

Wallpapers
Marianne’s wallpapers are the paper translation of the ceramic tiles. She aims to capture the hand-made imperfection of the ceramic tiles with photos and then apply them onto the wallpaper. The wallpaper is £160 per 10m roll and can be purchased via her website.

Marianne noted, “My personal favourite is Going Overground, which was inspired by the way tiles were used in London underground stations in Victorian times. The tiles served the dual purpose of decoration and signage. The unique patterns in each station helped illiterate passengers to know where to get off. I love the elegance of this slim, rectangular tile and how they can be put together in different compositions creating unexpected patterns and colour groups.”

www.sminkthings.com