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Meet the Maker - Helen Rawlinson

Meet Helen Rawlinson - designer, maker, and one of Dannells’ longest-standing customers. With over 30 years of lampshade-making experience, Helen has gone from experimenting with designs for her MA show to seeing her pieces stocked in major high street shops. From her vibrant North London studio, she now produces striking screen-printed lampshades, unique homewares, and playful collage art, while also hosting workshops to share her creative skills with others.


Read on to discover Helen’s inspiring creative journey in this month’s Meet the Maker.


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Hi there!


How are you today and what’s on your workbench?

Hello, and thanks for inviting me onto the blog! At the moment, I’ve got a pile of fabric pots waiting to be sewn up and finished. I make these with the offcuts from my lampshades and other projects. Alongside that, there’s a long list of jobs as the busy season approaches. I’ve always kept notebooks full of to do lists — not quite bullet journalling, more pages of half-finished thoughts! It’s quite fun looking back through them now and then to see what’s been ticked off (and what hasn’t).


Where does your design inspiration come from?

Spring and autumn are my favourite seasons, and I draw a lot of inspiration from nature at these times of year — in spring it’s new growth after months of cold, grey skies, and in autumn I love the rich colours and changing light. I make odd doodles, take endless photos, and visit museums whenever I can. Ideas come quite randomly, often when I’m travelling.


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How do you start the design process for your prints and patterns for you lampshades and other products?

I’m quite a slow designer — ideas tend to mull around in my head for a while. Procrastination might be another word for it! Eventually, I always come back to pencil sketches and collage. I love working spatially, chopping with scissors and playing with composition. It’s how I’ve always worked, right back to when I first freelanced for textile design agencies after my college years.

These days I often test ideas and colours through screen printing with paper stencils, and if I want to make a repeating pattern, I’ll move to Procreate or Photoshop to refine things further.


How would you describe your style?

I’d say it’s quite graphic and bold. I love abstract shapes and experimenting with scale, but there’s often a botanical element too. I’m drawn to mid-century design, and some of my patterns have a fifties feel — though that’s not always intentional.


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What’s your favourite artistic medium to work with?

Paper and print. I used to make paper by hand and was fascinated by the whole process — I still have a drawer full of handmade papers from my travels in India. Screen printing is definitely my thing, and I often combine it with paper stencils or collage.


When and why did you start making lampshades?

I made my first lampshades for my MA graduation show at the Royal College of Art in 1993. They were elaborate illustrative pieces made with wire, handmade paper, and lots of machine embroidery. Designers Guild then asked me to create a collection using their linen fabrics — tufted, stitched and buttoned shades with raffia-bound wire bases. They were still very labour-intensive but a bit more refined.


After that, I was commissioned by Heal’s to produce a pared-down range of printed shades. I kept the stitched detail but worked without thread to make tiny perforations across the design. This collection ran successfully for many years, with new designs selling through The Conran Shop, John Lewis, and independent stores across the UK.


Back then, finding lampshade manufacturers — or even the basic components — was almost impossible. That’s when I first discovered Dannells, who were then based in Clapton, amazingly just up the road from me! I used to buy cut panels from them, print and stitch them in batches, and send them off to be made up by a manufacturer in Kent and later Bolton. Huge boxes would arrive back at my studio — often with a few bashed-in shades and quality-control issues to deal with!


For many years, I worked with a wood turner to create simple lamp bases and sold the complete lamps at trade shows, bringing out new lampshade designs each year. Eventually, family life and other life changes meant rethinking how I worked to fit new time limits and priorities. These days, I have a simpler set-up, making everything myself and selling mainly through studio sales and local markets. Thankfully, Dannells has been a constant supplier throughout, developing its range and making the process so much easier for individual makers.


What’s your favourite part of the lampshade making process?

Planning the design, definitely the printing, and the satisfying moment of rolling it into shape. Not so keen on tucking in the hem though!


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In your online shop what’s your most popular selling shade?

To be honest, most of my sales come through commissions and studio visits rather than my online shop. My stitched cream and white shades have always been my signature pieces and remain the most popular, though the brighter fabric-printed designs are often picked up at my studio sales.


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What other products could we find on your website?

I make a variety of home interior pieces and accessories — cushions, tea towels, oven gloves, fabric pots, bags, and purses. Many are hand-printed, though I also produce digitally printed fabrics for more complex designs. I sell collages and prints on both fabric and paper too.


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We noticed that alongside your fabric lampshades you also print onto laminated parchment. What do you have to consider when printing onto parchment?

The parchment I use has a lovely translucency that changes with the light. I like to experiment with opaque and semi-transparent inks to enhance that effect, and I often use stitching to pick out fine details. I tend to stick to creams and whites for this reason, keeping the colour for the fabric shades.


We noticed that you offer screen printing workshops. Can you tell us what types of workshop you offer?

For the last seven years, I’ve been running beginner-friendly screen printing on fabric classes in my studio. It’s a nice small group — up to four people — and fits around my work schedule. It’s been a lovely way to share my design process and meet people from all over the world through Airbnb Experiences and, more recently, on ClassBento. I also offer print parties for children and one-to- one bespoke “print and make a lampshade” sessions, which you can find on my website.


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What does offering workshops bring to your business?

It’s a wonderful thing to be able to share what you do with people who don’t normally get to be creative in their daily working lives. I meet people of all ages and backgrounds, and I’m always inspired by what they create in such a short time. Conversation and activity bring a renewed energy to my studio, and this often sparks ideas for future projects. Running workshops has also opened doors to teaching in schools and corporate settings, often through connections made in the studio.


Any tips for new lampshade makers in business?

It’s all in the detail. I’m a stickler for things being made well. You have to love the creative process and keep developing your ideas. Building a business takes time and commitment and often needs another source of income to keep you afloat. Finding that balance isn’t always easy I’m afraid.


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Can you tell us how a typical day looks like in your business?

Every day is different, depending on what I’m working on or whether there’s a workshop planned. I play tennis and enjoy swimming and Pilates, so mornings often involve that — or sorting emails and home stuff. Once I’m in the studio, I tend to flit between printing and making. I usually have several projects on the go, then have a burst of sewing or printing to finish them all off.


When are you at your most productive?

I often don’t get into my stride until late afternoon or early evening — this was always a challenge during my son’s early school years. Funnily enough, I slipped back to my old rhythm as soon as that was over!


And your favourite sustenance when you’re working?

A Tunnocks caramel wafer and any herbal tea.


Could you let us take a peek at your workspace and tell us a bit more about it?

I’ve been lucky enough to have a studio at The Chocolate Factory in Stoke Newington, a ten-minute walk from home. It’s a wonderful community of artists, and I’ve been there for just over 30 years. It’s packed to the rafters with fabric, prints, and products, plus many ephemeral bits and pieces on display. I have a clear-out every now and then, and the workshops have helped me to keep a relatively tidy space — otherwise it would be complete chaos (friends can testify to that!).


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Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?

I tend not to plan that far ahead! Various unexpected life events have happened over the years, both physical and emotional, so I’ve learnt to go with the flow and take on whatever comes my way. My main aims are to keep designing and making, stay healthy, and enjoy any chance to travel and see family and friends. I’d also like to do more voluntary work.


What have you learned that’s been invaluable to your creative process?

Working to a brief is one of the best ways to develop ideas. It can be challenging working independently, so whenever a project comes along, I really enjoy the creative flow that follows. I’m still learning to price things properly — and to say no occasionally!


Any future plans for your business you’d like to share?

We have Open Studios coming up at The Chocolate Factory on 7th December, so I’ve got some making time ahead of me. It’s always a great occasion to buy work and see what everyone’s creating across all 27 studios. 


I’ve also recently joined the Airbnb Experience Advisory Board, which took me to their HQ in San Francisco this September. It’s a real honour to represent small creative hosts from the Airbnb community and connect with talented entrepreneurs from around the world to help shape the platform — I’m really excited about what lies ahead.


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Take a look at Helen's striking screen printed lampshades, homewares, prints and collages at helenrawlinson.com, book onto one of her forthcoming workshops or pop down to meet her at an open day soon.



Instagram: @helenrawlinson


Instagram: @screenprintn16 (workshops)






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