Jane Atfield

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Jane studied architecture in London before completing an MA in Furniture Design and Production at the Royal College of Art in 1992. Working as a freelance furniture designer, she undertook various projects and commissions for a wide range of private and public clients, including architects and District Councils. These included furniture for the University of Westminster bar, Newburys Corn Exchange Arts Centre, LIVE TV Studios in Canary Wharf, London, Katherine Hamnett Ltd Tokyo and Bangkok shops, The Body Shop, Helen Story Ltd London shop and Bjorks living room. Her interest in the familiar elemental forms found in archetypes often lead to simple and robust objects evoking strong associations and narratives.

Jane has had a long commitment to exploring and working with unusual materials. From felt to recycled plastics to bamboo, straw and rope, these research projects informed the materials utilised in her work and attempted to connect furniture to wider social and environmental issues. In the case of recycled plastics, this lead to her setting up and running the pioneering company Made of Waste Ltd, developing recycled plastics materials from post-consumer waste, which were widely sold throughout Europe.

Jane has exhibited internationally over the last ten years and in 1999 was short listed for the Jerwood Applied Arts Award in London and was a finalist in the Blueprint/100% Design Awards. She was a weekly visiting tutor for five years at Goldsmith Universitys Design Department and has tutored in colleges throughout England, as well as being an advisor to the purchasing panel for the Crafts Councils furniture collection. Jane has done residencies with Camden Arts Centre in London, Oriel Gallery and Newton High School in Central Wales.

Her work is in various public collections including The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Design Museum, The British Council and The Crafts Council, all in London and Die Neue Sammling in Munich.

Since 2000 Jane has been concentrating on developing her work for furniture manufacturers. This has included projects with Habitat, Oreka, Beams, IKEA and with the Italian Company Progetto Moderno.

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Robert Shepherd

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Robert initially trained in anthropology and linguistics but has since worked primarily as a painter in London. His paintings create imaginary and expressive mental landscapes, drawing on past experiences, historical references and made-up encounters. He has had solo exhibitions in Germany and France and at diverse venues in London, from the Roy Miles Gallery in the West End to the Duke of York in Bloomsbury.

Many of his drawing projects have been based on the street as a way of directly interacting with the public. His linear face drawings on the underground in the early 90s attracted widespread attention, as did a later series of hoardings sited at central London road intersections. These used illustrated quotes from philosophers Deleuze and Guattari and lead to an exhibition in 1999 at the Architecture Foundation.

Robert has also worked on numerous projects with commercial clients, including 3-dimensional paintings for 20m long window displays at Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Libertys in London. Last year Robert completed the front window for Giorgio Locatelli's Spiga with a painting inspired by Leonardos The Last Supper. The restaurant Little Italy, also in Soho has exhibited Roberts work over the last 3 years in a street display, installing a specially commissioned painting every few months and Bar Italia also regularly shows his work. His experience as an artist working in Soho lead to his involvement in the Art Exchange Programme 'Soho to SoHo' involving a trip to and exhibition in New York.

Robert has done book covers for Allison and Busby, painted 'live' for music videos and T.V. features and has recently taken part in an art animation film directed by Charlie Paul called 'Inside Art.' His involvement with Community Arts started with helping to organise the Deptford Arts Festival and he has regularly held painting workshops with youth club groups and young children. He was artist in residence for a year in 1996 at St Mungoes Hostel for homeless men in Covent Garden, London.

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Unity Peg

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Unity Peg was set up in the Autumn of 2000 by Jane Atfield, a furniture designer and her artist husband Robert Shepherd. It aims to explore visual ideas and create contemporary items that are accessible, useful and desirable within a domestic context.

Initially Unity Peg has concentrated on printed textiles, in particular a range of t-towels which challenge the normally prosaic nature and low status of this ubiquitous item. The range is characterised by vibrant colours, bold outlines and graphic imagery depicting everyday things. The initial Wash Up series included sink, u-bend, household bottles and a drainer designs. These were well received commercially and critically leading to inclusion in two British Council touring exhibitions and the new book "Designing the 21st Century"by Taschen.

The Secondary Functions series followed, encouraging additional uses such as making a doll or playing snakes and ladders. The I Love You t-towel combines domestic chores with romance! Domestic still lives and personalised or memory maps have extended the range which is added to regularly and now sold internationally in over 8 countries. A new series based on patterns found in the home will be for sale in the near future, please ring for details or revisit the site. The Numbers series allows you to order your own t-towels depicting a specific date that is special to you, such as a wedding or birth of a baby. Information on this is on the Products page. Also in this series is the 2003 t-towel to announce the coming year.

It is hoped that Unity Peg products will appeal to everyone from children to grannies, fathers to daughters living everywhere. Visit the Exhibitions and Shows page for information on future events.

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Tablecloths

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Although tablecloths are rarely used everyday, they still have a strong role to play in the home for particular meals such as Sunday lunch and dinner parties or for special occasions like birthdays, where a tablecloth is laid as part of the celebration. Unity Peg tablecloths hope to encourage this as a domestic ritual.

The bicycle tablecloth relates an everyday outdoor activity to the domestic interior and shares an enthusiasm for cycling. The second tablecloth is intended for picnics and is printed with silhouettes of birds, inviting people to sit together and identify and observe the nature and wildlife around them.

The third tablecloth consists of 60 boxes, each with date, occasion, location, guests and food sections to be filled in, thus recording the special occasions when the tablecloth is used. (a fabric pen is provided) The tablecloths can also be used as bedspreads, wall hangings or furniture throws.

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