Meet the Maker: Power Play

From playing backgammon as a child to designing bespoke backgammon boards for clients across the world, Alexandra Llewellyn is an inspiring designer and a visionary in the world of luxury, and working with her on a bespoke board or poker set is a true joy. She talks to Dream Escape about playfulness and precision…

Alexandra Llewellyn vividly remembers the first time she understood the power of play. Aged six and sitting on a dusty backstreet in Cairo with her Egyptian step-grandfather, she started playing a game of backgammon with an elderly gentleman. “He was about 90 years old, and spoke no English. And I spoke no Egyptian!” she tells me. “But that didn’t matter, because we spoke the language of backgammon and that was all we needed. That game broke down the barriers of culture and age and geography.”

Raised in a big family, where board games and competition went hand-in-hand with playful family afternoons around the fire, board-game designer Alexandra Llewellyn talks with passion and conviction about the importance of play in all of our lives.

“We all need human connection. What I do is all about bringing people together. Whether a game is competitive or just a bit of fun, it always involves laughter and joy. And then there’s the other side of it too – the tactics, the thinking, and the process of playing, which is sort of reflecting life. Take backgammon for instance – it's a game that's incredibly tactical – it’s easy to play, but the hardest game to conquer. There's this element of luck and roll of the dice which is just so reflective of life. I think that's why it's so amazing for children and families to play games. Because it’s [a] life lesson of sorts.”

Trained in fine art, with parents who designed gardens and fashion for a living, Alexandra has always had an eye for envisioning and making things, working with colour and pattern in unique ways. But it was when she set up her own business in 2010, designing and making bespoke games – backgammon and chess boards, poker sets, playing card decks, games tables and accessories – that she really felt she was able to fully express her creativity.

“I think what makes her work so beguiling is that these are not only beautiful objects but are also games,” says Louise Murray, Head of Product at Dream Escape. “They create memories by drawing people into play and are so much fun. Not to mention her bespoke designs, which are truly oneof-a-kind – the intimate details of these designs are sensational.”

Working within the strict geometric rules of board-game design means Alexandra has to really call on her creative skill to envision each client’s ideas, and create a piece as beautiful to look at as it is to play with. She has designed hundreds of bespoke backgammon boards, and each piece is completely different because, in the design, Alexandra brings together both her clients’ quirky and unique ideas, and her own incredible eye for something special.

She was the winner of the Walpole Brand of Tomorrow in 2017 and named Hero for Craftsmanship by Country & Town House magazine. This year cemented her position when she was included in the Walpole Power List as one of the 50 most influential people in British luxury.

Proudly designed and made in Britain and crafted with exquisite care, all pieces that Alexandra creates are true works of art, heirlooms to be treasured. Recent designs have included an entire board dedicated to a client’s love of hippos; a collaboration with Pharrell using Martian meteorites, bringing to life a dream of being in outer space and looking down on Earth from Mars; and a board featuring DNA strands in the shape of a butterfly celebrating a husband-and-wife scientist team, who had discovered a rare mutating gene, but also discovered the cure.

Alexandra's artistry and creative process

“That was pretty mind-blowing,” says Alexandra, who meets every single client personally before she starts designing their board.

Designs can be highly biographical or they can be something to commemorate a special occasion, but each one is highly unique. The interview process is really important, because, for Alexandra, it is as much about understanding the client's aesthetics and taste, as it is their vision and their story.

“It’s an amazing moment for me too, because each design is like a window to someone’s world,” she says. “I want to get an overarching understanding of the person that I’m designing for... and so it's about sort of teasing the little details out, asking the right questions, knowing what to focus on. I’ll even encourage them to bombard me with pictures and ideas on WhatsApp, which all helps to build up a picture of the person that I’m designing for.”

Alexandra's artistry and creative process

After this meeting, Alexandra designs the piece, which can take around three to four weeks, before sending the final design to the client to approve or make changes to, and then the construction process begins. Alexandra chooses the materials and works with her artisans to bring the piece to life.

Alexandra's artistry and creative process

The skills of the team involved in making each piece is incredibly important to Alexandra. “It’s the most amazing relationship – because you learn from each other, and you push each other to do ever more wonderful things, and you can bring all those years of experience together for this one piece. Joe, who does our marquetry, said to me recently that he always tells clients that it takes 40 years to make a board, because that’s the collective wealth of experience in the team who are creating and making it.”

Alexandra’s studio is on a little cobbled mews in Belgravia, a two-minute walk from Hyde Park. You enter the mews under an archway of flowers, walking past Rachel Vosper’s studio, who makes her wonderful candles next door to Alexandra. “It’s so charming,” says Louise Murray. “By the time you've got to the front door, you're completely seduced by the setting. It is wonderful to see Alexandra's work in person, where you can touch and feel the exquisite craft involved in all of her pieces.”

Butterfly-themed Collection

Alexandra’s showroom is a beautiful light-filled space, with carefully chosen pieces of her work, and an adjacent workshop where the boards are put together, so Dream Escape visitors can really see the whole process and discover the magic of these bespoke creations.

“It makes such a difference to see the work in person,” agrees Alexandra, who meets Dream Escape clients for exclusive mornings at her studio. “You can see and touch the work, and I can share stories of some of the pieces we’ve made and we can discuss some of your ideas and how the design process works. And all in this beautiful London space, that feels familiar and welcoming. People often say that coming here feels like coming to my house, and I love that. Because this is at the heart of who I am. So, it’s very special to welcome people into this private space.”

Dream Escape guests can expect Alexandra to share some of her experiences of working with the likes of photographer Terry O'Neill on a beautiful new collection of limitededition photographic pieces featuring such celebrities as Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy. And, they might also get the story behind the Geometrix board, which Alexandra has created as an ode to architect Gio Ponti’s ceramic tiles, and features a recurring pattern of shapes and symbols realised in intricate wood marquetry in a striking denim-blue palette.

Alexandra Llewellyn and Terry O'Neill

Whether you have a penchant for hippos and butterflies or modern goddesses' strands of DNA, getting a window in the beautiful world of Alexandra Llewellyn is both a privilege and a joy. And working with her to create your own bespoke piece is a deep dive into a world of luxury and creativity par excellence.

Geometrix Collection launched for Christmas 2022

Find out more

Contact the team at Dream Escape...

Holly Mackie, Owner and Director

“We are particularly passionate about our private shopping experiences and supporting local artisans throughout the UK and Ireland. Alexandra Llewellyn has created the most timeless handmade products and this is a truly wonderful experience for anyone visiting London.” ⬥ holly@dreamescape.co.uk

WORDS | EMMA JOHNSON