DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT

Support independent businesses and meet the creatives making waves in the interiors world. This month, we’re talking innovative 3D-printed homeware to make a bright and bold style statement

MADDIE THOMAS, MADDIE’S PLANT STORE

Above Bubble textured plant pots, from £5

Right Rainbow texture plant pot, £11; Corrugated texture pen pot, £7.75; Conical stripe vase, £27 The role of technology in our homes is reflected most obviously in the rise of smart tech – whether it’s Alexa, a robot vacuum or a video doorbell, these handy innovations make domestic life a little easier. But developments in technologies have informed the way we live in and decorate our homes for centuries, from the traditional woodworking techniques used on the beautiful teak sideboard you found at a flea market to solar panels that allow us to save energy and cut bills. So it’s no surprise that 3D printing has found its way into the interiors sphere, too.

Using planet-friendly materials over plastic, 3D printing is fast, efficient and a less wasteful way of creating products than traditional factory lines. In the hands of creative people like Maddie Thomas, a design engineering student with a side business in bright and bold home accessories, it’s also an art form. Maddie creates beautiful structural pieces in a rainbow of colours that you’ll be proud to display on your table, your shelves or your fireplace. From bubble pots to rainbow planters and ribbed vases, these accessories are bang on trend and built to last, so you can treasure them for years – and even better, at the end of their life, they’re compostable, too. We’ve spoken to Maddie to find out more – and highlighted two more amazing businesses doing innovative things in the world of 3D printing.

QHow would you describe your business in a sentence?

AI design and 3D print homeware including plant pots, deskware and vases.

QHow did you get to the point of having your own business?

AI’m a university student and I needed an income. I went for several interviews and couldn’t get a waitressing job, even with three years’ experience, so I had to get creative! Like many others, I started collecting houseplants during lockdown, and I decided to start making plant pots, thinking I could try selling a few. I’ve always been interested in technology and I’m currently doing a degree in design engineering, so I used what I’d learned to start 3D printing my designs.

QWhat’s your favourite thing about what you do?

AI love that I can think of something I want to make and within a day or so it exists in my hands. 3D printing is pretty magical – I’m still fascinated by it!

Fluted vase shaped plant pot, from £5

QWhat has been your proudest moment – or moments – so far?

AWhen customers share photos of my makes in their homes. I love seeing how people style them and the colours they put together, and I feel so privileged that someone wants something I’ve created in their space.

Wriggle curve pen pot, £7

QWhat’s your favourite piece from your collection?

AThe rainbow wall-mounted plant pots – they add plants to a room even when there’s limited space, and I just love the curved shape.

Rainbow shaped wall-mounted indoor plant pot, from £12

QAnything else we need to know about you?

AI try to make eco choices with everything I do. The material I use to make my pots is called PLA (polylactic acid) and is actually a bioplastic made from plants. At the moment it’s not mainstream recyclable, but it can be industrially composted. 3D prints aren’t always successful, but I never throw them away! Any waste material is colour sorted and stored. I’m saving up to either build or purchase a machine to recycle any scraps back into pots with the intention of creating my own little recycling loop.

Follow Maddie on Instagram @maddiesplantstore and shop her designs at maddiesplantstore.co.uk

Taking shape

Meet more designer makers creating cool new products with a printer

KEELEY TRAAE, KEELEY TRAAE DESIGNS

@keeleytraae_3d ‘I’m a 3D designer exploring digital technologies and new materials to create desirable and meaningful objects for the home. During lockdown, I bought a 3D printer and realised I could develop my own products. I designed my first collection of 3D printed mini vases and launched in March 2021. Six months after launching, I was selected to exhibit at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester, and since then I’ve exhibited in other shows and festivals; each one feels like a validation of the business. I print in polylactic acid (PLA), or “corn plastic”, a plantbased material, which can be renewed annually and is commercially compostable.’ keeleytraae.com

JOE AND SUZANNA, STUDIO NO.16

@studio_no16 ‘Studio No.16 specialises in modern 3D printed homewares made from eco-friendly PLA, a non-toxic bioplastic. We started the business during the first lockdown – first 3D printing visor headbands for the NHS and other health services, then designing plant pots for our home. We put our Nova design online after friends and family encouraged us, and accidentally set it to “live” while we were building our shop front. The next day it sold, and the rest is history! Nova was our first design and continues to be our best seller, so it has a very special place in our hearts and will be on the menu for some time!’ etsy. com/uk/shop/ StudioNo16

Mini vases range from £30 to £34

Sakura vase, £16; Crinkle plant pot, from £13; Ripple plant pot, from £13