Welcome to Spring.

Spring is synonymous with flowers, birds, fresh air and smiles. After a tough winter in London I’ve been deeply looking forward to my favorite season. The idea of rebirth, as I see and feel spring, makes me stronger and engaged with new projects. Welcome Spring.

The following photos are part of my windows design portfolio.

Though I love clothes, I’ve never styled them (professionally). I always found more interesting to style accessories.





Project’s date: March 2003.
(7 years ago? In the design world, this is too long ago!!!)

Related articles.
Welcome to Autumn

Inspired By Blue and Gold: Two Royalties.

There’s one thing I really love to do in design: moodboards. I like to start an idea, and at least think I found a solution. Very often, out of the blue I put moodboards together, and since I write this blog, I find even more excuses to design them.
Lately I’ve been very inspired by blue and gold - they’re back on my track.
Get inspired.

Navy blue is a quite powerful colour. Easily we see this shade of blue everywhere like in uniforms, we associate it to sailors, successful business men and royalty. It has an austere aura, though on the bright side we can see it as a very democratic colour too, no?

Side note: Coco Chanel herself loved the classy white and blue stripes.

In interiors I find these two colours very chic and inspiring. They both bring down the skies, the freedom and happiness of thoughts. There are a sense of fearless and power in them.

Touches of gold and brown bring some warmth to blue.

Navy blue and Gold are indeed my colour for 2010.

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A few more inspirational moments
Pink Is The New Black
Welcome To Autumn
Tulle. Black. White. Red
Stripe It Again

Form | Function | Materiality

I don’t think someone will ever understand how important this table is for me.
It was the very first piece of furniture I’ve designed and prototyped. It’s my “one off”.

When I designed it I knew absolutely nothing about furniture making. The only important thing to me was to design and see it made. Honestly, I think I’m still the same, but anyway, that’s what really drives me to move on otherwise I'll get lost in translation.


Back in 2001 when this table was made I was totally inspired by stainless steel. I wanted to explore such amazing material in the domestic environment. Its industrial qualities and aesthetics gave me so many ideas to blend within the existing deco. Plus it’s perfect to use and abuse on strong colours on a background: purple, red, orange and very dark brown - all colours I was using at the time.


If you follow my blog regularly you probably have realized my furniture design is quite graphic, and this table once again proves it. But there are two details I want to enhance in here: its thickness and the holes on the top and legs – this is exactly what makes this table aesthetically so special to me.


Another thing I want to underline in here: sometimes it’s quite hard for a designer to bring it all in balance – form, function and materiality. Very often, maybe always, we have to compromise some of our aims. The key is indeed to stay focus and carry on (I’ve to remember myself this all the time though).


Some technical information:
5mm stainless steel sheets
Hollow structure
Dimensions: 500mm x 500mm x 500mm
Thickness: 50mm
The beauty of this table prototyping was when I didn’t want to compromise those holes both on the top and legs: bits of steel had to be solder on to give the aesthetics and design I was aiming for; otherwise it would be just a U table.


Now, there’s one very last thing I need to say: my inspiration came a lot from Ron Arad’s work. If you’re in London, check it at the Barbican Art Gallery. If you’re not, click here and here to see some photographs.

Click here to see a desk in stainless steel I’ve designed too. I’ve sold this one three years after I designed and prototype it, not resisting one of my clients asking me for over a year to sell it to her. This is another ‘one off’.

Design by Eliana Tomás | 2 – When did I become a professional designer?

Sometimes I wonder exactly when I became a designer, as my life and professional experience did not follow the traditional path: college – internship – junior – senior – etc.
I wonder as well what type of designer I am, meaning what my contribution is to the design world.

Answering my first question, I guess I became a designer when I accepted for the first time an invitation to design someone’s house (project included knocking walls down, changing plumbing and flooring and other little technical details). The reason I say invitation is because I didn’t have any degree or credential to do so: only energy and enthusiasm to succeed. My previous professional experience was in marketing, project management and architectural specification and tendering. Luckily or not, I always worked in the architectural and engineering field. So, after my first success in the interior and architectural design world I started to call myself a designer, despite the lack of documentation saying so. My degree in spatial design came after almost five years styling and designing (real) spaces, spaces within spaces and other spaces.

About my second question: what is my contribution to the design world? I am a designer who needs to know everything in the design and execution process but only enjoys the beginning and the end, in other words, I fly high when I’m researching and drawing the concept and finalize details. And to be even more precise, this includes not only interiors but furniture as well, because I believe they are two inseparable bodies. For many years I didn’t understand this. I felt I had to do everything otherwise I wouldn’t be a designer. All these years taught me that a good professional focus is her/his strengths and improves them, because there’s always space to be better and better – it never ends, actually.

These two answers came to me exactly when I went to John Maeda’s talk. He explained to all of us his raison d’être – what exactly he’s good at. The way he articulated his conclusion was so clear that I adapted it to my professional path and finally found my own raison d’être too.

Everything I’m saying might sound very simple and straight to the point, but it’s not, at least for me it wasn’t.
These are the kind of things no university, tutor or employer can ever tell you. They are a combination of moments we have to go through like introspection, victories, failures, nonsense, eureka moments, sometimes even inertia periods rather than moments. Though, there’s one tip I can give you to survive the process: one can only grow up if is aware of it.

Thank you for reading my blog. I’m the worst writer in the world, but I found out to write helps me to understand who I am.

Related articles
John Maeda @ The V&A Talking About Creative Leadership – Values Based in Art + Design.

Windows Design for Valentine’s Day.

Windows design was always a big passion to me. Well, it still is, but for now I just appreciate it. Back in Portugal, alongside with my interior design projects I always had what I used to call my little side projects. That included windows design.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I take the opportunity to post 2 photos of a windows design project I did back in 2003 – long time ago.

Happy Valentine’s Day.




My perspective on windows design – is like a TV commercial, but in a static version: tells a story in 30 seconds.

Restyling To a New Home Office.

This project was completed over four years ago, but every time I look at this space I feel it was just styled. The orange together with stainless steel balances the space.
Everything in here was part of another one in my clients’ previous house. There are a few things missing, like a classic button sofa in black, but I haven’t found the perfect one yet. Or maybe I did, but it’s a bit out of my client’s budget.



These black table lamps give the home office a nice touch: perfect form and colour, I think.





I’ve designed this desk right when I opened my first studio. I was pretty much inspired by stainless steel, exploring how “industrial materials and aesthetics” could be used in the domestic environment.
It was my working desk for a while, but my client had convinced me to sell it to her. I’m very happy she has it since.


The original desk top was in clear glass, but my client decided to change to smoked glass, as the previous deco was around brown and beige. That’s the beauty of stainless steel – it goes with everything without losing its personality!

The desk structure is designed in tubular steel contrasting the square and round tubes with one being half thickness to the other one. The material is quite powerful to speak for itself.
Desk designed in 2002.

Check my previous posts to see where some of these objects were living before.
Stripe It

A Gift To Abbott Laboratories.

For 2 days I’ve been thinking what I should blog about on the first of 2010. I’ve so much to talk about, to design, to photograph, to sketch… So after digging in my design and photography archives I’ve decided to post about a project I’ve enjoyed a lot to work on. Quite challenging as it was the first product I’ve designed.

C&C commissioned me to design a product to Abbott Laboratories. The brief was a gift to be given to 120 doctors as Abbott was presenting a new diagnosis machine.

My concept was to design a versatile object which could be interpreted in different ways to different uses. I've chosen ceramics, as the west coast of Portugal is rich in small industries in this field. I had barely a week to design and produce the gift, meaning no time to make nice moodboards or technical drawings. Basically everything was discussed with hand sketches between the ceramist and I.

The object’s drying before being painted.

The plate outline was painted in Abbott Diagnosis colour.



For the plate centre I’ve chosen turquoise, light green, orange and red. Unfortunately I don’t have photos with the first two.





C&C had asked me as well to style the room where the symposium was meant to happen. I’ve chosen a mix of flowers, representing the laboratory colours (blue and dark red), to be placed on the dining tables and on the curtains to make the room more dressed up.

The event had happened at the Marriott Hotel in Praia d’El Rei, West Coast of Portugal.







Project designed and made in 2004.

Crochet Doilies & Fashion Accessories.

Following the concept of a crochet doily (napperon in French) used on table tops and sometimes sofas, these beautiful crochet ornaments are meant to be worn together with fashion accessories. The idea is to embellish and restyle accessories you already have such as brooches, hats or even hairpins.

They’ve been quite a success since I started to wear them: I’ve had many comments, some quite funny actually. I hope you like the concept as much as I do.







Feather Hairpin.

Crystal Hairpin.



This one was sold. I’m loving the idea to see friends wearing them around London. Thanks Cris.

All of them are unique designs and handcrafted by me. Soon I’ll post my latest little side project: crochet cuffs. They're gorgeous!

PS – I could have them photographed on jackets or hats, but what I want is you to imagine where they better suit your style. Let me know where…

Design Side Note: In design I love to challenge scale and function and I must say I'm very happy with the result of this little side project.

Colour Scheme.

Terrace house plans on a project I’ve posted before.
To see more detail on the plan, please click for larger image.

Ground Floor

Living room

Dining room

Wallpaper detail in the living room

Kitchen detail

First Floor

Main bedroom

Guest bedroom

Hall

To see more photos on these plans, please click on the following links:
The Colour Of Dreams
The Orchid Bedroom
The Green Kitchen
From Portugal With Love

Concept: A Big Christmas Box.

There’s one thing I love to design and admire: spatial installations and shop windows. I don’t do it for a while, but lately I’ve been driven to design an imaginary shop window (which I’m going to include on my portfolio). Hope you get inspiration from it. I would love to hear from you.


A space styled with layers and layers of tulle and knitted snowflakes.

To keep the knitted snowflakes they’ve to be attached on cardboard.

The idea is to have a light bulb in the centre of each snowflake.

An imaginary christmas box full of tulle and knitted snowflakes in white and red.

Materials: White and red tulle. Wool. Cardboard. Light bulb. Lead strings.









Click for larger image

A story behind this 2D christmas styling: when I was in primary school I (we) had a class about christmas tree decoration. We had to choose one of the two (and of course to say why): a super well decorated one and another one with no deco but a star on the very top. Somehow, I feel the styling for this window started when I remembered this class I had many many years ago.

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A White Knitted Christmas
Polka Dots Xmas
Welcome To Autumn
Tulle. Black. White. Red