Homage to Eileen Gray

Eileen Gray is one of Ireland’s most wonderful designers of the 20th Century and now rightfully takes her place on the world stage beside well-known Modernist designers such as Marcel Breuer, Charles and Ray Eames, Mies Van Der Rohe, Avar Aalto and Le Corbusier.

Born in 1878 in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford her home was Brownswood, a period house over-looking the river Slaney.

Eileen studied at Slade College, London and the Académie Julian, Paris before embarking on a lifetime of learning in the arts of exquisite and ingenious furniture design. She created geometric rug designs, light fittings and interiors. She mastered the ancient art of lacquering under the tutelage of Sugawara, producing many fine pieces most notable her wonderful screens. Finally in her later life she turned her hand to architecture, going on to produce one of the finest examples of modern architecture at Roquebrune in the south of France – the E1027.

I have long admired Eileen’s work and her designs and patterns have inspired my new Irish Linen Collection. The name she gave to her first house, E1027, is code for her own name and the name of her partner at the time, Jean Badovici, for whom she designed and built the house. E, is for Eileen. The number 10 is for the 10th letter of the alphabet – J for Jean. 2 represents the letter B, for Badovici and 7 represents G for Gray. So, on my table runner I have represented Eileen Gray with E7.

In my designs here I have incorporated her compass, set square and rule which she constantly worked with. You can see her E1027 glass table shape and an interpretation of her rug and light designs while always intertwining an E and a G in my work.

I hope you enjoy these designs and that they will prove good conversation pieces over the dinner table in whatever part of the world you may be in and the genius of Eileen Gray will be spread as one of the greatest Modern designers of our time.

Kindest Regards,

Agnes

Agnes H Design
Wexford, Ireland
tel: 087 235 8699
e-mail: agneshdesign@gmail.com
www.agneshdesign.ie