Feature – LoveNeon
VESTALIA CHILTON, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF LOVE NEON, SHARES WITH US THE INSPIRATION AND CREATIVE THINKING BEHIND THE NEW NEON SIGNS THAT ARE LIGHTING UP OUR ONE ELEVEN RESTAURANT.
Light always intrigued and excited us. In working with artists we came across neon and realised its potential. Now we work with some of the best neon artists and technicians with old school training and each and every product is handmade. Customers love us for being different and fun to work with.
The founders of LoVeNeoN both come from the arts industry. Francis is the co-founder of Graffik Gallery based on the trendy Portobello Road, his passion is graffiti art and neon signs are just another way of engaging with the urban landscape. I am a curator and fine art dealer with a classic Sotheby?s background. My love affair for using light as an art medium stems from my various trips to New York and LA. Our studio is based in Dulwich Village and we have workshops in Ferring and Rainham. The LoVeNeoN team specialises in handcrafted custom made neon, and increasingly bar and restaurant design.
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Vestalia Chiltern
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Where does our inspiration come from? Our minds are always in hyper-creative mode. We are suckers to our creative impulses and Francis, better known as Mr Watt, has an unrelenting enthusiasm for making cool stuff and enables us to create showstoppers such as the first neon rubix cube and a crest that is currently being displayed in the London Design Museum. We also took part in this year?s Designjunction and hoped to stand out from the rest by offering an 80’s revival themed stand. Apparently we were voted as the favourite stand in the show – having said that, other exhibitors showcased some incredible designs. Everyone bounces off the creativity at such events, Design Week in London is probably the most exciting place to see what is out there and of course we feed off the young and fresh ideas coming through.
Celebrities such as musicians, fashion designers and people from the creative industry are fascinated with the process of hand-crafted neon and come to LoVeNeoN with intricate designs that most commercial sign makers would decline. Light sculpting is becoming increasingly popular and allows you to make bold statements. Neon hues emit wonderful warm light that just completely transform a working or living space.
When Aviator commissioned us to produce neon for their One Eleven concept the brief was to develop a seamless neon concept that blends in with the hotel eco-system. The magnificent art deco themed hotel provides the perfect environment to harness harmonious colour and design features by employing timeless soft white and warm red colour tones. Some more daring designs we suggested did not survive the selection process – maybe next time! We at LoVeNeon are very grateful for the opportunity to have added a little extra cachet of personality to an already very stylish building.
Contact LoVeNeoN at www.loveneon.co.uk
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