A frolic with a preying mantis, amidst fire fly lit trees, good friends and rose petals. A secret look into the world of Lou Rota … one of my favorite designers. Thank you Lou, for sharing xoxo
How does nature inspire you?
Nature and the natural world is incredibly important to me, I couldn’t exist without it. The outdoor world is like my church. It never ceases to astound me. Every day miracles take place in the garden, the countryside. Just being outside makes me feel more creative, and I’m lucky that my studio is at the bottom of the garden surrounded by trees.
But I can be inspired in more direct ways too. I love to travel. It is one of my passions. I was in Zambia last year at a fantastic camp on the Lower Zambezi called Sausage Tree named the large sausage-shaped gourds that grow there. It’s beautiful and untouched. When a flock of storks fly over you feel like you’re in the Jurassic!
One night we were sitting around a big communal table for dinner. The trees were so full of fireflies that it looked as if they were covered in fairy lights … magical. i was sitting chatting with elbows on the table, hands clasped together when suddenly a preying mantis landed on my hands. It turned its head to look at me and stayed for a few moments before it flew away, only to re-alight seconds later. It did this several times, it was amazing to see it so close up, it was beautiful.
It’s almost like it was asking to be used in a design. So i did! There’s a preying mantis on one of the new set of plates I’ve designed for Anthropologie, due in stores in around September.
Tell me more about how you reinvent china?
I love the idea that you can create something ‘new’, something covetable out of things that already exist. You’re not adding to the mass of stuff that’s already clogging up the world when you customize a vintage plate. I look at the colors, the pattern and see which of my creatures would work best with it. The thinking always takes longer than the actual doing. The positioning is important too. I like the graphic contrast of say, shiny black beetles scuttling across a faded rose tea plate. It adds edge to the prettiness and makes the ubiquitous unique.
What’s your idea of a perfectly set table?
The establishment dinner sets that used to be on everyone’s wedding list have largely gone out of fashion & favor. They’re too fusty and formal for us now. I’m on a bit of a mission to persuade people that fine English bone china should still be a pleasure to eat off and drink from everyday, but that mis-matching is the modern way to go. Anti-establishment china if you like! Making a unique mis-matched dinner service for someone is my favorite kind of commission … a mix of flamingos, birds and beetles all with the same flower works very well. Personally I like to mix up several of my designs with vintage china, lovingly set out with sparkling silver cutlery and soft, white linen napkins. Flatbread and nibbles go on old dark wood platters from Morocco. And to finish, I put night lights in an assortment of vintage cups and then scatter a couple of handfuls of fragrant red rose petals all around.
