A keen collector: in conversation with designer and stylist Laura Fulmine

“As a stylist I am a keen collector. In my opinion, an interesting object is something that makes you stop and think. It inspires you, reminds you of something and creates joy.”

Laura Fulmine appreciates objects more than most, the London based interior stylist, designer and creative director has developed an instinctive eye for unexpected combinations of colour, material and form that makes her work unique and visually intriguing.

It is highly likely you will have seen and engaged with Laura’s work at some point, be it editorial projects for publications such as Wallpaper*, Monocle and Another Magazine or art direction and styling for brands as diverse as Sé Collections, Modus, John Lewis, Craig & Rose and The Modern House. Laura is also founder and creative director of M.A.H, a gallery and art prop hire service that acts as a bridge between designers and artists.

Most recently she has just completed the interior design of a hotel in the Lake District, with another hotel in London, to follow later this year.

But where did it all start? Laura credits her unique design aesthetic to her background. Trained as a multimedia textile designer, this experience gave her solid grounding in composition and design principles, developing an affinity with colour would later come to define her work.

Her career began in fashion, assisting on design projects for Luella Bartley and Giles Deacon. Laura recalls this period as an opportunity to “really focus on colour combinations, which I feel is inherent in all the work I do now.” She soon felt however that her true passion lay elsewhere and she decided to make the move into interior design.

“As a visual person I am inspired by so much around me.” reveals Laura, “my main form of inspiration comes from travelling and researching into how people live in different environments.”

Wary of being influenced by social media, she remarks that with “Instagram and Pinterest we all see very similar imagery”, preferring instead to root herself conceptually in the physical and the everyday. Laura cites materials as a major source of inspiration, always challenging herself “to use them in unexpected ways.”

Beyond her design work, she also applies her curatorial skill as Creative Director of M.A.H. Situated on Vyner Street in East London, M.A.H stands for ‘Modern Art Hire’. Laura decided to establish the gallery/hire business in 2019 as a way to satisfy an unmet need for both artists and designers.

“I created M.A.H because when looking for great art to work with for shoots I realised there was nothing easily accessible” she explains ”I also knew a lot of artists and thought that there could be a simple way of getting artists more exposure in creative projects.”

Curating the collection presents a different kind of challenge for the designer. “I try not to only choose artworks that I personally like, but to make sure that we have a broad spectrum of works for different styles.” she grins “Saying that, I still love every single piece in the ever-growing collection!”

For someone used to such a frenetic pace, how has COVID-19 and the resulting UK lockdown affected her work? As a seasoned freelancer Laura is already used to working from home.

“I am lucky enough to have a designated workspace and I am practised enough by now to be super disciplined.” She wryly concedes ”Unless the sun is shining and then I tend to take more breaks in the garden!”

Amidst the tragedy unfolding around us all, the situation has also offered many of us a moment of reflection, Laura observes “Before the lockdown I was splitting myself between a very busy design practice and then a very busy art hire business.” she continues “It has given me time to reflect and realise just how much I was working before it all stopped. I am learning to appreciate the slower pace again which I think is extremely rewarding and so important for your mental health.”

“The lockdown has given me a chance to slow down and focus on my priorities”, she adds “I am using the time to work on some editorial stories that I have been planning for a while now, and I’m really getting stuck into the design process of my renovation.”

This renovation project is also Laura’s home. She recently sold her apartment in Dalston, a space that garnered praise for its colour-blocked interior that echoed the shifting of sunlight throughout the day.

The project was also a perfect platform to showcase her passion for vintage Italian design juxtaposed with modern Scandinavian furniture and her unique collection of objects.

So what does she have in mind for the new project? She laughs “The plan changes constantly!"

"The problem when being a stylist/interior designer, you see too many inspirational locations to be able to make a decision and stick with it!” with a smile she adds “I am trying to create a house that looks as though my Italian grandmother lived in it for 70 years! Salvaged bath tubs, terrazzo marble floors, tall double doors, lots of contrasting materials and super decadent. It’s not easy!”

Laura has also cast her curatorial eye over Viaduct’s collection and selected five of her favourite designs.

See what made her shortlist below...

Muller Van Severen - Marble Box

“The first piece is easy as this is a piece I have always coveted, mainly because I can never decide on which type of marble I like the most and so this product is perfection!”

Philipp Mainzer - Backenzahn for e15

“My second choice, is a piece I choose to loan from you for nearly every shoot! It is, in my opinion the perfect contemporary incarnation of a tribal piece of furniture. I love it’s proportions.”

Konstantin Grcic - Clerici Lounge Chair for Mattiazzi

"Konstantin Grcic is another one of my design heroes. The Clerici chair is just wonderfully simple. My preference would be in the Red Ash."

Ettore Sottsass - Callimaco Floor Lamp for Artemide

"The next piece is by one of my design heroes Ettore Sottsass. I love the colour combination and the simplicity of this design classic."

Muller Van Severen - Cutting boards for Valerie Objects

"Another product I have coveted since it was made. I love how Muller Van Severen’s colour combinations are always so spot on. This piece combines shape and colour to create a work of art."

Many thanks to Laura for taking the time to talk with us, you can see more of her work at laurafulmine.com and see the M.A.H collection here.