Yvonne Samaranayake is the founder of Avalo Home, a home furnishings company inspired by her beautiful and playful children. Yvonne cultivated her range to meet the needs of her children, in particular their love of squishy soft furnishings. She loves to create a haven within the home and believes this is an achievable goal for all. Her range is unique as it has a beautiful yet practical range of cushions available in a number of colours, textures and sizes. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Yvonne Samaranayake.
Image Credit: 1) Tom Dixon 2) Loaf 3) Linie Design 4) Vivienne Westwood 5) Liberty
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1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?
We create art on fabric using the latest digital print technology. Using bright colours and iconic images our designs appeal to all ages and reflect our sense of creativity.
2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?
We take inspiration from our customers and what’s trending. We also have products targeted at kids and sometimes bouncing ideas off my daughters provides me with inspiration for new designs.
3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?
I work with a talented artist called Alison Hansen who translates my ideas into beautiful designs. We work well as a team and openly share our knowledge and experience. I like Alison’s sense of creatively along with her sense of style and generosity. When coming up with new design ideas we have an honest and open relationship which benefits the creative process.
4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?
Inspiration for my first collection was based on my children’s heritage. They are part Sri Lankan but born in London hence the connection with the elephant and Abbey Road.
5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
Following a career in the city and having two children I decided that it was time for a change. I had always had an interest in home interiors and so I joined forces with Alison to develop our first range. With our combined experience of design and business knowledge Avalo Home was born.
