Explore: A Visit to the London Studio of Charlene Mullen

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege and fun of going to London with friends and discovering neighborhoods I’d never seen before - Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, and Islington - which were full of young professionals, working artists, graffiti murals and amazing original boutiques.

We stumbled into the studio/shop of Charlene Mullen, whose name was new to me (& of course since then, I’ve seen her name and her work everywhere!). She has a background in art and worked for years in fashion before making her debut in luxury homewares — now with an active shop in London, a line for Royal Doulton, private clients for custom work & frequent exhibits in Milan, Paris, et. al. 

If you’re looking for a fresh, original souvenir from London, Paris, New York or any of the other locales she illustrates, you’ll find great options on her site. Here are a few of my favorites:

I LOVE this lamp with illustrated shade featuring London skyline!

How great would this extra long pillow of NYC look on a sofa??

Or these fun ones of the London Eye - in daytime or night time palettes...

Here’s a shot from her store - beautiful graphics everywhere!

In a world where home goods can be so homogenized now, I just love that she has such a specific design point of view. She seems to soak it up from the surrounding neighborhood & her classical training in illustration….

(Graffiti mural nearby)

Her calling card:

Even the floors in the shop are stylized! Geometric, colorful tiles….(also avail for sale)

Charlene was creating sketches and putting together pieces on her drawing table while we there — if something is sold out online, you can connect with her to discuss a custom project or two. I’m obsessed with the work she had on display in the shop (also does embroideries that can be framed, etched glass, you name it), seen here:

I highly recommend this area of London is you want a very original, non-touristy view of their thriving artistic community. But if you can’t get there, enjoy a snippet of this little video that gives you a flavor of what Charlene’s creative world is all about...

Enjoy & thanks for your patience with me in my blogging break!  I’m VERY excited for this New Year, my improved health and many upcoming creative projects. My friend Jen & I will be at the Design Bloggers conference in LA, March 4-6 so West Coast friends, I hope to see you soon!!

Cheers,
Lee