We first wrote about Bethan Gray in 2016, after seeing her new collection at Design Junction in London. A decade on, her work has only become more recognisable: inlaid brass, mother-of-pearl, marble and marquetry, with patterns borrowed from forts, boats and shells. It’s furniture that reads as craft first and decoration second, which is why it sits so well in a considered home.
Who is Bethan Gray?
Bethan Gray is a Welsh-born British designer. She was Design Director at Habitat before setting up her own studio and collection, and her work is now stocked and specified around the world. She describes cultural references as being at the heart of her design, drawn from travel through the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America and from the craft traditions she finds there.
Cultural referencing is at the heart of my design philosophy. Currently I’m particularly drawn to the graphic nature of Islamic art and craft.
Bethan Gray, 2016
The Shamsian collection
The collection we saw in 2016 was made with the Iranian artist Mohamad Reza Shamsian and inspired by the architecture and craft of Oman. It brought together marquetry, inlaid solid brass and paua shell, set into stained maple. Our favourites were the panels with a soft ombré running through the staining, from deep teal to almost nothing.
Nizwa takes its pattern from the castellations of an Omani fort. The cabinet, in Italian maple veneer stained in a turquoise ombré with brass inlay, became one of her best-known pieces.
Dhow and Masirah borrow the curving lines of traditional dhow sailing boats. Their large triangular sails were sewn together in strips, and those strips became the wavy brass inlay that runs across each piece.
Paua reworks her much-loved Brogue collection, a Harrods exclusive. Here, mother-of-pearl replaces the original leather band, using sustainably sourced shell from New Zealand.
The Nizwa and Dhow patterns have since moved beyond furniture. Bethan Gray has designed wallpapers with NLXL using them, which is a lovely way to bring the pattern into a room without a statement cabinet.
Living and bedroom collections
More recently she has turned to upholstery and bedroom furniture. The Ripple modular sofa and the Shell armchair and cocktail cabinet share an undulating scallop-shell motif, upholstered in Norfolk. Her bedroom range uses the Nizwa and Dhow metal marquetry patterns in a choice of metal finishes and colours, made to order.
Shells are a long-running thread. Her earlier collaboration with Nature Squared also used shell, and it shows up again in the curves of the newer pieces.
How we’d use her pieces in a home
Statement furniture works best when the room is built around it rather than around everything else. A few principles we follow:
One hero per room. A Nizwa cabinet in a dining room or hall needs a quiet backdrop: plain walls, a simple rug and good light on it.
Pick up a colour, not the pattern. If the cabinet is turquoise and brass, echo the turquoise in a cushion or a ceramic and the brass in a light fitting. Don’t repeat the pattern.
Light the inlay. Brass and mother-of-pearl come alive with light from the side. A wall light or picture light beside the piece does more than a downlight above it.
Use the wallpaper in small rooms. In a cloakroom or a dressing room, a patterned paper gives you the same story at a fraction of the scale.
Mix with old pieces. Inlay and marquetry sit beautifully next to antiques. The craft speaks the same language.
Why we still rate her work
Plenty of designers use pattern. Fewer use it with this much craft behind it. Bethan Gray’s pieces are made by specialists, often by hand, and they carry real references rather than borrowed motifs. That’s the kind of furniture that lasts in a home, and the kind of furniture we like to design rooms around.
Pieces like these are what make a room. One beautifully made thing, chosen early, will do more for a space than a dozen safe ones.
If you’re thinking about a statement piece and the room it deserves, our London interior design team can help with both.