Beautiful partnerships

 

One of the great things about being a family-owned business is that we understand the importance of building and maintaining strong, positive relationships and pulling together for a common cause. This rule of thumb applies to every single member of the Arthur Price team and we're incredibly fortunate to have many dedicated members of staff, who all believe in the importance of great customer service.

 

Additionally in recent years we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with some exceptionally talented people. We like to think of our associated designers as part of our extended family. Each of the designers we work with brings a new dimension to the overall collection which ensures that you the customer is spoilt for choice.

 

Our collaborations range from the inimitable Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to award winning jeweller Nicholas James; master of luxurious interior design, Clive Christian to Sophie Conran, the designer and cookery writer with an exceptional pedigree.  

 

I hope you enjoy learning about the innovative work that we've been doing with our fantastic partners.

 

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

 

The grand-master of the decadent design flourish, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, has been working with us for over a decade.

 

When Laurence's cutlery range first launched in 2000 it really was the first designer cutlery onto the market. His popularity as an interior designer with his regular TV appearances on the massively popular 'Changing Rooms' made Laurence a great ambassador for raising the profile of design; particularly for making people think differently about the everyday items that are used in the home, such as cutlery.

 

From the outset there was a distinctive look and feel to all the pieces in Laurence's range. The most popular designs from the original launch were Echo and Orb. So much so that both designs are still going strong today, surely a testament to Laurence's skill.

Mad about mugs

 

In addition to his cutlery designs Laurence has also brought his aesthetic expertise to deliver a stunning range of bone china mugs. The Mugnificent collection features a dazzling array of fabulously patterned mugs that come beautifully gift boxed with its own teaspoon (£9.95) and make wonderful presents.

 

Each of the designs incorporate elements that are key to Laurence's recognisable style. Enjoy a wealth of luscious colours, rich floral patterns and bold graphic devices which complement the sumptuous, sophisticated black that always features so heavily in Laurence’s work.

 

2012 It's a Year for Celebrations

 

We're all brimming with national pride in 2012, and to mark the occassion Laurence has turned his talented hand to producing gift sets that commemorate our cultural identity. Two new mugs, 'I dream of queenie’ pays tribute to HRH The Queen’s 60 Year Jubilee, while ‘Mugly Betty’ incorporates a series of heart shaped Union Flags. With a retail price of £7.50 the mugs make great collectors pieces.

 

Laurence explains the inspiration for the 'Celebration' designs: “I love being British and 2012 is such an exciting year for us. I want to extol a sense of patriotism and glorify our amazing heritage. Tea drinking is something of a cultish ceremony in the UK which is why the mugs express that in a fun, playful manner.”

 Looking to the future

 

Laurence always visits us at the Spring Fair exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham. We were delighted to present him with a specially designed gift box containing the  'Let Them Eat Cake' product range that we launched at the 2011 show.

 

Our ongoing partnership with Laurence continues to surprise and delight. After working together for more than a decade we still have the impetus to keep moving the relationship forward. Everything that we've produced together is a glorious consolidation. We have many new exciting developments in the pipeline and long may this relationship continue to flourish.

Sophie Conran sets the table in style

In 2010 we were delighted to launch a new range of cutlery produced in collaboration with renowned cookery and lifestyle writer, entrepreneur and designer Sophie Conran.

 

Sophie, a busy mother of two, has an innate understanding of the importance of practical homewares. She knows beautifully made, quality items should give pleasure and good service at every mealtime without sacrificing style and elegance - principles that we at Arthur Price has embraced for over 100 years.

 

Sophie’s sophisticated ‘Rivelin’ collection has a wonderfully graceful feel that draws on her own inspirations; classic designs, innovative craftsmanship and all that happens around the kitchen table.

Designer dynasty 

Produced in the finest quality stainless steel, the Rivelin range includes gorgeously packaged 24 and 44 piece gift boxed cutlery sets, as well as, a comprehensive selection of complementary accessories such as a cake lifter, salad servers, fish eaters and soup ladle.

 

Coming from a dynasty renowned for their contemporary design flair and culinary expertise, Sophie Conran is the perfect partner for Arthur Price. Her unique, personal style and vision really shine through. Sophie’s Rivelin design of cutlery is perfect for any occasion; from busy family breakfasts to refined dinner parties. With our rich British heritage in producing exceptional cutlery, Rivelin makes a wonderful addition to our collection. 

Adding a dash of sparkle 

We joined forces with the award winning jeweller, Nicholas James, to create a unique pendant lamp for Harrods. To see the video of the manufacturing process and installation click here.

 

This spectacular one-off showcase involved a number of highly specialised British companies responding to the challenge to produce the 600mm diameter, 65kg sphere.  The 738 finest quality 18/10 stainless steel serving spoons are formed in 15 concentric layers and secured with over 30,000 precision laser welds all completed by hand. Of the spoons, 150 have been individually set with 7 carats of diamonds. Internally lit by 600 LED bulbs the Orb is a truly magnificent structure that celebrates exceptional design and sublime engineering.

Champions of craftsmanship 

We've been aware of Nick’s work for a number of years. Our companies embrace similar values, and we’re both champions of British craftsmanship. We decided to combine our relative expertise to produce an exceptional piece of creative engineering that marries our skills, captures the imagination and challenges convention.

 

After months of intensive labour the Orb lamp was initially on sale in the Silver Room at Harrods for £95,000 and is now on display in London five-star hotel, The Wyndham Grand in Chelsea Harbour. Commissions can also be placed for customised designs finished to your personal specification.

Where West meets East

 

Another project that we've developed with Nicholas James is the luxurious FooFitch range of cutlery that marries a global mix of aesthetic and culinary tastes.

 

Embracing the best of Western and Oriental cultures FooFitch brings extraordinary luxury to the table as each of the pieces are finished with diamond accents. The 'Arc' collection consists for two sterling silver cutlery rests, silver plated chopsticks, fork and spoon each set with 9 pave set diamonds and a signature diamond solitaire (£5,500 per set). 

The epitome of luxury 

 

Clive Christian is a British designer with a passion for luxury and a philosophy no more complex than the desire to be “the best in class”. With his eponymous brand, Clive Christian is undoubtedly a unique and influential force within today’s British interiors industry.

 

Designing an exclusive range for our Arthur Price of England brand, Clive Christian has created the exceptionally lavish Empire Flame. Clive Christian’s partnership with us has been driven by a shared and uncompromising commitment to design excellence and absolute quality.

 

Unashamedly flamboyant, intricately detailed and richly embellished with stunning gold accents; Empire Flame is the epitome of luxury, timelessness and beauty.

 

These three defining qualities can be seen throughout Clive Christian’s work. They link the different facets that make up a truly unique design house with a passion to endure as a future British icon.

 

“Design it first – to be the absolute best it can be – then cost it.” Clive Christian

Going for gold

 

Clive Christian's cutlery is available in either stunning mirror finished sterling silver or 24 carat gold plated which has an incredibly rich lustre and beautiful warmth to it.

 

Empire Flame - An 85 piece specially designed chest for 8 people retails for £3,950

 

All Gold  - An 85 piece specially designed chest  for 8 people retails for £11,900