Oxfordshire Limited Edition – August 2019

54 |OxfordshireLimitedEdition|August 2019

DirectorofuniqueOxforddesignhouseVieva,AndyBullock,talkstoHesterGrainger

aboutitspopularHumptiesrangeandgivesadiscountexclusivelyforourreaders

GET THE HUMP

I

ftheyhadsatback 12 monthsago

andtriedtoimaginehowsuccessful

thecompanywouldbecomein

justoneyear,theywouldn’thave

believedit.Vievaisuniqueasan

interiorsandproductdesignhouse,

withaworkshopandstudiobasedinOxford.

AndyBullock,designdirectoratVieva

explains:“Havingspent 30 yearsinproduct

andinteriordesign,IhadworkedwithStuart

Bottomley,MDandheadofproduction

whenIwasdesigndirectoratanotherbrand,

developingsomehigh-endcontractfurniture

designs.Atthebeginningof 2018 ,Stuart

contactedmewithanideaforaproduct

thatneededrefining.TheideaforVievaand

subsequentlyHumpties®wereborn.”

DesignatVievaisateamaffair,Stuart

continues:‘Wehavethreedirectors-Stuart,

myselfandRachelZivkovic,wealso

haveSarahourbrilliantadministrator.At

ourstudioinOxfordwealsohavefour

upholstererswhoalsoworkacrossOxford

Upholstery,analliedbusinesswhichalsoruns

OxfordSchoolofUpholstery.Thiswassetup

byStuartandRachel 15 yearsago.’

InpracticeStuartandAndyalwaysdevelop

anideatogether.Stuarthasavastexperience

asanupholstererandinactually“making”

inthisfieldandbetweenthemtheyagreeon

styleanddesignaesthetics.Andyshares:“We

haveafairlystrongideainourmindswhat

constitutesaVievaproductandwhatdoes

not.Withregardstothefabricsweuse,thisis

alwaysleadbyRachelwhohasanextensive

knowledgeinallaspectsoffabricdesignand

manufacture.

“Rachelhasherfingeronthepulseof

whatistrendingintheseareaspointsusall

intherightdirection.Weoncespentmonths

visitingsupplierslookingforonedesired

fabrictofulfiladesignbrief.”

Theteamarefastidiousinthefabric

choicestheymake.Andit’sthatlevelof

attentiontodetailandqualitythatleadVieva

tomeetwithbuyersatJohnLewis.

“Itwasa‘pinchme’moment,”Andysays.

“Wewereaskedtodesignauniquerangeof

Humptiesforthem.Wearenowhopingto

getarangeacceptedduringJohnLewis’next

season’sroundofbuying.”

ThefillingfortheHumptiesinnercushion

ismadeexclusivelyfromsustainablewool

“knops”.Thesearesourcedthroughaco-