Meet The Maker: Pelican House

In our latest Meet The Maker interview we spoke to Pelican House, the studio behind our beautiful hand-woven rugs — all of which were bespoke designs. Founder Isabella Valenzia tells us of her life in Rajasthan, where she discovered her love of textiles and was inspired to tell the stories of the talented craftspeople behind the looms.

Tell us about yourself and how it all began?

I’m Pelican House founder Isabella Valenzia, and it all began when I was living in Rajasthan, India. My background is in art history, so it’s probably no surprise I’ve always been fascinated by the histories that objects hold. I’ve also always loved textiles and artisanal crafts, but while in India I saw first-hand the flaws in the global interiors market. In so many cases, artisans simply aren’t recognised for their talent, which causes huge issues in the craft world. It’s such a privilege to be able to tell the artisans’ stories through our collections.

What do you love most about what you do?

It feels like a dream come true running Pelican House. It’s hard to know where to start! I would say visiting tribal communities to get to know the individuals behind each rug, understanding their stories, techniques and the symbolism behind each piece is a real highlight. I also love that through our work we elevate individuals and crafts, ensuring they get the recognition they deserve as artists. We’ve done a lot of research into how to do this, and will be developing this much more, with the help of Label STEP.

Where do you find the inspiration for your designs?

Quite literally everywhere. The shapes, patterns and forms that we see around us can spark so many ideas. We also love digging deeper, and looking to ancient crafts from the past for inspiration.

What’s your favourite room at Kin House?

Can I have two? The bedroom with the Chequerboard Port rug and Fermoie-wrapped bathtub, and the blue attic room with the same style. We adore the Chequerboard Port and it’s become the most popular in our collection.

Is there a story behind the name Pelican House?

Pelicans are kind creatures, they’re known for nurturing, teamwork and putting others before themselves. They’re intrepid and symbolic of spiritual travellers. As a sustainable, collaborative design studio focusing on the rights of the artisan, we felt that the spiritual symbolism of pelicans matched wonderfully with our brand values.

Describe your design aesthetic in three words?

Playful, elegant, timeless.

Rugs play such a big part in anchoring a room, how did you work with Barlow & Barlow to choose the colours and designs for each space?

Barlow & Barlow designed all the rugs and we advised on materials and techniques to fit the budget and what was practical for each area. I was living in India at the time so I would sit with the weavers, making sure every color and weave matched the design. Ultimately it was an amazing collaboration between Barlow & Barlow, Pelican House and our weavers.

Instagram @pelican_house

Website pelican-house.com