Walk along Regent’s Canal in east London and it’s impossible to miss the freshly painted barge: black and white stripes, blue triangles and squares of yellow. If you’re a fan, you’ll recognise Camille Walala’s bright, geometric style instantly.
The private commission is just the latest piece of work by the French-born designer, who is inspired by the Memphis Group, a collective of designers creating colourful post-modern designs in early 1980s Italy. “I grew up in the 80s and my dad had some nice Memphis pieces,” says Walala, 41. “I like the playful graphics, and for years I’ve tried to take elements of that and do it my way.” Now, though, she is looking for a new direction. “I’m trying to move into something more simplistic, and researching artists such as the abstract painter Auguste Herbin.” She also cites African patterns and prints as an inspiration, particularly from the South African Ndebele tribe.
It’s all a long way from rural Provence, where Walala grew up before she fell in love with the UK. She studied textile design at Brighton University, then worked at a French deli in London while making cushions on the side, which she sold online. In 2012, the owner of an east London nightclub asked her to decorate a space at the venue, giving her carte blanche and a £20,000 budget. “It was pretty scary because I’d never done an interior, but he trusted my taste,” she says. “It was then I realised I wanted to push myself to go bigger.”
Since then, Walala’s career has snowballed, from taking over a local cafe for the evening to big brand collaborations with the likes of Converse and Facebook (she has painted murals in both offices), rugs for Floor Story (available at Heal’s) and fashion hook-ups with Caterpillar and Gorman. Not to mention the buildings: in London’s Old Street, she has emblazoned one, home to a post-production company, with spectacular zigzags.
As you’d expect, her one-bed, split-level flat in Hackney is an extension of her work. What’s more surprising is that it’s rented. “My landlord said I could do whatever I want, as long as it’s left white when I leave.” By chance, her new next-door neighbour was a painter and decorator, so within days the magnolia paintwork and brown carpet were gone, replaced by white walls and stairs, and a grey carpet in the bedroom.
Then she set to work: diagonal yellow vinyl stripes behind the sofa; a black-and-white geometric rug; a black confetti-style pattern in a living room alcove; and black chevrons along the edge of shelving. Her own bold prints are everywhere, and furniture – from a lemon yellow coffee table to a blue sideboard – is painted in bold colours. In the bedroom, she has spray-painted plant pots and a kitchen towel holder (which display her thick stacks of bangles), and turned a fabric print from her university days into curtains that shield her clothes rail. In the kitchen, some of the cupboard doors have been removed and the insides painted mint green.
Having spent the previous seven years in flatshares, Walala owned no furniture of her own. She picked up the basics at Ikea and Habitat, scoured charity shops for small finds such as plates and candle holders, and picked up a vintage Scandinavian cabinet for the living room on eBay.
“I’m quite happy renting because I like the freedom,” Walala explains. She loves travelling, and for several years has spent part of the winter with friends in Australia. (“I don’t know if I’ll stay in London much longer,” she says. “I miss the sun.”) She often works when away, using the time to research and sketch, and earns commissions by letting her more than 60,000 Instagram followers know where she’ll be. “Sometimes I’ll put up a post telling people where I’m travelling to and asking if anyone wants me to paint a wall.”
This month, as part of the London Design festival, she is creating a temporary zebra crossing near Tate Modern; has designed a pop-up store in Clerkenwell, where she is hosting a workshop on 17 September; and will be customising a classic recliner for Italian furniture maker Natuzzi. After that, she’s off to a street art festival in Miami in November. Wherever she goes, she’ll be making her mark.
