Charlie Arnold, Hat Designer-Maker and Owner of ZUThats
When Charlie moved to France from Britain in 2004 she had no idea how much her life was about to change.
"I was a freelance design curator in the UK at the time and was working right up until the day before we moved on a national touring caravan project showcasing the work of 15 designer-makers from the North East design collective, Designed and Made.
It was a crazy time, my husband, furniture maker David Arnold was trying to finish all his commissions and I was working flat out to launch my design exhibition before we moved ourselves, our children and our workshops to France on 1 August!".”
Postcard from the Designed and Made touring exhibition, click on the image to see more of my exhibition projects
Suddenly they found themselves in rural central France in a beautiful but dilapidated, disused hydro-electric station where they were to make their home. It was a steep learning curve, they had children to school and a huge building to restore whilst working to make money to make to pay for it all. They immersed themselves in the local design scene and Charlie initiated a design exchange project between designer-makers in St Etienne and Newcastle that culminated in exhibitions at the Sage, Gateshead and the Cité du Design, St Etienne. New projects took them in new directions, including, for David the interior design for the St Eutrope restaurant in Clermont Ferrand, pictured below.
Interior furniture at St Eutrope restaurant by Charlie's husband David Arnold
Relaxing space at ZUTusine behind the scenes - bridge deck by David and Charlie Arnold