Our Homeware Design & Production Techniques

Techniques in detail

We make sure every piece of 78zin homeware is distinctively designed and infused with playful colour and personality for a little lift every time you use it. Curious how 78zin products made? There鈥檚 a lot of input behind the scenes when deciding how to take these designs from hand-drawn ideas to final product, and we鈥檝e rounded up a series of techniques used in our SS25 collection. Some of the techniques are classic to 78zin, while others are new methods we鈥檝e brought in for the change in season, making our spring collection our favourite yet.

鈥楩or this season, our goal was to broaden the materials and techniques we used, in order to bring in different textures that carry colours in new and exciting ways,鈥� explains Home & Gift Designer, Rachel Foreman. 鈥榃e鈥檝e explored woven stripes, tufting, graphics on cosy wool and crocheted illustrations to combine our love for bright and bold with traditional crafts and handmade techniques.鈥�

Crochet

Not to be confused with knitting, crochet uses a hook to interlock loops of yarn or thread. This technique is done by hand to create rows of stitches. Using different textures, colours and thickness of yarn results in different designs, from open, lace-like designs to fluffy finishes or tight, flat fabrics.

鈥楩or our palm tree crochet cushion, the palms are crocheted individually using a variety of stitches to create the curved shape,鈥� explains Senior Home & Gift Buyer, Sarah Hughes. 鈥楾his piece is then stitched onto the cushion cover base, adding a fun 3D look and feel.鈥� To add contrast, the cushion border is crocheted in an open stich pattern, creating variation in texture and tone.

Palm Tree Cushion Cover

Weave

Weave has been the focus of most of our latest home textiles for SS25. The weaving process can be very time consuming, requiring a huge amount of skill and focus. To start, the loom is threaded up with the horizontal thread (weft) and the vertical thread (warp). This allows opposite threads to be moved up and down at different times, so weft threads can be trapped inside. Simple stripes can be created by pulling a weft thread in and out of this warp. However, this season the team have achieved more complex designs by pulling the weft threads only through certain sections of the warp.

Our latest cushion designs are made using a handloom technique called flatweave, a traditional craft which creates patterns by passing different coloured yarns through the loom. The simple stripe uses soft colours in different widths to create a considered pattern, complemented by the subtle surface texture of the weave. Made from 100% cotton, they have a soft, natural finish.

Each of our jute rugs is woven by hand to create a subtle chequerboard pattern in light and dark tones, contrasted by a subtle colour-pop border. The patterns were designed on Illustrator software in our creative studios, inspired by tiled shapes the Home & Gift Team saw on their inspiration trip to Marrakech. The supplier created mini samples so we could see the difference in each woven finish. Jute is a textured natural fibre with an organic, rustic feel and hardwearing nature, but we chose to use hand-spun yarn just to add extra softness to the finish.

Print

Print plays a key role in 78zin鈥檚 design style - we intentionally bring colour and character into everyday products to uplift and elevate. Our Ena shades are no different, using hand-drawn prints to add interest to lamp and ceiling shades. 鈥榃e played with scale and colours to make sure the design worked together with the bamboo bases,鈥� explains Rachel. 鈥楽tripes have worked well for us in previous bamboo lamp shades, and this season we wanted to combine these with contrasting patterns that are more extra than ordinary.鈥�

Our Ena shades arrive in flat packs and have a reversible gimble, meaning you can choose to use them as a ceiling shade or table lamp shade.

Tufting

A new technique explored this season, closed loop tufting uses a machine to punch coloured yarn through a fabric base, creating a small loop. This is done repeatedly to create a thick, raised surface. The small loop can then be cut in half, creating a more open, fluffy texture.

鈥楧ue to the tactical finish this technique creates, we wanted our designs to be simple yet impactful in shape,鈥� explains Sarah. The single circle design is successful in its combination of touch-me texture, vivid colour and contrasting forms. Taking this further, the collection explores playful slogans in both monochrome and vibrant palettes.

础辫辫濒颈辩耻茅

Using appliqu茅 is an effective way to combine shapes and textures. The chosen fabric is cut into pieces of varying shape and stitched onto a base fabric. The embroidery around the edges creates a raised pattern on the cushion and, enhanced by the layers of fabric, gives a patchwork-like result. Combine this with hand-drawn patterns, soft velvet and tassel details and you鈥檝e got a fun, eye-catching cushion.

Adapting this technique across wall art lends itself to adding extra embellishment, including hand-beaded motifs and machine-embroidered slogans.

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