Courtesy of Genevieve Lutkin
In our latest FRANK conversation we sat down with London-based designer Hollie Bowden, whose eye for organic, atmospheric spaces we much admire. She spoke about her love for the hippie energy of 1970s Italy, the transportive pull of Jah Woosh’s records, and the lasting imprint of a modernist Belgian apartment.
Courtesy of Genevieve Lutkin
Is there a particular era or place you wish you could have worked in?
Italy in the 1970s.
There was a certain freedom and playfulness: carpets on the walls, a laid-back, hippie energy. It was also the era of the Italian radical designers—Joe Colombo, Archizoom, Superstudio. That balance of experimentation and elegance feels very alive to me.
Courtesy of Oskar Proctor
What’s an unusual source of inspiration that has found its way into your work?
Clothing, especially fashion with a strong narrative.
Designers like Margiela or Uma Wang, the way they treat texture, layering, deconstruction, it definitely seeps into how I think about materials and space. There’s a kind of cross-pollination between fashion and interiors that’s always been instinctive for me.
Courtesy of Ed Rollitt
Share a song that you listen to when feeling creatively challenged.
Jah Woosh – DJ Legend (Greatest Hits)
My friend Cesca introduced me to this record. It always shifts my energy. When I’m creatively stuck, it’s usually because I’m locked into one way of thinking—this music pulls me out of that. It transports you somewhere else entirely, which is exactly what I need in those moments.
What’s the ghost in your work—the thing that lingers but isn’t obvious?
Years ago I visited my friends Diane and Alan in Belgium. Their 70s modernist apartment was full of drawers stuffed with fabrics, stencils, handmade jewellery. Every piece felt so unique and unseen and special. Folk art and modern design sat side by side. The Chapo-style shelving, the warmth of the space, it stayed with me. That sense of quiet curation, of deep personal taste lingers in my work even now.
Courtesy of Genevieve Lutkin
What’s the question you wish people would ask about your work but never do?
"How do you get there? What’s the actual process?"
People often just see the end result, the 'magic trick'. But they don’t realise the hours, the iterations, the emotional labour that goes into making something feel effortless. I'd love more curiosity about the process itself: how ideas evolve, how materials are chosen, how decisions are made.
Courtesy of Edvinas Bruzas
What’s your favourite piece from the Lemon collection and why?
Conservatory Table https://lemonfurniture.co/pages/outdoor-tables
I cannot begin to tell you the battle to find beautiful outdoor furniture and this piece really broke the mould for me. It’s a standout design. The Conservatory Table doesn’t try to be clever — it’s clean, functional, and thoughtfully made. It’s the kind of piece that holds an outdoor space together without needing attention. I actually think it would work beautifully indoors too.
Photography by Inge Prins