For our first instalment of our series 'A day with", we spent the day with local maker and designer, Louis Galloway. It was a crisp November day in Glasgow and the sun was shining through the windows of his studio located in the old Adelphi Terrace Public School building in the South Side. Louis talks us through what inspires his work and gives insight into the beautiful cash desk he designed and made for our store at 8 Wilson Street.
Louis:
After many years working in set design and fabrication in New York, I wanted to transition into creating objects and spaces with more permanence. I began collaborating with friends to design and make furniture for their studios and homes and this process, working closely with people whose taste I connected with, became a core part of my approach.
I moved back to Glasgow just weeks before Covid, and that pause in normality gave me the push to take on a space and start doing this full time. I have been really lucky with the amazing people I have collaborated with since returning. It’s been a great reminder of what an incredible city this is to call home—full of creative, nice people who are keen to try something different.
What I enjoy most is shaping someone’s ideas into a solution that makes sense for them and their space. Having a background in both design and making allows me to approach problems from multiple angles and create something unique each time, something that improves how they use and experience their environment. So a big thank you to Drosten for bringing me onto a project which involved other designers/makers who share the same ideology and wanted to create a special space.
Materials play a big role in guiding these ideas, and recently I have been really excited about the finish I used for the Drosten project. It’s a natural linseed oil from a Danish company called Linolie, available in some really beautiful colours. The finish feels incredible to work with, and I enjoyed it so much that it inspired a new project called Fffronts, which focuses solely on creating one-off, unique sets of door and drawer fronts for new or existing cabinets.
I have just moved into a new studio across the river from Drosten, so if you have an idea for a project or want to know more about Fffronts, please feel free to get in touch and stop by.
Louis wears:
Drake's Mk.1 Games Blazer in tan corduroy
Drake's Games Trouser in tan corduroy
Sunspel Chunky Knit in ecru
Photography by Alex James-Aylin