Meet Darlington Designer Kirath Ghundoo and See Her Internationally-Loved Paintings
Kirath Ghundoo is a Darlington-based multi-disciplinary designer and artist who has gone international
After just a short chat with Kirath, it’s clear she’s always had a passion for art and design. ‘It’s built into me,’ she says. ‘I can’t imagine doing anything else.’ This passion led her to Leeds College of Art, then she began teaching. ‘I really wanted to set up my own business and I wanted to be a creative,’ says Kirath. ‘I never, ever wanted to build someone else’s dream. I’ve always had my own creative style.’
She applied for her masters in Textiles at Huddersfield University and spent that year building her brand. Graduating at the start of 2011, Kirath set herself eight months to produce her first wall covering collection. It was a success and Mix 'n' Match 11 launched at 100% Design in London later that year. ‘People really loved the concept which was really different in terms of traditional wallpapers repeating,’ says Kirath. ‘I developed a concept where you could mix and match and paste at any point on the wall. I wanted to be really innovative with my product. That first trade show propelled me to other areas.’
Now based back in Darlington, with a studio on Skinnergate, Kirath’s work is internationally renowned. ‘I’ve got a huge range of wall coverings that I’ve developed over the last 13 years and I’ve been involved in really cool and amazing projects,’ she says. Her use of mismatched patterns and colour encourages clients to create unique feature walls, and her digital surface pattern work has led to countless collaborations with interiors brands.
‘When lockdown hit, I launched my abstract artwork which is now another side to my business,’ Kirath explains. ‘As soon as I launched it, it took off and really resonated with my audience so now I’ve got two strands to my business. I work a lot with interior designers, architects, retail owners and property developers and I also work with brands on different collaborations. I like to be quite open in terms of the projects that come my way. I like to be open to creative challenges as a designer. I work digitally and I work in a hand-crafted way as well.’
Kirath’s experimental mixed media approach means her creations are unique. ‘I’m British-Indian and quite a bit of my inspiration can come from my heritage in terms of the colour and the vibrancy,’ she says. ‘I feed a lot of that into my work. But I can pick up inspiration for pattern anywhere. It could be within my environment. I love fashion trends and interiors trends, film, music – there’re so many things in my every day that I take inspiration from and I try to drive that into my work.
‘My abstract artworks can be quite intuitive and emotive. If I’m feeling a certain way I’ll go and paint. Sometimes they’re emotional snippets of my life and what I’m going through. Sometimes I can be inspired by a destination. I’ve been to America, India and South Asia and I’m inspired by new cultures and new experiences. As a creative, it’s really important that I’m out there doing stuff. All of that drip-feeds back into my work.’
Kirath says her creativity allows her to ‘let go’. ‘When I’m going through something or having a bit of a tough time, I just think creativity has always been the thing that’s saved me,’ she says. ‘It’s helped to push me in a different direction – more of a positive, optimistic direction. I’m really, really lucky to have that outlet. It’s the same with people who create music, make films or write poetry. For me it’s an outlet to express the way that I see the world and a great way to get all of my emotions out. It makes me feel really good when I’m doing it, and that’s a good indicator that it’s something I should be doing I think. It’s challenging at times but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.’
Kirath has had gallery representation with Art in Offices in London, Greenhouse Interiors in Australia, Blik in Los Angeles and Gallerina in Darlington, and you’ll often find her in her studio space in Darlington. ‘It’s a messy space and I work in there for my big artworks and commissions,’ she says. ‘If anyone wants to come and see my work, they can book an appointment. I also sell with different outlets. I’m trying to expand that internationally. I’d love representation out in Dubai maybe.’
Kirath is also passionate about seeing more South Asian people thriving within the creative arts sector. ‘Throughout my career, whenever I’ve done trade shows, [I’ve found] there’re just not many people who look like me doing what I’m doing,’ she says. ‘I’m really proud of the fact I’ve pushed to create something I’m proud of within my heritage. I hope the more people see it, the more people go down that route of studying art and design if it's their passion, no matter what their cultural background is.’
She’s just finished a project with Coniscliffe House in Darlington. ‘I’m still working with them for original artworks for their space,’ she says. ‘I created some big original artworks for their reception space and we’re working up the floors to add to that. That’s been a really nice project to work on.’
Kirath has also just launched a new wall covering, The Painters Room, which is a combination of her abstract artwork and her digital artwork. ‘That’s the first time I’ve explored that area,’ she tells us. ‘Alongside that, I’m working really hard on new artworks for my online store which I try to do every month. I’d like more projects within the commercial space (hotels and work spaces) so I’m in the process of networking for that. A lot of people don’t see the business-y side to all this but it can take its toll sometimes and can be challenging. The creative side is around 20 percent of what I do. The rest is networking, chasing projects, trying to get my work seen and organising for trade and art shows. It’s tough, but I love what I do.’
Where’s your favourite place to walk in Darlington?
South Park. It’s really beautiful and the rose garden there is really pretty.
Is there an item you couldn’t live without?
Music. When I’m creating, I’ve always got music or podcasts on. This afternoon I’ll be in my studio with music, painting and creating.
What are you listening to or reading right now?
This is something people might not know about me, but I love economics. I’m actually reading The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson – he used to be one of the most successful traders in the country. I just find his story really inspirational. I like reading about people who have built something out of nothing. I read a lot of self-development stuff and I listen to a lot of podcasts. There’s one I listen to quite a bit called A Millennial Mind by Shivani Pau. That’s a really good one. She touches on a lot of topics to do with South Asian culture so I can relate to that. I also listen to Working Hard, Hardly Working with Grace Beverley.
Is there a creator who inspires you?
There are so many people out there who I admire. There’s one particular designer I admire. His projects are beautiful but his story is inspiring as well. Lee Broom – he’s a product designer and furniture designer. The way he started and built his business is really inspirational. I look to him as someone that I aspire to be like or as successful as.
Do you have a favourite piece you’ve created?
It’s really difficult to choose because there are so many pieces I’ve got that are really emotive and when I look at them they remind me of a certain time in my life. When I look at my wall coverings, the Verde wallpaper is a green, botanical one inspired by my time in Columbia. When I see it on the wall, I love it. That’s probably one of my favourite wallpapers. In terms of my artwork, I don’t know if I can choose!
To browse more of Kirath’s artwork to or arrange a studio visit by appointment, head to kirathghundoo.com.
