During a trip to Japan in 2015, I discovered Saori weaving. Saori weaving is a relaxed, freestyle alternative to traditional, rigid weaving practices and perfect for beginners who want to play with texture and colour without learning all the ins and outs of the loom. 

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Travelling to New York to train at a Japanese studio where I learnt how to prepare and take care of the looms. I came back to London and opened The London Loom in 2016.

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The London Loom was London's first ever drop-in freestyle weaving studio and my first professional design project. She designed the freestanding wall units to house the rainbow yarn so that the studio could be rearranged for events but also so they could be transported for events outside of the studio (like The London Loom takeover of Tate Modern in 2017).

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It was important to design the studio as a neutral space to combat the preconception that textile crafts are twee and only created by those with a blue rinse and a wedding memorabilia tin full of custard creams. Reflecting the Japanese style of white washed walls and soft oak, Francesca kept the only colour in the space the rainbow of yarns and fibres in the studio and kept the space feeling open, spacious and breathable for anyone to feel at home and welcome to create.

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A key element of the studio was to maintain sustainable crafting practice and so all the yarns in the studio were sourced in the UK and were mostly deadstock yarns from mills in the North.