About John Hollington Design

John Hollington Design is a Yorkshire-based studio specialising in the design and making of high-quality lighting and objects for home and garden. The studio was formed to produce pieces inspired by the careful minimalism and geometrical forms of modernist art and architecture.

John Hollington founded his studio in York in 2015. He originally trained as a draughtsman then as an engineer, working for many years in this role for civil and structural engineering consultants. In 2012, he made a conscious move to apply his engineering skills, deep understanding of materials and love of modern design in a new sector, by studying for a BA degree in product design at York St John University.

His pieces sell direct to architects and interior designers, particularly for boutique hotels and modern residential refurbishments. John also enjoys working on commissions and collaborations.

Some of the garden products are available at select, art and design-related retailers, such as SCP, Henry Moore Foundation, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth.

Sustainable, Beautiful, Ethical Design

We produce ethical, sustainable pieces, based on a cradle-to-cradle philosophy and use finite resources with care.

We work with family-run workshops, suppliers and couriers who give their workers a decent, secure living wage. Britain has a rich heritage of quality manufacturers using traditional materials. We are proud to use and support some of these artisan firms - for example for our metal spinning.

Our designs combine attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship to produce products that can be cherished and last a lifetime. We give the end user long-lived, beautiful pieces at affordable prices, without any mark-ups added on for distributors or middle-men.

We use:

  • low energy LED bulbs

  • pre and post consumer recycled and recyclable materials such as steel, brass and aluminium

  • low impact packaging - from biodegradable, recycled and recyclable materials

  • harvested rainwater for the weathering process of our Corten steel

  • local suppliers to keep product miles very low

  • 100% renewable (wind and solar) energy to power, light and heat our studio + workshop

Awards

2020 - Toast, New Maker

2019 - [d]arc awards, shortlisted for decorative lighting

2017 & 2016 - Northern Design Awards, finalist

2016 - Northern Design Festival, award winner for best use of materials

2015 - New Designers, Absolut Loves, one of top 30 designs at show

2015 - Aesthetica Art Prize, long-listed for 3D design

2014 - New Design Britain, finalist

Exhibitions & Shows

2023 - Project Giving Back Exibition, Martyn Wilson/RSPCA Garden, Garden Museum, London

2023 - RHS Chelsea, The RSPCA Sanctury Garden Silver Gilt Medal Winner, Designed by Martyn Wilson featuring our garden product designs

2022 & 2023 - Modern Shows, Dulwich, London

2021 - Toast, Makers Space, Shorditch, London

2017, 2018 & 2019 - Clerkenwell Design Week

2019 - Maison & Objet Show, Wood & Wire x John Hollington Design collaboration on Cubes, a modernist storage unit

2017 - Yorkshire Sculpture Park, MADE showcase

2016 - Design Event, Newcastle

2016 - London Design Festival, featured at Super Brands

2016 - Top Drawer, London

2016 - The Hepworth Wakefield - Yorkshire: Hepworth, Moore and the Landscape showcase

2015 - New Designers, London

2014 - Interiors UK, Birmingham NEC

Local Art & Design Collaborations

2022, 2023 & 2024 - York Open Studios

2019 - An Exhibition of Social Design for York Design Week

2019 - display design for Baby Come Home, an installation by Gaia Blandini in York

2019 - lighting display for Bloom, York

2018 - display design for Art + Activism, Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York