Artisans, Flora and Fauna Gel with Hands on Skill

If there is anything we know about craft, it is the act of making with your hands and where they meet with your heart. Stitching, cut leather work, marquetry, embroidery, hand painting and dappling all coalesce this season for Rolls-Royce’s presentation at London Craft Week 2025. On show for the week is a triptych of British Flora and Fauna alongside native animals of lakes and woods, all celebrated to highlight the vast level of bespoke craft available when you order your very own Rolls-Royce. Find out more about the artisan options with Rolls-Royce here in Artisans, Flora and Fauna Gel with Hands-on Skill

One of the most beautiful things in life is to be able to have a tactile experience with something that is handmade. Feel the textured marks left by another talented hand, and feel part of the creative experience.

At the very heart of British Car maker Rolls-Royce, you will find an abundance of craft and skill, and this year (their 11th ) at London Craft Week, they took the opportunity to express this tradition through their own skilled artists from across their craft offering. Reminding us all that every car made by Rolls-Royce is customised to each client’s unique request: Everything bespoke, to the last detail.

These in-house artisans and designers have created an exquisite bespoke artwork inspired by the rich and remarkable flora and fauna of the British Isles to celebrate the eleventh year of London Craft Week.

A three-panelled triptych of an enchanting woodland scene highlights three times in the day. A kingfisher sits within each frame and is the kindred spirit across each scene. Utilising different techniques, the teams captured the character of the bird during the transition from daytime to nighttime, from still to flight. 

The kingfisher can be seen as a symbol of luck, good fortune, and even a spirit guide. Associated with calm, transformation, and the joining of opposites.   With a brightly colored plumage, often with blue, orange, and white hues. The shape of a kingfisher’s beak is so efficient that it’s been used as a model for high-speed travel.

“Uncompromising craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail have always defined Rolls-Royce. At the very heart of our brand lies a deep commitment to creativity and artisanal excellence. As a name synonymous with perfection, Rolls-Royce holds London Craft Week – a celebration of the finest craftsmanship”

Boris Weletzky, Regional Director, United Kingdom, Europe, and Central Asia, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

This one-off piece of art saw different craft makers and artists from across the brand get involved. This included the Interior Surface Centre, the Exterior Surface Centre and the Interior Trim Centre, as well as some ideas still in development in terms of artistry for future cars.

The first scent was a morning view as the light comes up across a silver lake. Entitled Swan Lake, Rolls-Royce artisans from the Exterior Surface Centre spent over 100 hours skilfully recreating a tranquil lakeside scene, featuring wildlife, plants and invertebrates that thrive in the aquatic ecosystem. Two elegant swans gliding across the surface of the water and a kingfisher hovering above were painted with freehand brush techniques. 

The background in silver was created by texturing metal and is an effect that the house is looking to offer in the future. In the foreground, orange reeds were cut from aluminium and painted in Iced Orange Metallic and St Tropez.

On top of that, hand painting and multiple techniques, including airbrushing, wet basecoat manipulation and dappling, gave the image life and texture, from the dewy morning feel to the flight and movements of each of the animals present. The kingfisher, in particular, in full flight, is echoed underneath in a simple silhouette to express its journey across all three panels.

The middle frame explores early nighttime in the woods, entitled Enchanted Woodland. Here, the animals we love and associate with a British scene are alive, frolicking in the trees and ground. The ever-present kingfisher swoops in to catch a fish whilst the hare at the waters’ edge nibbles on the fruits of the forest, whilst the cheeky squirrel runs up the branches of a tree just out of frame.

Again, here different skills were on show, another collaboration between makers from the Interior Surface Centre, the Exterior Surface Centre and the Interior Trim Centre who spent over 400 hours recreating the magic of the woodland in the evening.

Many leather and stitching techniques are on show. Delicate flowers resembling daisies were painted onto the Scivaro Grey leather, whilst tactile, hardier flora species were created using a pioneering three-dimensional embroidery technique, whereby thread is layered upon itself to form a self-supporting structure. The different textures, like the flowers, the orange reeds and grasses in the foreground or the tail of the Squirrel, present a glimpse into the multiple techniques and craft elements the team can bring to any custom Rolls-Royce interior.

For example, to replicate the texture and volume of the tail, a technique called tufting was used in which different materials form pile structures on a backing fabric.

The final panel of the three entitled Stealth After Dark, again created by the craft team in the Interior Surface Centre, who spent over 500 hours carefully cutting, pressing and assembling this night scene.

In the woodland after dark, out comes the deer and the stealthy fox, but again, watched over by the powerful colourful kingfisher. On show again are many skills and artisan crafts, including the use of intricate marquetry (applying pieces of veneer to form decorative patterns) as well as painting veneer, letting the texture of the wood shine through. Similar textures are apparent on the tree with layers darkened in places to add to the night drama of the scene.

The fox, made up of fine layers of wood, cut and intricately lined up to allow the natural texture of the wood to bring alive the movement of the animal and its fur. The marque’s artisans also trialled painted veneers, exquisitely representing the reddish hue of the fox’s fur and its white-tipped tail.

Many hours were spent by team members drafting and trialling the multiple ideas and applications, some of which are in the trial stage, with the aim of bringing these forward for the bespoke customer offering

Bringing to life the bespoke craftsmanship in these three panels allows the viewer and the customers to see in almost 3d motion a handful of the artistry available from the brand. Not just beautiful as an artwork but a celebration of the intricate workmanship, the intense skill,l and the imagination that is at the centre of Rolls-Royce; an inspiration of greatness

 
This captivating artwork will be exhibited in the window of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London, Berkeley Street, Mayfair, from 12 to 18 May 2025

If you enjoyed reading Artisans, Flora and Fauna Gel with Hands-on Skill, then why not read Your Hands Never Forget here.