Meet the Maker: Katie Fontana
Katie Fontana is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Plain English. For more than 30 years, Plain English has set the benchmark for kitchens of high quality, craftsmanship, and heritage. At the core of the studio is an absolute commitment to authenticity, timeless elegance, and an exacting attention to detail.
We were delighted to host Katie as part of our recent talk, An English Kitchen, which explored the fascinating history of the kitchen, its evolution in design, and how the kitchen shapes family dynamics and daily rituals. Here Katie tells us about her sources of inspiration and how Plain English came to be.
Where do you find inspiration for new designs and how do you record your ideas?
I constantly look around me, picking up on and gleaning little details here there and everywhere, that spark a thought, an idea. I sometimes do a little sketch of something I’ve seen or take a photo but mostly I commit it to memory, store it away to be trawled up at some future date.
2. You often mention titbits about sailing – has this influenced your work in any way or is this a favourite pastime?
Sailing is mostly a pastime or it’s rather a love/obsession of boats themselves, particularly classic ones. Having studied hundreds of boat interiors over the years though I have learnt how to make tight, awkward spaces practical and useable, which has been very useful when trying to plan a kitchen in a tight space.
3. What’s been a favourite moment of your career?
Shaking Prince Charles’ hand!
4. Plain English colours are often referred to – which is your favourite collection and what was the process when designing them?
I think Colour Collection 1 was the most exciting for me as it was an area I’d never been involved in before – watching the palette come together, the fun of choosing the names and the instant ripple effect the colours had on our customers.
5. You often spend your days travelling between Cornwall, London and Suffolk (all lovely locations) - where do you feel most at home and why.
I feel most at home in East Anglia, it’s where I was born – I love Cornwall but don’t feel quite settled there, I always feel I’m on holiday.
6. Do you draw inspiration from nature when in Cornwall and Suffolk?
I love nature but most of my inspiration for Plain English comes from an extension of manmade things.
7. How do you like to spend your time when not at work?
Going around stately homes and antique shops – looking and taking in details and beauty.
8. Rumour has it you have a very impressive collection of antiques and crockery – sometimes used for styling the showrooms – where do you find all these treasures? And what is your favourite antique find?
I wouldn’t say I have an impressive collection of antiques, I have a motley assortment of things I’ve collected over the years, I love antiques but often find myself buying the once beautiful piece, that’s now slightly damaged and get’s passed by at the auction.
9. Where did the inspiration come from to start Plain English?
The inspiration came from the frustration that nobody sold well made, plain, straightforward cupboards for kitchens. Having just built a house with great attention to detail, I had in my mind a certain sort of kitchen but on searching what was available, nobody made such a thing, so I designed my own and had it made, the kitchen was photographed and appeared in a magazine and the phone started ringing….