From clashing prints to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, The Eccentric Leopard has found a way to let old furniture take centre stage once more

Zuzu Valla @zuzu.valla www.zuzuvalla.com

The Eccentric Leopard (@theeccentricleopard) symbolises a fresh start and whole new way of living for Kylie Hodge. Having been a teacher in Canterbury for the last 15 years, she, like many of us, had time to reflect during lockdown.

Having always been creative, attending KIAD (now UCA) and then gaining a degree in textile design, the fuel to design returned.

After a lot of reflection, meditation, “crystals down her bra” and an awesome podcast by Brené Brown, a decision was made to start again. Team ‘cene had to find out more…

We have to ask first, where did that name come from?

So, the name… from a young age people have told me I am a bit eccentric. I take that as a compliment - all the best people are! Vivienne Westwood, David Bowie, Salvador Dali… the list of eccentric, creative legends that inspire me is endless. I also have the perfectionist trait of these eccentrics and live by ‘If you’re going to do something, then do it properly’. I decided if I was going to upcycle to make bespoke, unique pieces of furniture, I wasn’t just going to whack a bit of chalk paint on it and a new knob. I was going to do it freaking properly and to a high standard.

The leopard part in the name, I just really bloody like leopard print! It’s camp and kitsch (like me!) and makes everything look lush.

Have you always had a passion for vintage furniture?

I have always had a passion for all things vintage. I’m massively nostalgic and love to imagine the stories that could be hidden behind these clothes, objects and furniture. I was definitely born in the wrong decade. I could watch period dramas and films for days and just love how everything is so ornate and made with real craftsmanship.

I am obsessed with old houses and everything in them. I’m also a total maximalist. More is definitely more in my world! I love their ostentatiousness. Entrance hall floorings of classic black and white tiles, elaborate Italian Baroque ceiling paintings of angels and cherubs, massive religious prints from the Renaissance, exposed beams, tapestries, taxidermy and usually most things gilded in gold!

What is the process of reimagining the pieces?

I kind of have a vision for a piece of furniture as soon as I see it. I love pieces that have unusual details like a clawed lion foot or if they have a fun shape. I try not to overthink it, though, and just enjoy the process of transforming it into something totally different and unexpected. I am always exploring new paints and am finding more and more eco-friendly ones to use but that are still of a great quality. I think the inside of the furniture is just as important as the outside and love to add a clashing print or flash of colour that adds that element of surprise when you open the doors.

Where do you find the artwork and the prints?

I spend hours looking for the most unusual prints and patterns. I’m obsessed! My phone is full of them. I use high-end prints and adore classic designs from Cole and Son, Morris and Co, House of Hackney and my new obsession is Archive by Sanderson Design. I also like to use works by independent designers. Julie Kuyath’s work is simply stunning, as is Anna Hayman’s and Emma J Shipley.

Then of course vintage, historical and religious prints are just phenomenal! One I am planning to use next is a painting called Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters by an anonymous artist. The painting shows two sisters sitting next to each other in a silk-draped bath while naked… I mean, who doesn’t want or need that image on a piece of furniture?!

I understand you are working with Ben @lastnightacollagesavedmylife…

Ben is a good friend of mine and we have a mutual love of silliness and nostalgia and I recently wrote a blog about him on my website. Ben’s work incorporates so many things that I love and one of my absolute favourites is a 5ft 6 x 4ft beauty. It incorporates religious figures alongside black and white historical ones and vintage drawings of body parts. As if this wasn’t enough, there’s a little pop-up from Maggie Thatcher, Iris Apfel and some stained-glass window sections. Whack in some gold leafing and boom - so good!

I make furniture that is functional art because who stated that artwork needs to just live in a frame on a wall? I spoke to Ben about a collab and he is currently working on something new, exclusively to go on a piece of Eccentric Leopard.

Upcycling vintage items has become so popular in the last few years…

I think people are done with the flat-packed, low-quality crap that is being churned out in today’s throw-away culture. People are striving for pieces that are unique - and also reusing vintage furniture is a great way to help our environment. Some 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded in the UK every year - that is insane and really quite sad, actually.

Vintage furniture was built to last forever and will always be the most visible piece in a room when combined with modern furniture. The wood and other materials used for accessories are of very good quality. Granted, not many people today like the look of a mahogany cabinet with a few scratches on the top passed down from their Aunt Pat, but this is where I come in.

What is the favourite piece you ever created?

Ha, after every new piece I finish I say that is my all-time favourite! I get totally immersed in what I am working on, but alas another comes along and the process begins all over again. I do have a bit of a soft spot for The Pearl [see images], though, which has Botticelli’s Birth of Venus on the front of it. She is major boujee and she knows it.

Your profile says ‘As seen in Vogue’. Can you tell us the story behind that?

Just a little dream come true there. A friend put me in contact with Zuzu Valla, who has her work featured in British and Italian Vogue and many more amazing fashion magazines. Zuzu’s work is inspired by old paintings and their masters and so we were kind of a match made in heaven. Zuzu brought a gorgeous model with her from Zebedee inclusive talent agency, which represents models who until now have been excluded in the media, including people with disabilities or alternative appearances and trans/non-binary. She combined photographic art and my furniture to create some really stunning photos and the work was accepted by Vogue Italia. We are planning to collaborate again, so watch this space!

INFO: www.theeccentricleopard.com
Photography: Kate Johnson @kate_parks_photography

Ben Sanders Collage Artist @lastnightacollagesavedmylife

Zuzu Valla @zuzu.valla www.zuzuvalla.com