Introduction to Bland Design
Daniel is an incredible artist, gilder, & specialist decorator with an eye for using paint, gold leaf and a range of other materials to elevate existing spaces with a creative touch.
He specialises in gold and metal leaf gilding and decorative finishes, including bespoke painted wall murals and gilded furniture.
You might recognise Daniel from last year’s final of the BBC One series Interior Design Masters, which saw him team up with Siobhan Hannah Murphy & Paul Moneypenny, to create a stunning gold leaf gilded staircase mural.
He may also look familiar from his gold leafed house that went viral thanks to Lad Bible, or from our Client Spotlights on Instagram.
Daniel never shies away from unique or large-scale projects, and his recent project for the GOGO Discover Art Trail is mammoth-sized…
What is the GoGo Discover Art Trail?
This summer 179 T.Rexes and Mammoths have been released onto the streets of Norwich and Norfolk, as part of a 11-week family art trail by GoGoDiscover that’s running from 27th June to 10th September 2022.
The trail is delivered by the charity Break, in partnership with Wild in Art and features three sculpture trails running alongside each other.
Each of the large sculptures in the trail are sponsored by local businesses and have been decorated by a different professional or amateur artist. There’s also 78 smaller sculptures in the trail from The Learning and Community programme that have been decorated by schools and community groups.
The trail is free to attend, but any money raised from the event will go to Break, a charity that supports young adults leaving the care system by helping them find a home, keep themselves mentally and physically well, and provide encouragement and confidence when following a career path.
Daniel’s Sculptures
If you visit Norwich or Norfolk this summer you’ll find two large-scale sculptures decorated by Daniel.
The first of Daniel’s sculptures is this amazing T.rex , which is featured in the large T.rex trail within the boundary of Norwich’s inner ring road.
The T.rex was decorated using our gold leaf, with patina effects applied over the gold leaf to speed up the oxidation process. This adds a beautiful and realistic rusted finish to the metal leaf, making it look like it’s been here for many years.
He’s also decorated this incredible mammoth which is on display outside The Black Horse in Norwich, as part of the large Steppe Mammoth trail that reaches across the county. For this sculpture Daniel used a combination of our copper and silver leafs, which we think compliment each other beautifully.
If you’re local to the area or passing by this summer make sure to catch the GOGO Discover Art Trail, that’s running until 10th September 2022.
It’s always incredible to see the creative projects that Daniel works on and how he elevates existing spaces with a touch of gold. We’re always excited to find out what he’ll be working on next…
If you are interested in seeing more of Bland Design’s work, you can follow him on Instagram or check out his website.