The majority of my friends have become so accustomed to the advanced ways in which we can view our favourite TV shows that they recoil in horror when they discover a human yet to update to SKY’s whiz-kid ways. Rather scarily, it is now Ten years since Sky+ launched, changing the way the nation watches television. Sky+HD continues to innovate, and it is now used over one billion times a month to record programmes and series’ at the touch of a button and giving people the ability to pause and rewind live TV in over 8.3million homes across the UK.

To celebrate the momentous anniversary, Christmas saw Sky launch ten limited-edition 1TB Sky+HD boxes, exclusively designed by some of Britain’s most high profile fashion, fabric and jewellery designers including Matthew Williamson, Richard Nicoll, Agent Provocateur, Celia Birtwell, Julie Verhoeven, Solange Azagury- Partridge and Farrow & Ball. These days our homes are overwhelmed with technological paraphernalia. To ensure that the environments we live in don’t resemble some sort of sci- fi dystopia, it is almost essential that the technological objects are either inconspicuous, sleek and sexy….  or in this case,  make a vivid artistic statement. I had the chance to speak to a few of the talented designers chosen to add flair to the new SKY+HD BOX.

Jay Jay Burridge

As a child Jay Jay was seduced by things now considered cult favourites or retro classics  like Star Wars, Atari and Lego. He also fully embraced the arrival of Hip Hop to UK, and its accompanying culture. His name suddenly became cool at school when he had these things  to inspire his doodles and graffiti. He was one of the first to pick up a spray can , but wisely opted to ask for permission rather than create his designs in fear of being caught by the Police. Originally finding allure in the bright lights of television – you may recall him from SMART-  he eventually turned his attention to design and fashion, and wisely so. Designs put out under his Lucky7 brand have  been worn by global icons including Madonna, with others bought by global brands such as Adidas, Sony and Levis.

Your finished Sky Box features a painterly Dinosaur, how did that idea come about?

I knew instantly that the Triceratops Meat chart would look great on a Sky+HD box as its such a simple but effective image and sums up everything I have been working on lately.

Did it all come together quite quickly or did you mull it over for quite a while? How does your design process usually go from start to finish?

I went through a process of trying out loads of different dinosaur images, mainly to make sure my first idea was the correct one.

What TV shows are you currently loving/hating?

Sky+HD revolutionized the TV viewing, however its all kids TV in our house due to my two boys, I’m very critical of this genre having had 8 years experience behind the scenes at Children’s BBC. The funny thing is I actually read the end credits and see many names I recognize then give them my comments via Facebook.

I imagine your home to be extremely eclectic in design – full of memorabilia and vibrant artwork? Can you describe it to me?

There is not an inch of wall space left and every surface has something displayed on it. Its a nightmare trying to keep the kids from playing with my Star Wars toys.

You’ve directed and art directed videos, taught art via TV, emblazoned your designs on fashion items, is there one medium or creative area that challenges you particularly?

- Finding the time to do it all is the hardest thing, I’m getting better at delegating out jobs but then you end up being the conductor.

You’ve created fashion related work for Levis and Adidas and well as your very own Lucky 7brand – Any other collaborations in the pipeline.. or any other products to add to the Lucky 7 range?

Lucky Seven Custom Made Caps has grown and we have collaborated with some great names recently. The latest was with the comedian Rufus Hound where we made an exclusive Movember embroidered patch. We are currently in the process of working on our mobile cap shop which will be much like an American food truck, and will tour around the festivals next Summer. I just need to decide what truck to import.

Your caps have been worn by some pretty familiar faces, do you get more of a thrill out of that or when you so a so called ‘normal’ person sporting one?

We sell to a lot famous heads so its no surprise when we see them in our caps but I really do love when I see one in a crowd as its out of the blue.

Would you say you’re a stylish guy, how would you describe how your dress? Where do you like to shop?

I cant wear big brands and logos and prefer to hunt out something more individual. I shop once a year when I am abroad somewhere to slim down the chances of bumping into someone looking the same. I just spent a week installing an artwork in New York and went with an empty bag and returned with 2 full ones, My wife said I came back a new man.

You were a 70’s kid brought up on Star Wars, Atari and Lego. What toys, films , technology of this generation do you think will go on to be treasured or cult-ish?

Its funny to think that today’s tech gadgets will be obsolete rapidly with the advances we have seen recently. My 2 boys Cash (3.5) and Carter (1.5) are both IPad savvy and I guess they will look back at it like a toy. Lego will never die, I still have every brick and instruction booklet, Star Wars has been diluted for today’s market but Ive got a Victorian trophy display cabinet made by my Great Grandfather at home with my own humble but very precious display.

You exhibited sculptures recently. Was it daunting putting out different work to what people are used to seeing from you with your commercial work?

I always try to evolve with my artwork and keep it separate from my commercial work.

What has inspired your work lately?

Old travel posters from the 1940′s. I have been getting a few from auctions recently and they really are amazing.

Plans for 2012?

Working on a new body of paintings for a one man show in London in the Summer.

Farrow and Ball

Farrow & Ball produces paint and wallpaper according to traditional processes in Dorset where the company has been based since its beginnings.  Farrow & Ball paint represents the ultimate in depth of colour and elegance of finish, while its wallpapers are quite simply unique as they are traditionally block printed using Farrow & Ball paint to apply the design to paper. The company is renowned the world over as colour expert and supplier of decorative paint and papers to a discerning clientele

The Farrow & Ball Sky+ box features one of the company’s most popular damask wallpaper designs, The Silvergate Papers BP877, Can you predict what sort of people will choose your design out of the selection?

Our Silvergate design is a perennial favourite and has widespread appeal so it’s difficult to predict, however the Sky+ box uses an extremely contemporary colourway that we would expect to appeal to a design conscious customer.

What are the unique selling points of Farrow and Ball Wallpaper designs?

Farrow & Ball painted wallpapers are unique as they are produced using our own environmentally, water based paints and traditional manufacturing methods. Our wallpapers are handcrafted, using either block or trough printing methods and are made to order in our factory in Dorset.

Each wallpaper design has a unique texture which is achieved by using a hand brushing technique to apply the ‘ground’ colour. This coupled with the application of the pattern or stripe using another layer of paint, creates wallpaper of great distinction and beauty. These designs range from florals and damasks to stripes and geometrics, 33 designs in all in over 1000 colour ways!

As our wallpaper is made using Farrow & Ball paint it allows you achieve a seamless look when used as part of a scheme. Combined with our range of finishes, this means you can match your wallpaper not just to woodwork and ceilings but also to your radiators or kitchen cupboards! For example, you could combine our Silvergate BP 877design on the walls, with Parma Gray in our Estate Eggshell finish on a radiator in the same room.

Can you tell us what the emerging Wallpaper trends are, in terms of designs and technology used?

Bolder use of colour and pattern is on the increase, with people becoming more confident when choosing a decorating scheme. Over-sized prints have been popular more recently, as have more detailed designs featuring botanical and geometric shapes.

Do you think your Dorset situation informs your designs in any way?

All our designs come from archives and so are inspired more by history than our Dorset location. For example, our latest collection The Broccato Papers, is inspired by ornate brocade patterns featured in 15^th century original Italian Renaissance paintings housed at the National Gallery, London. The collection features six exquisite ornamental patterns derived from rich decorative fabrics featured in the paintings, sympathetically recreated in 10 colourways, each using the renowned Farrow & Ball palette.

What are your plans for 2012?

We’re looking forward to a colourful 2012 and we recently announced our ‘Colours of 2012’ prediction of which colours will be hot in the coming year, to get things off to a good start!. These include the casual yet functional blue-green of Pigeon, ethereal yet relaxed purple Brassica, the soft, velvety charcoal of Railings and the striking and fun Babouche.  Each of these colours can be used to achieve a number of different looks, each matching the prediction for unexpected colour combinations and colour blocking.

Spring is traditionally the time when people start thinking about painting the outside of their home to freshen things up after the winter months, in particular front doors.   Farrow & Ball has a full range of exterior finishes most of which are available in all 132 colours.  Our range of exterior paints includes, Full Gloss, Exterior Eggshell and Masonry Paint which allows people to continue the coveted Farrow & Ball look from inside to outside.  Colour and finish can also be used creatively to add interest to your garden by painting pots and garden furniture or even ornamental stonework and railings.

2012 will see us continuing to inspire people with timeless colour and expanding our showroom network around the world.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Sky+, Sky is launching ten limited-edition, 1 TB Sky+HD designer boxes including ones exclusively designed by Jay Jay Burridge and Farrow and Ball , available to order from www.sky.com/designerboxes.

What the Sky+HD 1TB box does:

This exclusive collection not only offers quirky, eye-catching gadgets to liven up any living room, bedroom or study but also gives people flexible control over a wide choice of programmes from Sky. Sky+HD also gives access to over 50 HD channels, lets people record up to 240 hours of HD or 740 hours of standard definition programmes, and enables viewers to record two channels while watching a third recorded programme at the same time or even set the box to record something from a smart phone or iPad while on the move – 2 million customers now use this remote record function. The box is also 3D-ready, so anyone with a 3D TV can watch Sky 3D at no extra cost with a subscription to Sky World HD. And with Sky Anytime+ you can choose from a huge library of TV programmes, box sets and movies to watch on demand**.

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About the author

Sophie Eggleton
After finishing her Fine Art degree Sophie went on to gain experience within the fashion teams of UK magazines Eve, Glamour, Elle, First and Vogue . She then spent time as a stylist assistant for publications including NME and Easy Living, then combined her art background with fashion at Alexander McQueen, as an artwork assistant. She currently freelances as a Music/fashion journalist writing for online and print publications including The Guardian, Disappear Here, Bring The Noise, FASHIONMUSICSTYLE, Stylebible, Guestlist as well as LDNfashion twitter. North, South, East or West? South High Class or Common or Garden? In the middle of Common and High Class Clothes or Culture? Both of course! Visiting a gallery in your finest outfit for instance! My best night out ever made me feel... Like I was lucky to be alive...but that cocktails aren't always my friend