Started with a fidget spinner. My mum turned it into a vase mat.
I didn't start HolmesLayered with a business plan. I started it with a 3D printer and a question: what happens if I make a fidget spinner with eight rings instead of six, and make it as big as I possibly can?
I printed it, left it on the side, and came back downstairs to find my mum Danielle had picked it up, turned it into a spiral, and put a vase on it. She loved it so much she started using it as a mat for her flowers.
Then she demanded I make it heat proof. And stain proof. And she wasn't taking no for an answer.
So I got to work. I hold an Engineering Doctorate in Materials and Process Simulation, which sounds impressive at dinner parties but mostly means I understand exactly how materials behave under heat, stress and time. I used that knowledge to develop a mat that could handle hot pots, spilled water, and everything a busy kitchen table throws at it, without losing the kinetic beauty that made Danielle pick it up in the first place.
What we ended up with are heat mats that guests genuinely play with. They sit on the table, someone reaches over and starts moving the rings while the plates are still on them. That's the version of functional I care about.
Not every design I make will prioritise heat resistance. Sometimes beauty wins. I will always be honest about what a product is made for and use my materials knowledge to get the best result for what that product needs to be. You will always know what you are buying and why it is made the way it is.
HolmesLayered is designed and made by me, Marc, in a dedicated workshop in Eltham, South East London. Every product is original. Nothing here exists by accident.