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SPECIALIST URBAN CLASSIC SIGN PAINTER, NICK GARRETT.
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HISTORY IN THE MAKING
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GHOSTED AND DISTRESSED SIGNAGE
This pages illustrates the restoration work and the retro distressed sign writing that NGS Nick Garrett produces.
These can sit beautifully into a range of stunning applications, inc: Home, Bars, Offices and Venues.
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Above: Cannon Green 10 floors of low res 60 ‘Baltimore’ industrial way finding signage
More NGS bold retro lettering around London.
ABOUT DISTRESSING, ABOUT ANTIQUING, ABOUT RESTORATION SIGNS
CREATING CONVINCING HISTORIC PAINT EFFECTS
MAKING OF AUTHENTIC RETRO AGED LETTERS
These letters are born out of my original painted furniture practice.
”The very first ‘Shabby Chic’ distressed painted furniture in UK, came out of a garage in Brixton… my garage… and we first launched it way back in 1986”
NGS
Nick, freshly commissioned by Designers Guild in his Brixton ‘garage’ workshop, 1989.
The aptly titled Book ‘Painted Country’ – by Tricia Guild, CEO of Designers Guild London, was the publication I filled to the brim with Bright Bold Distresses… and filled their flagship Kings Road store to the brim for 15 years too!
But the layered crackled and peeled distress I discovered came about by fluke and failure. Thanks to being given the wrong methodology by the guys at Keep’s and Bollom’s I had the perfect foil for creative innovation!
Couple that with a moment of madness when Designer’s Guild man Colin Bisset pulled out that very reject batch of samples declaring ”I love it!!” and the die was cast. A decade and a half of distressing collaboration followed with DG and CEO Tricia Guild taught me how to do the magic with colour.
From there my expectation has always been… ”if it’s successful in quality, feel and price-point, it sells – I have to make it succeed on these levels and apply that principle to your project. I owe it and therefore take ownership of it.
Creativity often grows wild new opportunities - take some creative risks
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Imagine driving off from Kings Road with the world's top designer Tricia Guild handing me a battered Mexican kitchen chair saying ''Try to copy that... we've got 200 more for you!'' and while knowing I could copy it, still feeling shamed by not living up to my father's outdated expectations of being a neat and tidy painter.
The reason I am writing all this is because if you are a creative and have to quell this type of negative feeling, then the very best strategy is to take a deep breath and just jump into the process, paint pot in hand!... trust your heart, hand, eye and brush?
Nowadays I can cut-in a beautifull fine lined Roman letter, just how we like it at NGS, or chop up some driftwood, paint some historic distress just how some people might hate it... but only those kindred spirits with 'kudos cool' love these things the way they deserve -
Trust yourself, make things your way, self care, and enjoy the journey.
I hope you have enjoyed my diary Retro page.
Nick
LONDON RETRO GHOST SIGN DESIGN NGS
