CAREER SHIFT
Katie Ebben Smith, print and pattern textile designer
It’s not surprising that coastal motifs feature in so many of the designs that Katie Ebben Smith creates in her design studio, Tablet & Haar. Inspiration abounds for the artist who works in the tiny fishing village of Crail perched on the East Neuk of Fife, on the tip of the Firth of Forth and the North Sea. ‘It is one of a string of villages each with their own character,’ explains Katie. ‘Crail is best known for its picturesque harbour; you can still buy freshly landed lobster and crab in season, and we have huge vistas of sea and sky, with stunning sunrises and sunsets.’ Visual references are ripe for the picking, with fronds and blades of seaweed, gulls, seals and even the fishermen’s ropes and crates stacked against the harbour wall all catching Katie’s creative eye. She then magically reinterprets them into bold, playful designs for artwork, home accessories and stationery.
Katie’s career shift into printing in this quiet corner of Scotland is a homecoming of sorts. She was already familiar with the area through her mother and family connections, and she trained as a textile designer at Edinburgh University many years ago, before winning a bursary to study Art & Design History at Christie’s in London. ‘It was a bit like being on the Antiques Roadshow every day,’ she laughs. ‘I loved it but, prone to breaking china and with a passion for contemporary design, I decided against the antiques trade and went on to work as an interiors stylist and editor on various design magazines, newspapers and in advertising.’
Finally, having satisfied her career ambitions in London, Katie was keen to move away from the city. ‘I felt I had done most of the things I had wanted to do workwise and moving further up the management chain, which was the next logical step, really didn’t appeal to me. I yearned to leave London and live somewhere wilder and coastal. This coincided with my partner beginning to look for a permanent academic position so when a job came up at St Andrews University, we moved.’
Katie knew, that for her, the only work option would be self-employment. ‘Edinburgh and Dundee, where I stood the best chance of getting work in my field of experi
