What the Hand Knows: Craft in the Age of AI

Overview

The potential benefits and dangers of AI have risen in prominence in 2026; as a civilisation, we are at an important crossroads in how the technology develops.

The implications for design and craft remain unclear.

Join a panel of creatives as they discuss what the future may hold for the creative industries as AI continues to tighten its grip.

The panel includes:

• Wojtek van Portek, Style Director at House and Garden
• Cherryl Brunel, founder of Cherry Brunel Studio
• Dorothy Bourne, Rug Development and Operations, Christopher Farr
• James Thurstan, founder of Thurstan interior design
• Phoebe Hollond, founder of Studio Hollond

The evening begins at 18:30 with a drinks reception. The talk starts at 19:00 and concludes at 20:00.

Events at the Atmosfloric Emporium take place in the Gallery, a dedicated space for ideas and discovery. Please note, the bathroom is located on a lower level and accessible only by stairs, which may limit access for some attendees.

Wojtek van Portek is a Polish-born, London-based stylist and food writer. He grew up in Warsaw and spent time with his grandparents in the Polish countryside, where he learned traditional cooking and gardening from his grandmother—discovering that preparing a meal can be a simple yet generous act. In 2010, Wojtek moved to London to study fashion and political science. His fashion career includes roles at Condé Nast, Burberry, and Reiss, where he served as Global Lead Stylist. Alongside his work in fashion, he developed his culinary voice through Wojtek’s Bistro, a supper club run from his East London flat that blends his Polish heritage with a refined London sensibility. Wojtek is currently the Style Director at House & Garden."

Cherryl Brunel is a French artist and maker based in London. In 2022, she founded her eponymous studio, bringing together marbling, printmaking and fine art. With an emphasis on craftsmanship and small-batch production, she creates hand-marbled papers, limited-edition prints and original works in which colour, organic form and process continually inform one another. Her practice explores transformation, sensuality and the tension between fluidity and structure, revealing the unseen connections that shape living systems.

Dorothy Bourne, Christopher Farr

Heading up rug development and operations for Christopher Farr across Europe, Bourne bridges the creative and practical aspects of producing custom rugs in Afghanistan, Turkey and India. She works with internationally renowned artists and estates, developing collections with the likes of Bauhaus’ Gunta Stölzl and the Howard Hodgson Estate, while supporting the in-house design team on commissions with leading interior designers for bespoke hospitality and residential projects. Christopher Farr rugs feature in collections including Tate Modern, the Courtauld and Charleston, as well as private collections including that of the late Karl Lagerfeld. A graduate in Art History, Bourne’s previous experience spans international design exhibitions, Zetteler, House & Garden and Wallpaper*.

Interior designer James Thurstan Waterworth (House & Garden Top 101, Country Life Top 100) is the founder of the award-winning, London-based studio Thurstan, known for crafting storied, eclectic spaces that feel deeply personal and effortlessly lived-in. Recent projects include The Zetter Bloomsbury, Bobbi’s Bar, and Café Clements at St Clement’s.

Phoebe Hollond is the founder of Studio Hollond.

Studio Hollond is a boutique design studio based in London. Phoebe was named one of the top 100 interior designers by House & Garden in 2023 and a rising star by House & Garden in 2022. In 2025, Studio Hollond was named one of the 50 Finest Interior Designers by Country and Town House magazine.