British tile manufacturer Johnson Tiles has raised £4,560 for housing and homelessness charity Shelter through its ‘2020 Tile Tapestry’ design challenge, which invited interior designers across the country to capture positive community lockdown stories in tile. 

Johnson Tiles launched the design challenge in April 2020, following the announcement of the nationwide lockdown. The initiative aimed to provide a creative outlet for interior designers who had been furloughed, keeping their spirits high, while raising money for Shelter.

Interior designers across the country were challenged to create square flat-lay tile designs, celebrating the heart-warming moments and positive initiatives that emerged during lockdown. The designers registered for their entry packs online, and the tiles were then delivered directly to their door. Each participant was assigned one of three key themes: community, courage and solidarity.

For every design entry submitted, Johnson Tiles pledged to make a donation of £57 to Shelter – equivalent to the costs of answering five emergency calls to Shelter’s helpline from those in urgent need of advice during the crisis.

Designers up and down the country harnessed their creative flair to create a variety of colourful flat-lays and mosaics, sharing images of their work on Instagram with the hashtag #2020TileTapestry. The Johnson Tiles team was so impressed by the designers’ creative efforts that they decided to double the funds raised from the design submissions, bringing the total donation to £4,560.

Stephen Dixon, Managing Director of Johnson Tiles, commented: “We’d like to thank each and every one of the designers who contributed to our 2020 Tile Tapestry challenge. It was wonderful to see so many fantastic designs, capturing some of the incredibly inspiring stories that have arisen from these difficult times.

“When we saw the immediate impact that the pandemic had on the commercial interior design community, we wanted to do our bit to keep spirits high, while raising money for a cause close to our hearts. We chose to support Shelter because housing and homelessness are increasingly important issues in the current climate.”

The money raised is enough to fund 456 calls to Shelter’s helpline, making it possible for Shelter’s housing advisers to help more people. 

All the tile design entries received through the challenge have been ‘woven’ together to create one big ‘tile tapestry’ showcasing the positive moments that have emerged from the lockdown, which can be viewed on the Johnson Tiles website. 

www.johnson-tiles.com