About

Palefire works to blur some of the historically distinct lines between domestic design and ‘fine art’, bringing an artistic sensibility to design for the home.

We make homeware which challenges, and offers an antidote to, the minimalist aesthetic still dominating the middle market. Our flamboyant approach, drawing on the spirit and romance of historical art and design moments like Art Nouveau, the Omega Workshops, Abstract Expressionism, and mid-century Murano glass-making, is always underpinned by a commitment to responsible design practices.

Palefire takes its name from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, and in turn, from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens; 'The moon’s an arrant thief, / And her pale fire she snatches from the sun’. Though Nabokov’s exact meaning is debated, the Shakespeare quote is widely believed to be a metaphor about creativity itself.

U/V, our debut collection, comprises 14 decorative light designs based on a modular system using 5 moulded, recycled paper-pulp shapes. Each structure – lightweight, robust, and uniquely textured – is manufactured in small batches at a family-run workshop in Barcelona, then assembled and hand-painted at our studio in vibrant patterns and bold block-colour combinations using non-toxic, natural paint and varnishes. Each design is paired and painted to order, reducing stock waste. Bespoke finishes are available upon request.

See the full collection here.

Founder, Rowena Morgan-Cox

Rowena Morgan-Cox is a multi-disciplinary creative born and raised in South London, where she also now bases her design practice. Her distinct personal taste is a reflection of her wide-ranging interests, marrying the wild aesthetic of the Arts & Crafts movement with the pared-back forms of European modernism. She spent almost a decade honing her eye as a specialist dealer in European sculpture, painting and decorative art. In 2018, she helped interior designer Tobias Vernon set up the popular art and design store 8 Holland Street, and most recently she was Managing Director of The Fine Art Society in London, relaunching the gallery in a new space for which she designed the interiors. Rowena’s expertise was in Decorative Arts of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, and notably she managed the sale of the John Scott collection of decorative art and sculpture (2014-2015). Rowena holds an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she studied nineteenth-century European painting and sculpture.