Welcome to MBM designs
At MBM designs, we specialize in creating bespoke art pieces that are perfect for your home and heart. Our unique designs are crafted with love and attention to detail, ensuring that each piece is a true work of art. Whether you're looking for a stunning sculpture to enhance your home or a personalized gift for a loved one, Mel is here to bring your vision to life.
With a genuine pearl and hidden M in every piece, Mel works with metals, precious gems, clay and stone.
Use of chiaroscuro (dramatic light and dark) shadows enhance many of her pieces.
Putting the heart into art
Custom Pieces
Our custom artwork is created with your unique vision in mind. Whether you want a Freeform Statement piece created for a particular space or would like to incorporate your own special treasures into a personal Treasure Trove piece, Mel can make something special for you.
Special Gifts
Looking for a thoughtful and uniquely personal gift that has more thought put into it than just engraving a name onto a random item? With Mel, you can put the personal into personalized and give a gift that is perfectly on-point.
Off the Peg Collections
Each MBM design is made by hand and totally unique. Please browse through the photo gallery to enjoy some of the pieces that have been made to date.
Collections include: the Christmas collection; the Tree of Life collection; the Bird collection; the Coral collection; the Waves collection; the Wedding collection; the Elements collection.
Get in touch
If you’d like me to make you something, please feel free to contact me.
Feedback
“He’s just lovely!”
— The Red Lion, local pub proprietor
“What a beautiful piece. I am moved by the beauty and your kindness. There are not enough words to express how grateful I am for the way you made me feel.”
— Sandra
“The artwork I received was amazing! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Mel managed to put all of my special belongings in it that were broken and now this art brings me back so many happy memories. It has two different sides: the first has a really beach look to it and the other side has an earth-like vibe.”
— Lottie
"So many people comment on it!"
-- Sarah, owner of The Retreat
(Serenity installed in the first treatment room)
Contact us
For any enquiries or to discuss a custom order, please fill out the form below or email to mel@mbmdesigns.uk :
Location
MBM designs
Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom
Finding A Way
2023 was the year I began to sculpt. What started out as a New Year's resolution, a solution to my needing a better working-from-home / having-a-home-life balance, has become an absolute joy: my art elevates the smallest space (I should know… my home is tiny) and brings a tangible flow of positive energy to home and heart. It just flows.
This website is a celebration of that joy and a way of sharing these creations with a (not much wider) audience.
It all started when…
The very first thing I ever made was Daisy, a model of a white elephant with blue sea glass embellishments. You can find her in many of the photos here.
The only things I made with any success in January were elephants. I made many! My attempts at other animals like a rabbit and various birds were much less successful!
After a while…
I’m not exactly sure why I first bought some metal mesh, but February found me making the very first metal sculpture as way to use the myriad of sea glass I had. It became known as Cascade.
By March, I was keeping a journal to document my creative journey. As I gained in confidence and skills, my clay work pieces became bigger and my mesh work more expressive.
By the end of August, I was ready to sculpt a larger piece and at 11pm on 30th August 2023, I started to work some clay. I carved and cut and used every single sculpting tool I had. At one point, I even closed my eyes as I sculpted.
All of a sudden…
I opened my eyes and saw her: a young girl, looking down, with her hair flowing.
From the other side, Shri Ganesha was looking at me.
Innocence was born.
This was the piece I had wanted to make when I started to “sculpt” back in January.
This was the moment I realised that the best way for me to access this creative energy was to stay in the moment and see what came out, instead of trying to dictate what was being made.
From then on…
Since the summer, my work has evolved and progressed. Sometimes I work with clay, sometimes with metal mesh.
Since September, I have included a pearl in every creation and hidden a secret letter M which waits to be found. Looking for the M has become a thing for people enjoying these pieces.
Much of my work can be enjoyed from every angle, so many pieces are displayed on turntables.
I also enjoy the use of light and the way the shadows thrown can extend the artistic expression of the metal mesh.
The secret for me is not to think as my hands work and then I sit back and enjoy what’s been made, just like anybody else.
This is the joy.