Season 8 marks our third anniversary and, as well as being proud of what we’ve achieved, we've used it as an opportunity to check how closely we have stuck to our founding principles.

We launched RoomFifty to give inspiring artists a place to sell their work. It would be curated so the standard of work was always high, artists would receive a fair share of the profit and the choice wouldn’t be overwhelming. Prices would start low and it would feel as accessible to our mums and dads as it does to art directors in white studios.

We reckon we’ve done fairly well. A lot of art directors and interior designers have RoomFifty prints in their homes and offices, and so do some of our mums. We give a bigger share of profit to artists than any other company, over 50%. It does unfortunately mean that we don’t make a lot of money, but that still feels right; especially now, when freelance artists are struggling.

But we also aimed to ensure that 50% of the roster was made up of women and people of colour. 2020 has been a car crash, but it has also shone an overdue light on areas where a lot of us are failing. We realised in June that while we had concentrated on making sure that women make up half of the roster for each season, we hadn't made a concerted enough effort to make sure that people of colour were well represented, so we’ve tried harder to put that right.

I think the result of us looking for a greater diversity of work and artists is clear this season. It’s a really exciting collection and we are proud to be working with all of these amazing talents. So a big thanks to them for trusting us with their work.

And BIG thanks to you. By using RoomFifty, you’re directly supporting individual, freelance artists - This year, more than any other, that is vitally important.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and (surely) a happier 2021.

Leon, Ben, Chris, and Ellie

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