Lay of the Land

Working from England's Jurassic Coast, designer Jess Wheeler proves what grows together goes together

- —HANNAH MARTIN

In early 2020, even before the world shut down, Jess Wheeler had her back-to-the-land moment, moving from London, where she’d worked as a florist and botanical set designer, to the Welsh countryside. “I wanted to make something that was more everlasting,” recalls the artist, who soon thereafter commissioned a local metalworker to translate oak leaves from her then backyard into brass candle sconces. When John Derian saw them, he ordered a bunch for his shop—and her new career was officially launched.