Twenty years ago, Alexandra Llewellyn – then an art student at Leeds University – painted a few butterflies, flowers and ladybirds onto her family dining table for fun. The table became a cherished talking point and family treasure, but no-one predicted Llewellyn’s swift rise to become one of Britain’s most talked-about designers. This January, she made it onto the Power List from Walpole, the official sector body for British luxury, as an influential luxury “creator”, and just a month later received the 2022 Great British Brands Craftsmanship Award.

The designer admits that much of her success depends on having a niche. She founded her company in 2010, designing backgammon, chess and other games sets and tables, and her inspiration is as poetic as her designs. Visiting her step-grandfather in Cairo as a young girl, she found herself playing backgammon in the street with an elderly man.

‘He was about 10 times older than me and didn’t speak any English,’ remembers Llewellyn, ‘but game-playing is more than an ancient pastime. It’s a universal language, so somehow we were able to communicate and laugh together.’

It’s this delight in the game’s unifying ability that informs the passion and attention to detail behind Llewellyn’s craft. Her recent well-deserved recognition has coincided with the opening of her new atelier in a mews just yards from Harrods. It feels very far from Dalston, her former base. Enter the atelier, pull up a lush, emerald-green velvet chair and then appreciate the beauty of what Llewellyn calls her “boardroom table” – though there is nothing remotely corporate about either the table or the light, bright, colourful room. To showcase her skills, the designer has playfully inlaid the table with her logo, plus playing cards, a ladybird, a gecko and a butterfly.

Butterflies have become synonymous with recent designs since Net-a-Porter commissioned her to make games sets featuring the motif. She designed two tournament-sized backgammon boards, one printed with lifelike butterflies, and two bright leather travel sets, cleverly designed to fold to the size of an easy-to-carry clutch bag.

Six years ago, Llewellyn collaborated with the legendary late photographer Terry O’Neill on a limited edition of 20 signed “Goddesses” Macassar ebony backgammon boards, featuring his photographs of Brigitte Bardot, Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress, Jean Shrimpton, Goldie Hawn, Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy.

‘We loved the idea these icons were all having a party on the board together,’ she laughs. Continuing the theme, she engraved O’Neill’s print from his camera-operating finger on the walnut dice shakers and debossed the semi-precious red jasper and mother-of-pearl playing pieces onto their leather bases to resemble camera shutters. Recently, she’s been asked to make a limited edition of 10 boards featuring photographs of Marilyn Monroe that have never been seen before. She is often asked to turn her hand to vanity and watch boxes, jewellery cases, and humidors.

It is in the realm of bespoke, however, where Llewellyn’s creativity really inspires. She’s discreet about her clients but it’s known she’s made boards for royalty and that Richard Branson and Elle Macpherson were early adopters. Alexandra Llewellyn handmakes everything in England, involving many craftsmen: from leather workers and polishers to cabinet-makers and marquetry specialists.

A recent commission is a poker box with secret compartments and traditional clay poker chips, using moulds from the oldest chip manufacturer in the world, which also supplied Las Vegas casinos. She’s just finished a mah-jong table in black piano gloss lacquer with Chinese lattice work and handmade tiles. It’s inlaid with the client’s favourite flowers, animals and star signs. Again, it is full of secret drawers. A love letter in one leads to the false bottom of another, beneath which is a key and a kiss leading to a final drawer in which to hide tiny treasures. ‘I like discovering what people love and then try to incorporate the things that are really special to them into the game,’ Llewellyn explains. ‘Like a leather-bound biography or photograph album, my designs tell your life story in a game to be enjoyed for generations to come.’

As clients turn to her for bespoke heirlooms that will stay in the family for generations, there is apparently no limit to her creative ability to interpret clients’ dreams. Game, set and match to Llewellyn.

alexandrallewellyn.com