Tessa Hunkin trained and worked as an architect until 1989 when she joined Emma Biggs at the Mosaic Workshop. Mosaic offered a way of developing a lifelong interest in color and decoration while still working in an architectural context. The Workshop undertook a wide range of commissions for public and private clients, including Terence Conran, Baby Spice, the Sutlan of Oman, and the Aston Villa football club.