Showing posts with label velvet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label velvet. Show all posts

Friday, 8 February 2013

Upholstered in Arden velvet


Sofa in Arden velvet

HAPPY 2013!

...bit of a slow blogging start to the year but I've been hibernating at my chilly studio through January, working on secret designs for the autumn.

Just to prove I'm still here I thought I'd share these photos sent by the lovely ladies at Östermalms Textilateljé a fabulous interiors showroom in Stockholm.

Sofa in Arden velvet detail 1

Sofa in Arden velvet detail 2

This is the eponymous Arden design from our Arden Collection which we launched with great success in 2012 with Zoffany (and pretty much all I blogged about last year too!)

The Stockholm team have upholstered this retro sofa for their showroom using the Venetian Red colourway of this luxurious velvet.


ABOUT THE DESIGN:

We adapted this enchanting forest scene from a mid 15th century wall painting that was discovered in a house in Halifax in 1901. The house fell into ruin shortly afterwards and the painting was lost forever. The scene depicts a forest floor richly studded with clusters of small flowers, possibly wood anemones. In amongst the trees are rabbits, hedgehogs, horned sheep, squirrels, wild fowl, moles, deer and a handsome unicorn. The creatures were probably modeled on those found in popular medieval bestiaries. This style of wall painting, known as imitation tapestry, was fashionable all over Britain.

The Arden design is available printed on luxurious velvet and on linen.

Images from www.fabricsandpapers.com
It's nice to see a large sofa upholstered in Arden. The one we featured on the cover of the Arden brochure was a stylish 2 seater called Snooze by Ochre.

Arden brochure cover
Arden brochure front cover
Snooze sofa by Ochre

Curiously the red background colour on the Swedish sofa and the brochure sofa looks very different but the Swedish sofa is much closer to the actual fabric - it is more burnt orange than deep red - weird that!

Thanks to the enthusiastic Stockholm team at Östermalms Textilateljé for keeping me updated.

You can read more about my visit to Stockholm in this post: ARDEN ON TOUR - Stockholm


Monday, 2 August 2010

VELVET DRAGONS

Supplied to The General Trading Company 

This world-famous department store has long been a favourite of the Queen and once held the wedding list for the Prince of Wales. In Spring the store relocated from Sloane Square to South Kensington introducing  new designers along the way.

I was invited to supply a collection of velvet cushions hand painted with a slightly fierce, slightly demure looking dragon head. This design is based on an Elizabethan grotesque wall painting found in a house in Surrey.

Elizabethan wall painting

Here are some shots I took at the workshop then in store later on.

Newly painted Dragon cushions at the Fairlyte workshop.




Dragon cushions piled up at the workshop before delivery to London
Dragon and pompom cushions amongst others at The General Trading Co. Store.
Cushions dotted around the store

Along with the Dragon cushions I also supplied unpainted pompom cushions and some linen cushions painted with leaves:
Pompom cushions in six colours. Pictured here at the workshop against one of my  fresco secco panels titled "Dragonfly tree"
Linen cushions with painted leaves in four shades pictured at workshop
It was good to have a large order like this from such a prestigious shop. The connection was made in November 2010 when The GTC hosted the first gathering of QEST scholars. Called The British Craft Fair this was an opportunity for craftsmen and women to sell their crafts to the public. I became a QEST scholar in 2007 when I was awarded a sum of money to carry out further research into Elizabethan painted interiors. Hopefully there'll be another show this year. I'll keep you posted.

As for the Dragon; I've been very fond of this dragon wall painting for a while now and as an aside, here's a fresco secco panel I painted recently:
 
Bagshot Dragon Fresco Secco

WHERE TO BUY:

Dragon, Pompom and Leaf Cushions
Available uniquely from The General Trading Company. Priced variously between £90 and £185

Bagshot Dragon fresco secco panel
30cm2, £170 from Early Oak Reproductions

Dragonfly Tree fresco secco panel
w122cm x h92cm, £950. Available directly from the Fairlyte Workshop - Contact Melissa: info@fairlyte.co.uk