Arden Launch in Paris

"L'appartement du Bureau 110 chez Philippe Model"

 

I'm just back from this PR event in Paris where I introduced the Arden Collection to the French press.

My spot: The Arden collection featuring Verdure and Saffron Walden

My spot (above) featured the Verdure fabric in its two colourways and Saffron Walden covering the sofa. The central Verdure panel is a fabric-width non-woven wallpaper. It caused a stir as it looks so much like a fabric; you can see the weave of the linen on which we painted the original artwork. 

Hosting this launch event was PR agency Bureau 110. They have several brands on their books and for this event they took over the spectacular apartment of fashion and interior designer Philippe Model.

Some details of wall finishes around the apartement

This place is not so much an apartment as an atelier and playroom where Philippe experiments with whacky ideas and hires it out for location shoots.

In this ever-evolving space Bureau 110 set up product displays across about 10 rooms for its brands including Zoffany, Sanderson and Harlequin's new brand Scion with the bold and dramatic Melinki collection (below)

Melinki by Scion

In between meeting with invited journalists and stylists I couldn't resist taking shots of some of the products in their beguiling settings (albeit with my basic pocket camera).

This location is often hired out for photoshoots, the remnants of which are evident throughout. There are flaking paint, layers of wallpaper and incongruous architectural bits and bobs everywhere.

Here are some snaps from around the apartement:

Little Greene Paint & Paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Le nouveau nuancier

This is Little Greene's new colour card. Check out the innovative sticky-outy chips. You can fold the perforated page and offer up the colour without a white background. Genious!

LSA
designer glassware and ceramics
 

 Robin du Lac 
tea light cups

I was obsessed by these faded pink tea light cups lined in old gold and arranged in front of antique mirrors.

Kitchen

kitchen ceiling

Now heres a technique I'd like to learn: flaking paint revealing old faded wallpaper.

A still life in the corridor

One of the rooms seen through a patinated mirror

I'm inspired to let loose on my studio and let it evolve like this place has. 

Every wall is a potential canvas. Trick is not to over-think it. Just play!

Hopefully the Arden Collection will feature in a few French magazines over the next few months. As a half-Frenchy myself it would be a lovely opportunity to show off the collection to my French family. 

 

You can see more images of the interiors at this Italian locations website 

Silk Merchants and stripy paper

This is the week the ARDEN Collection launches after 17 months in the making. 

You can view it now on the Zoffany website.

The official launch is at Chelsea Harbour for London Design Week from March 11th to16th. I will be in the Zoffany/Sanderson showroom from the 11th to 13th.

Come and say hi if you're visiting. 

In preparation, last week I went over to Marlborough in Wiltshire where Zoffany had chosen to host an event for the area sales managers. This is the team who will be introducing the Arden collection to retailers and interior designers across the country. 

The setting was the amazing Merchant's House on Marlborough's high street. 

 

This is an extremely rare 350 year old gabled house built by a prosperous silk merchant called Thomas Bayly following the Great Fire of Marlborough in 1653. Its interior is rich with wall paintings, panelling and a commanding oak staircase with a rare survival of painted fictive balustrading on the walls. 

The dining room features the utterly unusual stripe that inspired our Merchants Stripe wallpaper. 

This painted stripe that parades across all four walls, over doors, hinges and the stone fireplace, is thought to represent striped silk hangings. There is no real precedent for such a design and nothing quite like it follows. It is truly unique and actually very contemporary (we've hung it horizontally for the Arden brochure!)

and here it is in Norsk blue (there are 4 colourways in all)

 

On arrival in Marlborough there was an unnerving power cut, caused by the sunspots, that shut down the entire town for two hours. Thankfully it ended just in time to plug in the projector and begin my slideshow talk. I was then joined by Zoffany's design director Liz Cann in talking the team through the collection piece by piece. 

Then came a guided tour of the house given by the knowledgeable head trustee Sir John Sykes and volunteers at the house. 

What an enthralling place and full of mysteries yet to be uncovered.

You can read more about The Merchants House and our Stripe wallpaper in The World of Interiors this month (April issue). 

The Merchant's House and Garden are open from 1st April to end of October on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 4pm with timed tours at 11am, 12noon, 2pm and 3pm.

The Big Egg Hunt, Find our egg!

Click here to see our entry on the Big Egg Hunt website

Set to be the largest and most interactive public art display London has ever seen, over 200 giant eggs have been hidden across the City in this massive charity event presented by Faberge.

 The charities behind this adventurous event are The Elephant Family and Action for Children. The same people who did the giant elephants in 2010 and giant cows a few years ago. The Big Egg Hunt is a charitable event that will raise funds for vital conservation issues and help secure a future for some of the UK’s most vulnerable and neglected children.

You'll see from checking out the website that there are some very big names involved and some utterly amazing eggs. You can download maps and apps and join in to win prizes and raise money.

THE ARDEN EGG

Our finished egg at the Fairlyte studio

Our egg is number 189 and is hidden in Egg Zone 10 - SOUTHBANK.

Here's a CLUE:  This design was painted at the same time Shakespeare's plays were first hitting the London stage.

I haven't been up to London to find it yet but I'll be joining the hunt soon.


Meanwhile Here's some stuff about our egg!

Shhh...I'll tell you a secret....we're about to launch a fabric and wallpaper collection with Zoffany. It is called Arden and is inspired by Elizabethan wall paintings. Pop back in March for the full story!

Our Arden egg features one of the fabrics from the collection. A beautiful printed linen in 5 colourways called Canterbury.

The design is based on a gorgeous Elizabethan multivine that was painted on the wall of a house in Canterbury around 1600. The house is now demolished but you can see the original wall section at Canterbury museum.

This is a rare treat indeed as these wall paintings are extremely rare.

Canterbury museum wall painting

Wall paintings were highly fashionable in Elizabethan England and, as you may already know, that's what I specialise in with my colleague David Cutmore.

Learn more about this design in one of my previous postings: Mermaids & Multivines

Here are some work in progress pics from the studio.

We plastered the background to give a textured surface

Dave painting free hand outlines of the design

Me painting the egg using natural pigment paints. (In the background a few clues about the Arden Collection designs)

Dave painting the egg.

Detail of the egg after waxing

A sneak preview of the Canterbury linen for Zoffany

Happy Hunting!

Fabric Designs for Rowan, Westminster

Last year I was thrilled to be invited to design for WESTMINSTER FIBERS, an American company producing "lifestyle" printed fabrics for quilting and sewing. I am part of the ROWAN FABRICS branch of the company and have produced two collections with a third in production. 
 

See the Westminster Lifestyle Fabrics Spring 2011 Catalogue here

Back in 2007 Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mabey chanced upon my studio and were inspired enough to recommend me to Westminster with whom they've collaborated since the 80's. If you don't know of these guys please look them up because they are leading ambassadors in the world of quilting, knitwear and glorious colour and pattern. Incredibly lovely chaps too! 

First Collection - out now:

FAIRLYTE GARDEN
5 designs in 4 colourways

Butterfly Carnival

Medusa Tree

Bug Hunt

Blossom Swirl

Fritillary Wing

This collection launched in January 2011. I called it Fairlyte Garden after my business name Fairlyte. It's an odd spelling I know and I've seen it online spelt in the oddest ways (Fairytale, Fairylyte etc).  

The 5 designs evolved from a large fresco secco painting I did in 2009 (below) when I was playing with elements of Chinoiserie and scraps of vintage fabric.

Dragonfly Tree (with detail)

The design process was a huge learning curve for me as I had to paint in a new way that could be interpreted by the engravers into fabric. That meant being able to separate the colours, put the designs into a working repeat and think on a smaller scale than I'm used to. The biggest challenge was how to keep my signature style of ageing and distressing the surface; how to incorporate cracks and worn areas. There are limitations and some of my cracking didn't translate so well into fabric, looking more like batik in print, so I had to adapt my techniques. 

Here's a shot from the workshop last year. At the bottom are my original paintings for Butterfly Carnival, Medusa Tree and Bug Hunt:

The Fairlyte Workshop - some artwork

I was thrilled to see the designs for the first time in print. I'm not a quilter myself and do very little sewing so I am keen to see how people use my fabrics and I hope to learn from feedback how I can adapt and develop my style as I work on future collections. 

2nd collection - launches August 2011

MISAKI 

8 designs in 4 colourways

Coming soon is this larger collection of Oriental inspired designs. It was previewed at the Houston Spring Quilt Market in May as featured on the fascinating True Up blog devoted to fabric.

Here's a sneak preview of my own:

The Misaki Collection by Melissa White

3rd Collection - launches Jan 2012

TO BE NAMED 

I am currently working on my third collection which should come out in January if all goes well. I've started painting in gouache on paper rather than with pigments on fresco as before. Loving the colour control. Here's a sneak preview:

New work in progress

I'm really excited about this one as it's inspired by an amazing exhibition I went to in Paris in May. It was a retrospective of one of my favourite artists Odilon Redon. I adore his pastels as he uses the most gorgeous colours imaginable. Stay tuned!

WHERE TO BUY

Please visit the Westminster website for their Store Locator.  

In the UK you can order a selection from the Fairlyte Garden Collection at FANCY MOON priced at £12.98 p/m. This online "purveyor of fine fabrics" stocks a great range including many from Westminster.

Satyrs, Putti and Masks (oh my)

This recent commission for a painted wall hanging is a nice opportunity for me to show you one of my favourite examples of grotesquework. I love it for its dynamic, bold and playful subject matter.

This large scale design is one of the five we selected for The Anticke Collection. 
  

The Golden Cross wall hanging

It depicts a scrolling fantasy of arabesques, masks, satyrs, naked putti and pilasters.

This is an English variation on the Italian Renaissance decorative style which in turn is derived from Ancient Rome (the word grotesque coming from the Latin root "grotto" meaning a small cave or hollow where these types of design were discovered.)

Details of our painted cloth

Painting the cloth at the workshop. Close reference is made to photos of the original wall painting to capture the spirit of the artist who painted it nearly 500 years ago.

The original black and white wall painting of c1550 still survives in good condition in a 15th century inn. This is largely because it was preserved behind panelling until its discovery in the 1940's. The design was painted with lamp black and size on lime washed lime plaster.

Details of the original wall painting

Commissioning Fairlyte

As one of The Anticke Collection designs we can paint the Golden Cross Grotesque onto linen to be hung as a wall cloth, or by the metre for curtains and soft furnishings. Sections may also be painted as fresco secco panels. Please contact Fairlyte for details and pricing.

Painted cloths installed wall to wall in Shakespeare's Birthplace Museum.

Shakespeare's Birthplace Museum

Reopening in 2000 following an ambitious redisplay project this landmark museum commissioned us to paint the Golden Cross Grotesque onto stiffened linen to line the walls of the upstairs parlour. We also provided cloths for 3 other rooms.