ARDEN ON TOUR ~ Stockholm

I'm just back from a trip to Stockholm to present the Arden Collection for Zoffany.

Showroom: Verdure fabric

This city is fresh and open and, as a collection of small islands, there's water everywhere. My fella and I were shameless tourists for three days before I donned my Zoffany hat for the final two.

Stockholm from the Norrstrom river

Our hosts for the presentation were Frank and Cordinata, a packed-to-the-rafters interiors showroom in the heart of the city.

They invited an enthusiastic audience for the cocktail evening and then an A-list of journalists for their press breakfast the following day. I gave my talk to both audiences and the collection was well received by all.

Hopefully Arden will be appearing in the top Swedish mags over the next few months.

Showroom: Arden in red and pewter

I was tickled by this clever costumed interpretation of some of the Arden wallpapers:

Showroom: Dummy dressed in Merchant's Stripe and Filigree

So Stockholm!...There's loads to see but here are some of my creative highlights.

SKANSEN, open air museum

A painted ceiling in the late 17th century iron master's farmstead.

Where the English tradition of wall painting thinned out after the Elizabethans, it continued in Scandinavia and seems to have evolved in a sweeter and more refined style. Here's a lovely example of a birds and flowers design somewhat softened by time but very finely executed.

(note to self: must dig out my Scandinavian Decor books and actually read them not just look at the pretty pictures!).

The Vasa Museum 

This extremely popular museum holds a stunning warship that sank a mile out of harbor on her maiden voyage in 1628.

The ship is abundant with carved decoration which may well have been what caused her to keel over. She was raised again in 1961 and no photo can quite capture how immense this ship is and how incredibly well she is preserved. I was particularly drawn to the rich carvings and the gnarly patination of the wood. 

Vasa Museum

Nordiska Museum

So glad I came here. A great introduction to the folk art of Sweden. Lots of painted fabric and furniture to inspire and such a fresh and consistent colour palette. This reflects the limited pigments available from leaves, bark, soot, earth and red lead. Definitely feel a new collection for Rowan coming on.

painted wall hanging. The three holy kings

distemper paintings on paper and cloth

Also in the Nordiska museum was a display of dolls houses. Not my usual bag but absolutely fell in love with the oldest one on show made in the late 17th century.

This was, of course, a toy but also a learning tool for teaching young girls about being a housewife!

I'm tempted to try painting some of these designs full scale. They are so full of energy!

That'll do for now....

...no time to go into the delish food (I'm a herring convert!) and the friendly locals and the other museums and the blah blah blah.

Big thanks to Pauline and the lovely people at Frank and Cordinata who were great fun and very organised.

Thanks also to Chris Warren (Zoffany's export sales director) and Verity Scrase (from PR agents Murray Weir Willats) who arranged the trip and helped with the presentations.

...and finally a red squirrel at Skansen...I can't tell you how thrilled we were to spot this little fella...nearly had my toe off though!

ARDEN ON TOUR: Stags in Sussex

On a soggy foggy Wednesday morning I popped up from Hastings to Frant near Tunbridge Wells to give a talk about the Arden Collection and Elizabethan painted interiors.

Our host for this coffee morning was Mary Ensor Interiors.

Mary Ensor Interiors from the outside

The showroom of this respected 30 year old practice exudes style and elegance. Their palette is muted and sophisticated with playful undertones and it was interesting to see which designs from Arden they had chosen to reflect their look.

In the window hangs the medieval style Arden design in pewter, one of the more refined colourways in linen with some versatile golds and indigos to pull out in a scheme.

Arden linen in window display

In another corner of the window our 16^th century Saffron Walden design on linen (in charcoal) demonstrates its modern credentials hung behind a shapely retro piped armchair in pearl grey.

Saffron Walden fabric in window display

 Below is the linen Cinquefoils (in sandstone) set behind beachy neutrals, the glass reflecting the watery feel of this design which we painted in thin, transparent glazes.

Cinquefoils in sandstone

A few more shots of the showroom with Mary Ensor's new owner Lisa (left) and Anya.

Around the Mary Ensor showroom

…then upstairs to give my talk to an audience of 30 enthusiastic customers. But not before coffee and treats supplied by Sussex based cake makers Fabulous Bakes. (A great idea for an indulgent gift by post).

Cakes by Fabulous Bakes

SUBLIME!! but beware becoming dusted in icing sugar after a scoffing frenzy!

Next stop...Stockholm!

Many thanks to Helen Short, Zoffany's area sales rep for Sussex who set up the event, to the Mary Ensor ladies for looking after us and to our audience for being so attentive.

For stockists visit the Zoffany website or call head office on 0844 543 4600.

Alternatively email me at mel@melissawhite.co.uk

Arden Launches at London Design Week

This is a slightly tardy post about London Design Week where our Arden Collection for Zoffany was officially launched.

I just wanted to share a few pics from the 3 days I spent at the Chelsea Harbour showroom  (11th to 13th March ) as it was such an exciting milestone to reach with the collection.

This annual trade show takes place at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre which is home to over 400 interior design brands. Zoffany share a showroom with Sanderson and Morris and Co and I joined the Zoffany team for three days of meeting and greeting and talking about the collection.

It was my first chance to meet the interior designers and retailers who hold Zoffany accounts. It is they who will be out there convincing their clients to redecorate using the Arden Collection!

Sofa covered in Saffron Walden (charcoal). Cushions covered in Arden and Canterbury (and me)

It was such a thrill to see the showroom decked out in our fabrics and papers and to finally get to see the sample books. Just under two years after my first meeting with design director Liz Cann, here we are at last!

Chair covered in Verdure (lead blue colourway).

My favourite piece in the showroom is this chair (below) covered in the Arden velvet (in venetian red). The cushion uses the Millefleurs embroidery.

Zoffany won Elle Decor's "Most Inspiring Showroom" award - yay!

....and here's a short interview I did for the Chelsea Harbour blog:

Right here right now with artist Melissa White from accessgreatdesign on Vimeo.

Unfortunately David, my co.designer was unwell and unable to make this soft launch but he was there in spirit regaling visitors with tales of Elizabethan life and the story behind these unique designs. 

Here's David painting the Merchant's Stripe at the studio

Big thanks to Camilla and Selina the showroom girls who were dynamos. Thanks also to the whole Zoffany team for looking after me and giving me confidence in this new and exciting environment away from my cosy studio. 

Here are posts about the collection by two lovely bloggers I met at Design Week:

Alison Hutchinson Design

HOP Interiors

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.