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From the early years of the twentieth century until well into the 1930s Paris was the epicentre of a design movement that aimed to redefine the decorative arts in a very modern and particularly French way. The passing of time has done nothing to diminish its allure. Chris Yeo delves deeper.
Now, as we know, the French have a long and proud history in the decorative arts – they virtually invented the idiom – but, more than any other, there’s one style that encapsulates le style Francais. You might know it as Art Deco. The French called it Moderne. Ah, Art Deco. Just mention it and images of sleek ocean liners, peopled by impossibly beautiful characters wearing Cartier jewels and sipping Manhattan cocktails spring to mind. Or maybe it’s the futuristic styling of Max Sterm’s Metropolis or even the gaudy delights of the Odeon cinema – those streamlined and chrome-plated ‘peoples’ palaces’ that brought Hollywood glamour to the depression-ravaged masses of the 1930s. Art Deco emerged as a style for the new century and an ever-changing, fast-paced world of motor cars, air travel, flappers, and syncopated jazz. It’s the style of the Chrysler building, of the Zigfeld Follies and, as it happens, Victoria Coach Station; an intoxicating mix that continues to beguile us as much as it did in the Roaring Twenties.
Has there ever been a style more luxurious, glamorous, more imitated and, perhaps, less understood? Let’s start with the name. ‘Art Deco’ was actually only first coined in the late 1960s as a sort of two-hander to Art Nouveau which had preceded it. Also, far from being a single recognisable style, there were, in fact, many different strands, depending on when and where it popped up.
Italy, Sweden and, of course, America all had their own particular ‘takes’ on it. But nowhere did the style emerge more coherently than in France. Many books will tell you that Art Deco first surfaced at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the world expo held in Paris in 1925. Except that it didn’t. The Moderne style actually began to appear in France much earlier, around 1910 and was well into its stride by the time of the exhibition.
So, having de-bunked a couple of myths, let’s look at what is it that makes French Art Deco, sorry, Moderne, so distinctive. It’s all down to time and place. The French interpretation of the style was extremely luxurious, relying on rare and exotic materials like Macassar, ebony, lacquer, shagreen and mother-of-pearl, to give a sheen of glamour. As the centre of the world’s luxury goods market, Parisian designers were well-placed to take advantage of the readiness of these materials and could also draw on the world-leading expertise that Parisian craftsmen had in working them.
So much for place, as for time, le Style Moderne sought inspiration not from the modern industrial world, instead, it looked back in time to the world of Marie Antoinette and the French aristocracy. For a style so synonymous with the twentieth century, the French Moderne style is firmly rooted in the grand traditions of the 18th Century ancien régime – the political and social system of France before the revolution of 1789 – and its time-honoured traditions of apprenticeship and guild training.
During the 18th Century, France established itself in the forefront of the luxury trades, producing furniture, porcelain, glass, metalwork and textiles of unsurpassed refinement and elegance with Paris becoming the style capital of the western world. The ebenistes of Paris became the acknowledged masters of furniture making in Europe, supplying the homes and chateaux of the French court and aristocracy.
Some of the most beautiful and refined furniture ever made, displaying the highest level of artistic and technical ability, was created in Paris during the eighteenth century. Rather than breaking with tradition, the great designers of the 1920s saw themselves as inheritors of a grand tradition stretching back over two centuries. Tradition, however, was not the only source of inspiration. So too were the exotic, avant-garde trends in the fine arts and fashion. The vogue for exoticism developed following the arrival in Paris of the Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev and his dance troupe, the Ballets Russes, in 1909, with its wildly atmospheric and outré productions. Léon Bakst’s design for Schéhérezade (1910), for example, featured lavish orientalist sets and costumes. The unexpected colour combinations, vivid patterns and louche furnishings – billowing curtains, low-slung divans, piles of tasselled pillows – were immediately imitated in stylish interiors by Paris artist-decorators.
Paris in the 1920s had an abundance of places where objects in the Moderne style were sold and displayed, mostly galleries, showrooms and shops on the more voguish Right Bank of the city centre. What were called Ensemblier showrooms, such as those of Emille-Jacques Ruhlmann, Süe et Mare and Martine, not only displayed individual pieces for sale but presented fully furnished interiors that suggested the range of what the ensemblier could produce on commission. At the more accessible end of the market, the four big Paris department stores established specialised decorating departments and many speciality shops, including Jean Luce, La Crémaillère and Le Grand Dépôt, which sold a wide range of glass, ceramics, linens and other utilitarian and decorative goods. It was as if Moderne had entered the DNA of the French capital.
For those in search of the Moderne style, Paris is, of course, a mere hop and skip over the channel but for a taste of the style that’s a little closer to home, Eltham Palace near Greenwich is a capsule of 1930s Parisian-inspired sophistication. Stephen and Virginia Courtauld of the eponymous textiles dynasty bought Eltham with its semi-ruined medieval Great Hall, moat and bridge, and rebuilt it as a dazzlingly sophisticated semi-rural hideaway. The saloon is a vast Moderne interior, lined with Australian black bean wood panelling, topped with a dome and finished off with a vast, circular, abstract carpet, the effect is like entering the First Class Lounge of a 1930s liner. Not that everyone felt that at the time: one editorial in The Times likened it to a cigarette factory.
The stock market crash of 1929 saw the optimism of the 1920s gradually decline. By the mid-1930s, Art Deco was being derided as a gaudy, false image of luxury. Despite its demise, however, Art Deco made a fundamental impact on subsequent design. Art Deco's widespread application and enduring influence prove that its appeal is based on more than visual allure alone.
Vive la France!
Click here to visit our lookbook 'Iconic Geometry' for our take on an Art Deco inspired interior.
Or click here to shop our full collection of Art Deco pieces.
We talk to Hampshire-based interior designer, Lucy Cunningham, about what makes her tick and her latest interior design projects. Layers of the unexpected set Lucy’s refined English aesthetic apart... but where does she find this unexpected inspiration...
Behind the brand
The last thing I bought and loved was an antique kilim rug which I’ve put in my kitchen, its perfect shade of blue meets your eye as you walk in through the front door and always makes me smile!
The place that means a lot to me is Le Deux Tours in Morocco, I often visit with my mum. It’s heaven on earth and where I feel the most relaxed. It's out of the city centre and is set in the most beautiful gardens with peacocks roaming around… the architecture and interiors are breathtaking - from the Moroccan tiles on the floors to the fabulous ceilings and even the little bar... it's all so chic and charming… I could go on and on!
My favourite souvenir is the sweetest little Morrish table from my last trip to Morocco - circa 1890 it has the most exquisite inlay work …what a find - it has made me very happy!
The best books I’ve read in the past year are 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens - it's beautifully written and the imagery in the book is breathtaking… I heard this quote and it's so true of this book… “you know you have read a good book when you turn the last page and its as if you have lost a friend” - that's how I felt. Another is, 'If in Doubt Wash Your Hair' by Anya Hindmarch – it's such a brilliant book…having worked for Anya I was desperate to get my hands on it… it was so typically her - brilliantly funny but also the BEST advice - what more could we all want?
The podcast I’m listening to is The Modern House with Matt Gibberd – and also Kit Kemp - An award-winning interiors designer on her design secrets, dealing with setbacks and finding your own style
In my fridge, you’ll always find Diet Coke, it's my guilty pleasure!
Some of my best ideas have come while in the garden. We were lucky enough to have inherited the most beautiful garden from the previous owner, artist Lucy Dickens. It’s bursting with glorious colours and smells and always gives me such inspiration.
The thing I couldn’t do without out is my tape measure!!! You cannot measure things enough times!!
The event that changed everything for me was moving to Gloucestershire in 2014 which is when I worked on my first big project, a beautiful ex- national trust home just outside Burford. The clients were a dream and we’re still friends today.
An indulgence I would never forgo is getting my colour done at Josh Wood. David Iman is a total genius.
The last piece of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a pair of Malone Souliers heels and an amazing dress from ByTimo.
My favourite building is Farm Street - the church in Mayfair that we got married in. It looks so inconspicuous from the outside but inside it’s incredibly opulent and decorative, with painted ceilings, artwork and stained glass windows. Plus there is a great pub next door that used to be owned by Guy Richie.
My favourite room in my house is the sitting room, I’ve filled it with favourite finds from my travels and it’s where we spend time as a family.
The best advice I’ve ever received was from Anya Hindmarch, who told me to make sure I surrounded myself with a good team.
One artist whose work I would collect is Kate Corbett Winder. I have three pieces at the moment and just love the colours and movement in them.
About Lucy's interior design...
Trillgate Farmhouse is a beautiful example of a Cotswold house, full of charm and character. Where do you begin to work on a project of this size?
With most projects, we begin by thinking about what the property needs in order to turn it into a beautiful yet functional home. The process can often begin with some building work or tweaks to layout etc followed by developing layered schemes that add character and warmth. We love to blend the contemporary and classic, drawing from a variety of cultures and finding special pieces that bring the room to life and create interest.
Where did you draw your inspiration from?
I’ve always been incredibly curious about different cultures and draw a lot of influence from my travels. I’m passionate about mixing colour and patterns from different cultures with art, antiques and textiles from a variety of periods. Often it can be a single piece found at a flea market that sparks the inspiration for an entire scheme.
Talk us through the living rooms, you kept them light with soft shades like Farrow & Ball's Setting Plaster and Parma Gray. What was the process you used to piece together the other elements to the room?
The magnificent original fireplace and flagstone flooring provided an anchor for this room. We wanted to create a space that enhanced rather than overwhelmed these traditional country features, so worked on a soft, soothing palette, using muted colour on the walls and introducing lots of pattern and bolder colour through textiles accessories, wall coverings behind the shelving and lots of statement pieces.
You have mixed contemporary and traditional here, What Lorfords pieces did you use in this characterful renovation?
We found the most wonderful Lorfords pieces for this room. I always get excited about what amazing things I’ll find when I visit to source for a new project. This is a Swedish antique rug that we found and instantly fell in love with… the colours were calming but added some depth to the room scheme - it’s the perfect finishing touch.
What are your basic rules for mixing contemporary and traditional?
Honestly, I know it sounds like a cliché but I really don’t have any rules, actually, I try to avoid them as I think they get in the way of natural curiosity and the ability to push yourself out of your comfort zone. One thing I do often say is: ‘If it’s beautiful and it makes you happy then try it!’
Your client was an American family – did they have specific wants/needs within the property that you factored into your designs?
They wanted the interiors to feel typically Cotswold-y and retain as much authenticity as possible so we went for a traditional country house palette, dressing it with a mixture of traditional and also slightly more contemporary patterns and colours inspired by a number of cultures. Having worked on the clients previous home we had a great relationship already in place and they completely trusted our ideas so we had a lot of free reign.
Rugs and fabrics feature heavily in your designs, resting against stone flooring or whitewashed exposed brick. How do you choose the textiles involved? And what are your tips for pairing textiles and patterns?
Rugs can really make a room; it’s an element that brings everything together as well as providing an added layer of warmth and homeliness, especially if you are working with harder flooring such as stone or wood. I choose rugs in the same way that I choose fabrics and wall coverings – beautiful colours and patterns that speak to the furniture and fabrics chosen for the rest of the space. Saying this, sometimes, if we have found an incredible rug it might be that we work backwards from there and build the scheme around the rug. My tip would be to treat a rug like you would fabrics and wallpapers – don’t be afraid to experiment and mix a variety of colours, patterns and textures.
Click here to read more L-Shaped interviews or click here to visit Lucy's website.
Written by Jon Woods, Marketing Manager at Lorfords Contemporary
Google tells us... "Instagram is considered to be the best social media platform for engagement or your ability as a brand to connect with your followers. It's visual, simple and it attracts the younger generations more than other social media platforms. The perfect marketing tool”.
This is all true. But what happens when your account is hacked? How perfect is it then?
Unfortunately, last month Lorfords Contemporary's account did get hacked. We received a seemingly innocent message asking for us to support a follower who had entered a competition. All that was required was for us to vote by clicking a button. Within seconds, we lost all access to our account.
So, what do you do in a situation like this? Research has established that an Instagram hack happens every 39 seconds. You would imagine there would be a standard procedure to deal with these problems. Don’t do that.
The first step
Obviously, our priority was to ensure that our followers and trusted partners were safe, and their privacy stayed intact. Our first port of call was to get in contact with Instagram, and their parent company Meta, to report that we had been hijacked and ask them to retrieve our account for us. Seems simple! Unfortunately, we ran into a brick wall pretty much immediately.
The main method Instagram uses to retrieve accounts is using facial recognition; rather difficult when all your pictures are of lovely furniture, so this wasn’t an option for us. We then tried to speak with someone rather than a machine but again our efforts came to nothing. After bombarding Instagram, Facebook and Meta with numerous messages, this is when it felt that the computer said “No!”. We really were getting nowhere. This was confirmed when Facebook commerce support acknowledged our situation and said we may not be able to gain access to our account again. We did however, get the account frozen. This meant no posts or messages could be sent. A small, but important, win.
The dead end
Having reached a dead end through the proper support channels, we started to investigate other options. Seemingly, the most hopeful avenue appeared to be to employ the services of an ethical hacker, they advertise themselves as the saviours of those who own jeopardised accounts. We opened into a dialogue with one of these ‘good’ hackers. However, as the conversation evolved, it all seemed a little too dubious for us, so we rejected this approach.
With no real alternative available, and with growing frustration at our lack of social media presence, we made the difficult decision to start afresh. We know it will take time to rebuild our following, but it’s the hit we have had to take. We are now in the process of getting our old account shut down. We did this because we believe we are doing what is best for our trusted customer base and the future of our business.
Anyway, as far as we are concerned this matter is now behind us and as we now start to look forward, we are thrilled to share all the new and exciting things we have coming up over the next few months.
Please do follow our renewed fully secure account @lorfords_contemporary to discover our newest offers, collaborations and business developments.
Rant over!
Jon
Marketing Manager, Lorfords Contemporary
“Nature is our muse. It is a source of constant inspiration.”
(Image by Helen Cathcart)
It was a delight to be able to sit down with Milly and Bell, two very talented and eco-conscious women. Milly Hibbert is head of brand and retail development at Thyme* and Bertioli, while Bell Hutley is a London-based artist and designer. Known for her darkly romantic aesthetic and use of colour inspired by nature and folklore, Bell was the perfect partner for mother and daughter team, Milly and Caryn Hibbert, when designing their new tableware range. This talented team are driven by their love for the environment around them. And with that, their hope to preserve nature's fragile eco-systems for generations to come.
Bertioli is a brand inspired by nature. Caryn and Milly design simple yet beautiful products for everyday living that inspire connection with the land and nourish both people and planet. The Bertioli & Bell Hutley collaboration was born from a shared desire to tell the story of nature’s pollinators and to celebrate their magic. This collection of limited edition tableware, illustrated by Bell and Caryn, and designed by Milly, celebrates these vital partnerships between flora and fauna.
A trip down memory lane
The species that their designs have focused on are indigenous to Great Britain, as familiar to us as a farmyard scene or rolling green hills. The Tiger Moth with stingy nettles, Dragonflies and Water Lilies and Sea Buckthorn for the Brimstone Butterfly surround us here in the British countryside. We know them well; spending many youthful hours skipping after moths and butterflies whilst (mostly) avoiding the nettle patches.
Their beautiful and natural designs will create an element of nostalgia for many of you, whilst reminding us too of the here and now. Our responsibility is to protect these delicate species and the nature that surrounds us, whilst being lucky enough to enjoy the beauty in these locally designed homewares.
So Milly and Bell, tell us a little about how the Bertioli & Bell Hutley collaboration came about.
Milly – “We had admired each other’s brands for a while. I knew of her designs and Bell, likewise, knew of Thyme and Bertioli. We messaged each other and we were looking at stocking a few of Bell’s products in the shop as we felt her illustrations would go really well with our lines. But it became clear that we could do more. The creative sparks flew and we aligned quite quickly.
Bell then came down to see us here at Thyme* (in Southrop, Gloucestershire) and our processes aligned really well – from a brand and personal perspective, there is a real passion for nature so the collaboration felt really natural. The design process became one team and we flowed really well.”
The tableware designs are beautiful, can you talk me through the inspiration for the designs?
Milly – “We used what we had in the gardens and farm here to be inspired. Seeing the butterflies flutter past the window here at Thyme felt like we were on to something. We came up with a number of ideas and then settled on our final three pairs.”
Bell – “It was really nice to be able to design tableware around botanicals and species that have had a bit of a bad press. Nettles and moths - they don’t really have the best reputations! So hopefully we are giving them a new lease of life through our designs.”
Image by Helen Cathcart
The botanical habitat designs beautifully complement the species you focus on- Tiger Moth, Brimstone Butterfly and the Dragonfly. How did you come up with the idea to design these as eco systems?
Milly – “With all our products, they are about inspiring a collection with, and a love of nature. There is also a bit of creative license. They are not scientific drawings but a meeting in the middle of creativity and nature. We hope to engage people in the stories of the botanicals and species. We came up with the three pairs and started with what we could see here at Thyme. Bell did some sketches first, and then we added our sketches and it grew from there.”
Image by Helen Cathcart
Milly, Bertioli have a commitment to “1% for the planet”, please tell us a little about that?
Milly – “We wanted to give back to what has inspired us. ‘1% for the planet’ is a big global movement, there are a number of brands who have signed up to it. It is a community of likeminded businesses who give 1% of revenue to environmental causes. This figure allows us to donate significantly, whilst also allowing our business to grow, and ultimately therefore, to donate more. We can choose which organisations and charities to work with and we have worked with a number of them.
This year, our focus is on working with a project close to us - the West Oxfordshire Bird Project. We also work with Plantlife, who work across the country to educate and enable people to preserve meadows as the UK’s most bio-diverse habitat.”
Your mission - to consolidate the idea that in nurturing nature, we nurture ourselves – is one that we all feel a connection to. It’s a mission that works for both Bertioli and Bell too, which is why this collaboration works so well. So, what’s next for Bertioli, and Bell Hutley?
Milly – “We have got many things in the pipeline. I’d love to build on what Bell and I have created here together. In the meantime, we have a few launches in the pipeline – stepping into the interiors world is next. Our ambition for Bertioli is to create a whole collection of connections to nature in the home. We want to take that into all parts of the home – wallpapers and upholstery fabrics, in addition to homeware and beauty. It’s important for us to build on the relationships we’ve created with like-minded brands.”
Bell – “My aim is to continue telling stories through art. Anything beyond the canvas, whether it’s a tablecloth or lampshade, I’m always trying to create new ideas. I love interiors but I’m also writing a children’s book and creating collections around that. I want to push myself and my creativity through the storytelling. I’d love to continue working with like-minded and inspiring brands, I learn so much from it and feel incredibly lucky to be working in what I love!”
To browse or find out more about the Bertioli & Bell Hutley tableware collection, please click here.
*Bertioli is the sister brand of Thyme. Nestled in a Cotswold village, Thyme is a quintessential English country destination. A collection of restored 17th Century farm buildings, houses and cottages, Thyme is a boutique hotel, with on-site restaurant and spa.
More about the Bertioli & Bell Hutley collaboration
In recent years, the fragility of nature has been put at the forefront of conversation, with species decline and habitat loss at the heart. One of the key concerns has been around the health of pollinators and the crucial role that they play in every ecosystem.
With this collaborative collection, we bring together the distinctive illustrations by Bell and Caryn to celebrate pollinators and highlight their relationships with both common and unique plantlife. This will hopefully inspire conversation around the table and a deeper connection to nature.
“Bertioli’s mission is to consolidate the idea that in nurturing nature, we nurture ourselves.” Caryn Hibbert.
"I'm more comfortable in a space that’s got colour, layers, texture, points of interest – that has an energy to it." We were delighted to chat to British textile designer Molly Mahon earlier this summer about block-printing, why our homes need pattern and colour, and working from her garden studio.
Q: Molly Mahon targets the real home, as opposed to the show home. What did you learn about the role of our homes during the pandemic?
Ooo. Well, they became absolutely central to our being, didn’t they. They could never have been more important in their moment and I think it elevated our understanding that homes are so key to us as humans. Making our homes into somewhere we really wanted to be became incremental to surviving lockdown. Many of us started to look at our homes in different ways and realise how important it was to do all of those little jobs we never got round to doing. Homes became a point of interest and I think that's a really lovely thing. When we can visit people more, I think we're going to see so many more lovely, welcoming, and functioning homes than ever before.
Q: Block-printing is the earliest known printing method, going back thousands of years... yet it’s still used by you and others today in such a contemporary way. Why do you think it has proved such a resilient medium?
It’s got to be something about the way we as humans connect to creativity and how it feeds the soul, without sounding too deep! We’ve only very recently become industrialised - that is such a modern thing. Before industrialisation, the only way to print pretty cloth or whatever was by hand with wooden blocks. It wasn’t just about making decorative items and there’s so much more to it in block-printing. It delineated certain family lines, certain areas you lived in, certain ideas of your wealth and your place. Block-printing meant so much more in society before, whereas now I suppose it is used more decoratively.
For me, the idea that my children can just have anything they want digitally printed or machine printed, without any of the story or the soul or the real depth of design feels so shallow. I think we’re all seeing it that way. During lockdown, we needed to be able to make things with our hands and we want to be part of the finished product. I think that’s more true of block-printing than anything else.
Q: Your designs feel like a joyful tonic in this often stressful world. Would you describe your personal style as maximalist or not?
Yes I suppose so. For me, it seems like a natural way to surround myself, but many people would label it maximalist. I'm more comfortable in a space that’s got colour, layers, texture, has points of interest – has an energy to it. I don’t feel very comfortable nor at ease in a very simple clean white space. I think it’s also having three children and a dog! You just want to be able to relax and not see those marks and things that happen in everyday life. I love the idea that someone could come and visit me and just feel really at home and be able to sit down in any chair and not feel on edge or uncomfortable. I think pattern and colour really helps to create that feeling.
It's also really important for people to understand that when buying our block-printed fabric they are investing in something that has been made with thought, care, passion, time and integrity. Investing in well-made pieces is a sustainable choice, compared to lots of the 'throw-away' or short-life items that are readily available today.
Q: Sustainability is rightly the watchword in interiors at the moment. What kind of role does it play at Molly Mahon?
Yeah, we’re very thoughtful about that. We ask ourselves questions like, where has our cotton that has been woven into the cloth come from? What are we printing with? We have certainly never used any kind of toxic paints. They’re still printing in India a lot with a petrol-based dye, which is brilliant – very light fast, very rub-fast. But absolutely appalling for anyone who is near it doing the printing, or for the person with the fabric in their house.
We only use water-based paints and it’s something I’m really working on. In India, we use water-based paints that have got various good credibilities. In the UK - and I’m doing a lot more printing here - we’ve managed to create our own non-toxic water-based amazing paints to print with and they have Soil Association stamps of approval. It feels like such an exciting thing.
I think it's also really important for people to understand that when buying our block-printed fabric they are investing in something that has been made with thought, care, passion, time and integrity. Investing in well-made pieces is a sustainable choice, compared to lots of the 'throw-away' or short-life items that are readily available today. We love our clients who are really interested in the process and the back story.'
For us as a company we ask, are we being thoughtful? Are we doing this the best way possible? Does this make sense? Are we checking our mileage, where this is coming from and travelling to? I hope that if we do things in the best and most thoughtful way possible, we will be as sustainable as possible. We want to sell things that have a long life as well. We want that armchair to be covered and still be there until it's tattered in shreds years and years later and I think that is sustainable in itself.
Q: Do you enjoy working from your garden studio? How do you keep home and work life separate, if at all?
No, I don’t see them as separate entities at all. What I am doing was just my hobby that I did at the kitchen table. It was part of my life to be creative and it is part of me as a human being on this planet. It is something I’ve always done, it comes very naturally and I wouldn’t ever want to make it this separate entity.
So yeah, I’ve got my studio in the garden which is where Molly Mahon all began and grew from. That’s where I do all my initial drawings, carve my blocks and do my first prints. I still print bespoke orders for Charleston and places like that. When we grew as a company we needed a separate place to store our growing products and rolls of fabric, so we have another space we can walk to through the woods. That’s where the girls who work for me are based and my husband is there all the time. That’s where we store our product and ship our dispatches from.
It’s all connected and my absolute dream would be to have it all housed in one place. If I could tick all the boxes, I would have an old farmhouse that I would be decorating in a Bloomsbury style and I’d have barns in there. We could be block-printing, we could be shipping out orders, we could have visitors come and see our fabrics. It would all happen from one place.
I’ve always seen my business as quite a rural entity and it has that homely vibe to it, so it's a shame our office and home aren't connected. However, it is still very much one thing, under one umbrella. Rollo and I are married, we have a family, and we have this business which is very much part of our children’s lives.
For me it just felt right to put this amazing excitement I was getting from block-printing into a book. I feel so proud! It’s a very simple, light book but I think it explains why I do what I do and why block-printing is so important.
Q: I was actually going to ask… has your enthusiasm for printing rubbed off on your children?
Oh... yes. Well, you'd have to ask them separately! Certainly in lockdown we all did a lot of printing together and they loved it.
Lani, my eldest daughter, will say ‘oh I could go and print on that old pair of jeans and give them a new life.’ So I love the way she thinks about it and finds her place. They’ve all got bedrooms highly decorated from top to bottom in Molly Mahon block prints! So it’s very much just part of their life and it will be really interesting to see later on whether they continue it or whether they actually want to go and live in white boxes.
Again, it’s just what mum and dad do. It’s all intertwined and they come into the office sometimes, we don't separate it out. My elder daughter walks past our office on her way to school so she comes in every day. Often we’re like ‘Oh great! We need some help getting those samples into envelopes’ and she just gets involved. They’re so young, they don’t even think about it. I often hear them saying to other people, if Granny rings for example, ‘oh mum’s printing at the moment,’ so it’s just part of their language and being.
Q: What was the motivation behind your book, House of Print?
Yeah, I had this real sort of urge to put it down on paper. Even though we’re heading in a very digital direction, I’m a paper person, I love books. I love reading other people’s experiences. It has certainly fed me; I never did GCSE or A-Level art, but I have learned so much from reading books and poring over old Indian prints. I’d much rather read a book, if I’m honest, than scroll through websites. Also, I have like 40,000 images of my trips to India that have inspired me so much. I just wanted to have this paper version of my story out there. I often feel with websites you have to pare it back quite a lot – you can’t say ‘oh but then there was this, and then there was this…’
For me it just felt right to put this amazing excitement I was getting from block-printing into a book. I feel so proud! It's a very simple, light book but I think it explains why I do what I do and why block-printing is so important. I just want people to understand the process and to answer those who ask, 'why on earth do you use all of those wooden blocks, it's such a slow process when you could just print super fast on a machine?' I wanted to share the wonder of this incredible craft and share it in an accessible way. I'm never happier than when I'm sitting amongst my books - they are my guilty pleasure - so I hope that goes for others too and they choose to add House of Print to their shelves.
We need these little nuggets of creativity to balance our lives. For people to pick up these wooden blocks, apply a bit of paint, choose a colour they love and make something – it’s so great! I just love it.
Q: 40,000 images of India! Will you ever run out of designs? Is that possible?
Never! Never. Not possible. I just have them going round in my head all the time. Now that I’m a serious commercial business, I can’t just endlessly produce designs, either, everything is a bit more considered. A fabric collection is done as a collection, you can’t just spew them out whenever you fancy. Everything is kind of organised and controlled, which is probably a good thing. I’m building my next collection in my head already. Oh my goodness, we will never run out of patterns.
Q: What are you looking forward to as restrictions ease?
Well, I’m out on the road again already. But I'm most looking forward to resurrecting my workshops. I love offering those, I LOVE the joy that people get from coming on them. I just did two at the garden museum. They were really simple, sweet and well-organised with distancing and things. It just gave me a taste of how creating as a community is so important. I also offer an online workshop through Create Academy that you can do from your home. This is much more intensive and something that you really need time to kind of dig into.
When people arrive at my workshops they always feel a little bit intrepid and a little bit nervous. So many people say, ‘oh I won't be very good at this,' but by the end they are proudly showing their work. This reminds me that what I'm doing is so correct - we need these little nuggets of creativity to balance our lives. For people to pick up these wooden blocks, apply a paint colour they love and make something is so great! I just love it. I hope they go away feeling as inspired as I do when I’ve taken the courses. Getting that schedule back and getting back on the road is the most exciting thing for me at the moment.
Visit Molly's website: mollymahon.com.
Molly's love letter to block printing, House of Print, is available for purchase in all major bookshops.
Read all of our Q&As over on L-Shaped.
There is no denying that antiques elevate our interiors in more ways than one. They connect us to the past and create unique spaces full of character. The often forgotten but equally important point is just how sustainable antiques are.
The fast furniture crisis
We spend a lot of time showing off our beautiful antiques here at Lorfords and too little time sharing how good for the planet they are. This may seem like an obvious statement, as antiques are in essence sustainable. And yet, in an age of climate consciousness around food, clothes and single-use plastic, the fast furniture crisis is on the backburner.
This doesn’t mean the crisis is not there, nor that it hasn't been exposed. A study commissioned by Antiques are Green found that a new piece of furniture lasts for an average of 15 years. Meanwhile, an antique piece of furniture is resold once every 30 years. This study concludes that the environmental impact of an antique piece is six times less than that of a new piece of furniture. Stark statistics indeed.
What is fuelling this crisis? Throwaway culture has become the norm. In 2019, the North London Waste Authority found that 22 million pieces of furniture are binned in the UK each year, with much of that going straight to landfill. Super low prices and the flatpack revolution have simply made it too easy for us. We’re on a conveyor belt of buying a piece of furniture, getting bored of it or it breaks, throwing it away and then buying another to replace it.
Conscious interior design
It’s not all bad though. A younger generation, the same age group we have labelled the ‘flatpack generation’ in years past, are waking up when it comes to their interiors. This is partly because they want to live an eco-friendly life and understand that fast furniture has a big impact on their carbon footprint.
But it is also because they are seeking soulful interiors – and the same can increasingly be said for all of us. The fast furniture culture resulted from modern living demands, the rent revolution and constantly changing fashions. The result was minimalist, functional… uniform.
The theory that such interiors aid our busy lives started to show cracks in lockdown. The Marie Kondo approach felt stark when our homes acted as a permanent base and refuge. This generation is seeking interiors with personality, character and soul. They want novel furniture and decorative pieces that provide a talking point. Our interiors are a reflection of us, so looking the same as everyone else isn’t cutting it anymore.
Why are antiques sustainable?
Antiques create more sustainable interiors - that's a fact. But why, exactly?
By definition
Antiques are one of the most forgotten forms of recycling, and yet one of the most obvious. To classify as an antique proper, an object must have survived for over 100 years. This is no mean feat and often a credit to the original craftsmanship. We already mentioned the statistic that antiques are resold every 30 years on average. They were crafted to last and be passed down through generations and that trend continues today.
Through materials and craft
Before the industrial revolution, cabinet-makers did everything by hand with a limited range of tools and techniques to hand. There was no MDF, nor any laminated chipboard.
Makers had to be invested in their product; if a piece fell apart after a few weeks, they would be the talk of their community – and not in a good way. There was a personal responsibility for good craftsmanship, a sense of ownership. It can feel like eco-consciousness is a relatively new development, but this is not the case. Back in the 19th Century individuals were striving to counteract the excess and waste of the industrial revolution.
One such pioneer was William Morris. His enduring mantra ‘have nothing in your home you do not believe to be beautiful or know to be useful,’ is more relevant than ever. The Arts & Crafts movement put moral responsibility back into furniture and interior design. Ernest Gimson made his Windsor chairs from ash, beech and elm sourced from local woodland. Given the fact that antique Windsor chairs are still very popular today, it is hard to get more sustainable than that.
It wasn’t just wooden furniture, either. Bamboo and rattan, both rapidly renewing plants, boomed from the Mid Century onwards. Leading designers of the age transformed them into stylish wicker furniture and homeware. Sustainable production certainly didn’t sacrifice style then, and it doesn’t now.
Through timeless appeal
Antiques are not bound by style, however. They are sustainable because they are not subject to the whims of fashion. Modern furniture companies jump on emerging trends and overhaul their collections when they are no longer fashionable. Antique and vintage designs, on the other hand, have a very enduring appeal. Take the iconic Chesterfield sofa, for example. Since its conception in mid 18th Century, the mighty button back has never been considered passé.
Likewise, a 17th Century oak refectory table has survived for over 300 years and lived to tell the tale. Such a piece may have characterful grooves and a deep aged patina, but its solid construction means it will likely go on for hundreds more. Aside from anything else, these are investment pieces. An antique dining table will serve you and probably your children and grandchildren too. It won't ask for much in return other than an occasional polish or reinforcement. A small price to pay, we think.
You need only flick through this month’s interiors magazines to see that we are moving in the right direction. Ethical sourcing and a ‘period meets contemporary' aesthetic are top of the agenda for an increasing number of interior designers. This sway is not only good for the planet, but for the end result. When you hire an interior designer, you don’t want them to present you with something akin to a department store showroom. You want something layered and lived in; this is what antiques provide in spades.
Making antiques work for you
For some, antiques feel too special, too majestic, for their lifestyle. But respecting antiques doesn't mean having no relationship with them. You can still be careful whilst making bold choices. We are seeing something of a ‘recovering revolution,’ whereby contemporary fabrics breathe new life into period pieces. This is a great way to adapt antiques to your taste. You might love the imposing proportions and design of a Victorian armchair, but the faded and dated covering? Not so much.
Part of the reason for the current throwaway culture is our reluctance to put a bit of work in. Less than 1 in 10 people are willing to repair an item to extend its life – a fact I’m sure would horrify our ancestors. Restoration and upcycling are not only satisfying, but they also connect you to your interiors in a personal way. If DIY is not for you, many talented experts are on hand to help. Read some tips for the amateur restorer from our in-house professional Dave.
The truth is there is a vast spectrum of antique and vintage pieces out there. Our collection offers something for every soul, from traditional Georgian furniture to cool vintage memorabilia. Not only are our pieces an antidote for flat interiors, but they are also an ethical choice. The best thing? There is no flatpack assembly involved.
Get inspired with our latest lookbook, 'The conscious interior.'
"We are storytellers and objects tell stories." During the lockdown, we caught up with Johnny Messum, founder of Messums Wiltshire. With galleries in Wiltshire, London, and Harrogate, Johnny is an unstoppable and innovative influence in the art world.
Q: How have Messums coped with the immense changes to the industry in the last year? What have you learned?
A: I have learned that you need to be responsive, open-minded, and willing to adapt. You also have to be comfortable with change - especially change that is not of your making. Otherwise, you'll end up in a dark place!
Q: What made you decide on the Tithe Barn for your Wiltshire location, and what was the biggest challenge in restoring this 13th Century building?
A: The building was completed in partnership with the Fonthill Estate, which in itself was a huge challenge for them. They had to source the oak and go through the stonework, as well as find the right volume of thatch needed. The barn is the largest thatched building in the country. Our challenge was to bring it back to life in terms of use, so we worked to create an interior architecture and to fit the building out so that it could be used as it is now for exhibitions, installations, and events.
Q: Messums is more than just a gallery, offering workshops and a restaurant too. Do you have any further plans in the near future?
A: Yes we do! Obviously, we went online in the interim period and that led to a really exciting platform for sharing information and creative solutions that we call Active Environmentalism. This has grown into a talk programme every Wednesday and an online meeting place for ideas and exploring creativity. In the meantime, we are investing in new exhibition spaces to help provide regionally focussed exhibition programming and, again, that wonderful stitchwork of community.
Instagram has provided access to so much art from historical to contemporary makers. This has been the access point for so many to engage with places and institutions they may never visit or know about.
Q: You opened a gallery in Harrogate in the summer of last year, what prompted that and why Yorkshire?
A: Yorkshire is home to a number of our artists and a source of their inspiration. It is also arguably underserved by the gallery sector, which felt like a gap in the market. Plus, the use of the high street is changing so much that it seems we may want to rethink how these works are offered.
Q: Do you think there is growing interest in all things handmade/ handcrafted? Why?
A: Yes there really is, for a myriad of reasons! Firstly, I don’t think that interest ever really went away, rather digital and tech caught the light and the imagination. However, that has just brought the importance of the hand into focus. We are storytellers and objects tell stories.
Q: Did you always know you would join the business started by your father, or did you have different plans?
A: I had wanted to sculpt and I had wanted to work in the landscape. I joined my father's business then left to set up in Wiltshire and beyond. We remain friends and work together.
Q: Messums has a big London presence, are you a city or a country man at heart?
A: Country! Although I am writing this from the heart of London and I'm reminded of all the brilliant things that go on in this currently closed city. We are all missing those.
Q: You also founded the New Fine Art Exchange. What motivated you to start this online platform?
A: I wanted to address and find a way to lower the transactional bar for objects by becoming a platform for these works. Also, reselling works is not an easy experience and our platform helps with the process when it comes to it.
If art, creativity, and the use of the hand are not taught we lose one of the most powerful means of non-verbal communication.
Q: Do you think the art world has more work to do to become more open and accessible?
A: I think we all have to keep working on both of these points. Within the art world, we have to remember that art really is for everyone. After all, we are a civilisation founded on our ability to create with our hands. Long before humans were writing, imagery was their means of communication. One of the main problems here is the disconnect in education. If art, creativity, and the use of the hand are not taught we lose one of the most powerful means of non-verbal communication. Objects tell stories, but if you were never taught the language it is hard to understand what someone is saying.
Q: What project are you proudest of? Why?
A: I'm not sure I am into pride in that way. All I see are problems, so I am probably most proud of the fact we haven't hit a huge pothole– yet!
Q: In your opinion, what was the most momentous period in art history?
A: The invention of Instagram. Instagram has provided access to so much art from historical to contemporary makers. This has been the access point for so many to engage with places and institutions they may never visit or know about.
Don’t put art in an obvious place, such as above the sofa - you will never see it. Put the work at a turning point, the wall in front of the door as you come in or the turn in the stairs. The bit by the fridge. These are the places you are more likely to look.
Q: When you bring a piece of art home, whether it’s an oil painting or a sculpture, what factors should you consider when it comes to where to hang or display the piece?
A: Scale - don’t go small. Or, if you do, choose smaller pieces and group lots of lots of them together. You can probably be 10% bigger than you think is 'appropriate’ because it will enhance the drama. Don’t put art in an obvious place such as above the sofa - you will never see it. Put the work at a turning point in your home. This could be the wall in front of the door as you come in or the turn in the stairs. Even the bit by the fridge. These are the places you are more likely to look.
Q: How do you go about choosing artists to exhibit through Messums? What are the key criteria?
A: Firstly, whether the work moves me. In my definition, this is a work that is ostensibly well-made and has a narrative that is insightful and empathetic to wider concerns. Then it's purely a question of - are they actually a person I want to spend time working with and working for? Often those two things go hand in hand.
Q: How do you unwind in your spare time?
A: It's better not to unwind, that is how you unravel! But I do love suppers and I do love running.
Q: What has been your best lockdown purchase? Why?
A: A pair of recyclable running shoes and an Ordnance Survey map, which is the best thing ever. You can plan visits to anywhere in the country in extraordinary detail and load in other people's suggestions of where to go.
Read all of our Q&As on L-Shaped.
Since the ancient world, we as humans have felt compelled to explore and document our natural surroundings. Over the course of a mere few centuries, revolution after revolution in printmaking produced botanical prints in a variety of forms. Not only do antique botanicals represent early scientific progress, but they also offer a stunning form of wall art.
Nature printing
We are always aware of our origins as hunter-gatherers. We once depended on our knowledge of the natural world to survive, and this has never truly dissipated. The earliest and most primitive forms of botanical prints date to the ancient world. From then until well into the Middle Ages, nature printing was invaluable for recording the medicinal value of different plants. Might this herb cure a fever, or serve as a death sentence?
This utilitarian purpose gave rise to nature printing. This simple practice uses the surface of a natural object, such as a leaf, to produce a print impression. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Codice Atlantico is well-known for his singular print of a sage leaf, along with instructions for nature printing. All that was required for this method was the beauty and detail presented by the natural world itself, an inky substance, and a receiving surface.
Colonial exploration
It wasn’t long before nature printing became entwined with evolving colonialism. As empires expanded and expeditions were sent further and further afield, knowledge of new species grew rapidly. In one instance, botanical printing was even harnessed to create paper money societies in American colonies.
In 1723, an ambitious 17-year-old boy arrived in Philadelphia to seek a career in printing. Benjamin Franklin was dissatisfied with the financial chaos he found in the city. Shrinking metal coinage was putting a halt to Philadelphia's economy. Franklin realised that this physical payment method could be replaced by little more than a promise. Amazingly, the founding father’s experiment worked. He circulated paper money throughout various states with great success. But paper money presented one major issue- counterfeiting.
Franklin was good friends with the talented botanical artist Jacob Breitnall. He was impressed by Breitnall’s very detailed drawings of leaves and flowers. The two worked out that, by transferring leaf images onto banknotes, each would have its own unique signature. And so, using different plants, Franklin transferred the images onto his paper money using the old technique of rolling ink onto a leaf and pressing the surface onto the banknotes.
The experiment worked, and the four colonies that used nature printed notes experienced far less counterfeiting than those which did not. In 1775, the Continental Congress authorised the creation of a new national currency.
Electrotyping: a revolution in nature printing
Contributions to nature printing came from far and wide, and perhaps the most seismic development occurred in Austria. Alois Auer became Director of the Austrian National Printing Office in 1841, and under his leadership, it became a centre of excellence in nature printing.
Auer kept the essential method of making an impression in a soft material. He first experimented with gutta-percha, a gum-like tree sap. His innovation was using electrotyping to create a duplicate copper printing plate and make many more copies of the print.
Electrotyping was a revolutionary technology at the time, as although it was quite laborious it meant that the number of copies that could be produced was infinite. When the quality of one copper printing plate started to deteriorate, a new one could be made.
Gutta-percha was still quite a messy material for creating the impression, like soft lead before it. Auer adapted the process further by using a rolling press in place of the gum. This method, whereby the specimen passes through plates of polished lead and steel, makes a cleaner impression to take an electrotyped copy from.
This new method was used extensively for large-scale botanical projects. Auer patented the process, but it wouldn’t go unrivalled…
Henry Bradbury
Henry Bradbury 'Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland' prints
The age-old case of the student becomes the master. Henry Bradbury, the son of an established British printer, was curious about developments over in Austria. He asked Auer if he could visit and learn about this new printmaking process. Auer showed Bradbury how electrotyping worked, perhaps in slightly too much detail, and the student mastered the technique.
Back in England, Bradbury took out his own patent on what he claimed to be a new and improved technique. Naturally, Auer argued it was essentially the same and a great deal of bad blood developed between the two.
In the midst of this dispute, Bradbury produced several stellar works- most notably The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland. This folio, edited by Thomas Moore, demonstrates the suitability of Bradbury’s method for reproducing ferns- an ever-popular topic for botanical prints. Regardless of who true credit is due to, both Alois Auer and Henry Bradbury made enormous contributions to the field.
Botanical engravings
Lots of botanicals in our collection come from folios of engravings. Original, highly detailed drawings were engraved using copper plates and hand-coloured afterwards. Surviving prints made this way date back as far as the early 17th Century. Engravings turned botanicals into a true art form, and these prints are some of the most stunning on the market.
Basilius Besler
Basilius Besler 'Hortus Eystettensis' engravings
Among the most collectible antique botanical illustrations are those of Basilius Besler. Besler was an eminent horticulturalist and botanist, who was personally responsible for the gardens of Bishop Johann Conrad in Eichstätt, Germany. Inspired by these majestic gardens, Besler commissioned a team of skilled artists and engravers to document the extensive plant life. The end result was his Hortus Eystettensis, 'the garden at Eichstätt.' This folio, published in Nuremberg in 1613, represents the earliest large botanical compendium.
The work took over sixteen years to complete and depicts over 1000 different plants. It covered everything from European flowers to the newly discovered tobacco plant. Besler first published the work in black-and-white, but some ‘special editions’ were hand-coloured by Georg Mack. Among the lucky later owners of these rare coloured examples was George III.
Surviving prints from Besler’s Hortus Eystettensis demonstrate why botanical printing was about far more than classification. The drawings are incredibly accurate and include the root delineations of each plant, and they also have great beauty and character. Hortus Eystettensis prints have a wonderful liveliness that reflects true passion on the behalf of the patron and artists.
Elizabeth Blackwell
Despite being better informed than their counterparts in the Middle Ages, there was still a great thirst for medicinal knowledge in the 18th Century. A young woman called Elizabeth Blackwell faced an uncertain future as her husband spent two years in debtors prison. She undertook a considerable challenge, looking to provide the first definitive handbook for medicinal plants. The first volume of A Curious Herbal was published in 1738 and included over 500 plates. Elizabeth engraved her drawings on copper plates, and then hand-coloured the works afterwards. Elizabeth turned to botanicals out of financial desperation, but her pain-staking care is a common trait in so many botanical artists. Hence why the results are so breath-taking.
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
Johann Weinmann engravings
Another vast collection of botanical engravings came from Johann Wilhelm Weinmann. Weinmann was a renowned apothecary in Regensburg and published his Pytanthoza Iconographia in 1737. The work includes no less than 1025 plates, depicting several thousand plant specimens in total. Detailed original paintings act as a source for engraving each plate. This monumental folio represents a near-complete record of all flowers, fruits, and vegetables cultivated in the early 18th Century. The colour revolution in botanical art happened around 1700, and Pytanthoza Iconographia represents the earliest example of multi-colour printing from a single plate. Weinmann's greatest asset was the young Georg Ehret, who was a major contributor to the work. Ehret used a new printing method, mezzotint, to produce lively and detailed images that he finished with hand-colouring. Ehret would eventually abandon the commission due to the rather measly payment he received.
Other botanical printing methods
Photo technology
We often underestimate how botanical studies were not just a matter for scientific gain, but also an absorbing hobby for many. During the late 19th Century, many young women spent long periods of time documenting plants. Seaweed and ferns were always major topics of interest.
In the mid 19th Century, a young Anna Atkins pioneered a new sort of printing - cyanotype - which made use of photo technology. Through her connections with the prolific Royal Society, she learned of a new photographic process under development- sun-printing. Sun-printing used acid, water, and sunlight, to create a print impression. This method, otherwise known as blue-printing, was particularly useful in architectural and engineering contexts.
However, Anna saw an opportunity to use sun-printing to create botanicals. Over the course of the 1840s and 50s, she produced two key works: British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, and Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flowering Plants and Ferns. These were pivotal works and the first likely represents the earliest publication of any form of photography. Anna's beautiful prints demonstrated the scientific and aesthetic power of this method.
Lithography
At the end of the 18th Century, the invention of lithography marked a seismic advance in printmaking. Lithographs rely on the basic premise that grease and water do not mix. It was actually the Bavarian playwright, Alois Senefelder, who stumbled across this simple concept. Senefelder found it difficult to reproduce his plays efficiently, so he experimented with different printing techniques. He hit the jackpot when he tried writing the play out in greasy ink and then printing it on a limestone surface.
Lithography took off in the 19th Century, presenting lots of advantages over previous methods. Because of the use of stone or another grained surface, it was possible to achieve far more variation in tone and texture. It also improved colour-printing, where one applies different colours to different stones and overprints them onto the same sheet.
Print-makers soon recognised the value of lithography for creating botanicals and it was particularly significant for colour differentiation. Whether the prints are originally black-and-white and later hand-coloured, or chromolithographs (printed in multi-colour), these results are vibrant, detailed and striking.
Styling antique botanical prints
We have seen botanical printing evolve from a utilitarian means to an end to a powerful academic resource. Not only do these prints represent a long history of scientific discovery, but they also have immense decorative power. You can hardly escape a wall of prints whilst flicking through an interiors magazine. Why are botanicals and other nature prints in particular so appealing?
We often talk about foliage and bringing the outside in, but this doesn’t always have to be literal. Fascinating botanical prints bring a sense of the natural world into our interiors, and prints will certainly last longer than a fresh bouquet! The magic of botanicals lies in the blending of art and science.
The styling opportunities for a set of prints are endless. Whether you have a full set of ferns or just a couple of floral engravings, botanicals are a wonderful decorative accent. Choose prints with subjects that appeal to you and a story that intrigues you.
The fundamental rule of collecting prints is to source ones you will enjoy looking at every day and to put them where you will see them the most. Create a staircase gallery wall you will walk past daily, or cluster them together at the end of a hallway. A larger set of framed prints is particularly useful when a room lacks an obvious focal point, such as a fireplace or a big window. Above a bed, a console, or a chest, colourful prints provide height and cohesion in a room.
The Lorfords collection
For centuries, botanical prints have appealed to physicians, scientists and gardeners alike. Those who contributed to the art, whether colonial explorers or pioneering women in science, have shaped its long and rich history.
Today, these studies of nature offer an important piece of history and an inspiring form of decoration. Prints from significant early botanical works are hard to come by, and we are lucky to have some special examples here at Lorfords. From vivacious Basilius Besler engravings to Henry Bradbury's revolutionary ferns, we are always excited by the botanical prints coming through our doors.
Looking at the prints themselves is by far the best way to understand the history of botanical illustration. You can browse our current collection of botanical prints here, and all prints and engravings here. Our lookbook, 'Where science meets art,' offers all the inspiration you could need for decorating with prints.
The English country house is one of the most enduring and celebrated styles in the interior design lexicon. This scheme is hard to pin down because it doesn’t follow a fixed set of rules. Nonetheless, its powerful influence is blatant at every turn - whether you are conscious of it or not.
The country house interior is full of paradoxes. It feels quintessentially English, yet an American developed the scheme. The country house style is far from limited to England and celebrates cultures all over the world. Even the term ‘country’ house is no longer defining. In our recent interview with Turner Pocock, the interior design duo observed that this style is now as sought after for decorating London townhouses as it is for country piles.
Country house rooms are vibrant yet refined. They are curated yet lawless. Spaces look beautiful, yet they are inviting and comfortable. These wonderfully juxtaposed layers define the English country house interior.
A new English style is born
Grand English interiors often feel as old as time, which is an integral part of their charm. It is one of this scheme's great ironies of this scheme, then, that the style was only formally realised in the early 20th Century. The new approach to interiors glorified an old rural golden age and was the culmination of interwar sentiment. The bare bones of the style date back further, of course, with Georgian interiors laying the foundations. The stage was already set, but we owe one American lady an enormous debt for bringing the country house style to the fore.
Nancy Lancaster and the Colefax effect
In the 1940s, an American heiress was busy forging valuable connections in Britain. Nancy Lancaster was a prolific socialite who felt such a strong affiliation with England that she renounced her American citizenship in 1948. It was in this same year that she bought Colefax & Fowler, London’s leading interior decorating studio at the time. Together with John Fowler, Nancy began to spread the country house style through English interiors.
Lancaster herself inherited several properties that she wanted to respectfully maintain but also move on to suit her own tastes. Her innate flair for interiors became obvious through her work on her homes, those of friends, and those of Colefax clients. Nancy seized old English tropes and injected fun and imagination into them. Design movement was one of her key principles. For her, it was important that a room felt lived in and had space to evolve. This timeless feel became absolutely integral to the country house look.
Nancy Lancaster was not the architect of the English country house style. In fact, there wasn't one. Rather, numerous factors contributed to the style's evolution over centuries. The heiress, however, was the major facilitator needed to bring the style to the fore. Her key contribution was making the English home comfortable. She brought American luxuries like carpeted floors and central heating to grand old mansions, without detracting from their authentic value.
Colefax & Fowler shot to new prominence under Lancaster’s direction. She and John were a design force to be reckoned with and the company’s reputation flourished. Colefax & Fowler decorated Chequers and the Audience Room at Buckingham Palace, to name a few iconic interiors.
Key ingredients in the country house style
This interior style does not abide by any fixed rules and celebrates individualism. However, a certain essence makes the scheme feel familiar and recognisable. Comfort and easy living are integral; not only should a country house interior appear lived in- it should also BE lived in. The result is inevitably slightly dishevelled which is very much part of the charm- something John Fowler called ‘pleasing decay.’ Perhaps the reason this approach to interiors remains so unerringly popular is its forgiving nature. The house should feel like a home as opposed to a showroom. Parties, children, and dogs are all welcome.
Pull up a seat
Classic deep-seated upholstery of the sort that rose to prominence in the 19th Century is front and centre of country house interiors. Antique frames from the Queen Anne, Georgian and Victorian periods still appeal today, often upgraded with fresh upholstery. More is more, and you needn't limit upholstery to living areas. A cosy armchair in the bedroom provides a classic country home feel. In general, a range of seating of all shapes and sizes is key to crafting a welcoming space.
Classic antique pieces are the bread and butter of an English country house interior. Commodes, chest furniture, large cabinets, and other such timeless pieces provide useful storage and a traditional look. Layering time periods is key, and antiques will take pride of place in any successful scheme to make it feel established. Indeed, inherited possessions were at the core of these interiors when they first emerged. Country house interiors shouldn't feel like a showhome where you have carefully planned and sourced. Acquire pieces that you love and when it comes to styling them mismatching will only add to their charm.
Bookcases often form the architecture of a country house living or drawing room. Whether it’s a majestic breakfront piece, built-in shelves, or a matching pair of low-lying cabinets, bookcases are indispensable for achieving this look. Besides providing a beautiful piece of furniture, having treasured books and collectables close at hand and on display gives the country house its lived-in look.
Embrace the quirky, niche, and eccentric
Certainly one of the best things about the English country house style is its room for personality and eccentricity. Nancy Lancaster herself saw this as crucial: 'One needs light and shade because if every piece is perfect the room becomes a museum and lifeless.' Indeed, the origins of country house style were in florals, chintz, and china. For some, these details now feel dated and passé. However this is an unapologetic style, and there is plenty of room for ‘Granny chic.’ We all have antiques or collectables that we love in spite of them being a bit ‘kitsch.’ Souvenirs from our travels, our grandparents’ silver, Staffordshire pottery, an old family portrait… this maximalist interior scheme embraces it all and is better for it.
Much of the success of this scheme is in the details. Whether it’s a ball and claw foot, a fabulous gilded frame with the red bole showing through, or the blue and white patterns of a ginger jar, these decorative and intriguing accents draw the eye and make a space feel exciting.
Colour and pattern
The English country house style is far from drab and dreary; it is actually often daring and eclectic. When Nancy Lancaster bought a set of rooms above Colefax & Fowler on London’s Avery Row in the 1950s, John Fowler encouraged her to paint the drawing room bright yellow. The famous ‘Yellow Room’ set the tone for grand living rooms and is far from dull. Floral fabrics, plentiful wall art, and opulent chandeliers all complement the yellow beautifully. Colour has always been at the heart of the English country house style and it is becoming even more prominent in today's interiors.
Statement antiques, upholstery, bright colours, and due prominence to books and collections. The final key ingredient in this scheme is textiles. Not only do they bring colour and pattern to rooms, but textiles also give the English country house its crucial homely feel.
Rugs, runners, and carpets are vital for rooms with wooden or stone floors. There’s an increasing urge to bring far-flung destinations into our homes at the moment and fabrics are a brilliant way to achieve this. Our collection includes Swedish flatweaves, beautiful kilims, and vast carpet rugs.
Bedrooms ought to be the most comfortable and welcoming spaces in the home. Soften a traditional four-poster bed with antique linens galore- maximalism is the only way with furnishings. Pillows, quilts, bedspreads, and throws will make a bedroom feel charming and loved. Blending plenty of materials helps to achieve the layered tapestry that typifies an English country interior.
Make the English country house style your own
Contemporary designers have grabbed the reigns of the English country house style and are steering it in a new direction. The essence of the style will likely stand forever, but it's sufficiently versatile to welcome new interpretations. These adaptations and variations on this scheme reflect the powerful appeal of country house interiors and the desire to make them work with modern requirements.
Those who wish to live a less cluttered life can pare this style back and go for fewer but just as impactful pieces. When styling a smaller house or apartment, colourful paint, gallery walls and sconces will bring character whilst saving space. However, don’t fear large statement pieces either because playing with scale can transform a space. When it comes to bringing colour and vibrancy, the outdoors is your untapped resource. Bringing foliage and flowers indoors has a transformative effect on an interior.
Whilst grand English houses may have provided the original canvas for this style, today it is achievable in pretty much any home. This versatility is a testament to the design ideals at the heart of the country house style. It encourages fun and colour, it mixes historical pieces with new influences, and it reflects our human nature to seek joy and comfort.
Get inspired with our lookbook, 'Life well lived.'
Aristocratic in conception as well as appearance, the Chesterfield sofa has become one of the most instantly recognisable furniture designs in history. There's a great story surrounding its origins, although as with all legends the evidence is anecdotal at best.
Lord Philip Stanhope, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773), supposedly commissioned the first Chesterfield sofa. Lord Stanhope was in many ways the ultimate gentleman; a renowned writer, politician, public speaker, and all-around wealthy aristocrat.
Unsurprisingly, then, he was something of a trendsetter. The Earl desired a sofa that a gentleman could sit on without creasing his suit. He employed a local craftsman to come up with something to fit this brief, and the result was a very early version of the Chesterfield sofa we know and love today.
Whilst no historical documents directly testify to this, the Earl was famous for writing two works: Letters to his Son and Letters to his Godson. These letters essentially detailed how to operate in society; how to flatter, please, impress, and such-like. Ironically, Stanhope's son is reported to have embodied quite the opposite of these traits, but nonetheless, these works demonstrate the Earl's keen interest in being the perfect gentleman.
The Chesterfield evolution
We recognise Chesterfields for their tall back, finished at the same height as scrolling armrests, and deep buttoned upholstery. Early Chesterfields had no suspension system and tufting kept the horsehair stuffing in place instead. Tufting involved tightly pulling the upholstery back and securing it in place, creating the well-known 'buttoned down' look. On early Chesterfields, this buttoning was far from comfortable and felt very stiff and tough. According to the story, Lord Stanhope actually requested this discomfort himself. He wished to deter unwanted guests from waiting for an audience with him for too long.
In Victorian Britain, the Chesterfield evolved to look more like the design we know and love today. Comfort was increasingly seen as a priority, especially after Howard & Sons invented coil-sprung upholstery in the early 1800s. The integral design feature of a Chesterfield, the buttoning, has endured remarkably. This iconic look feels both traditional and fashionable, preventing a 'slouchy' sofa feel. The depth and texture of the buttoning keep the eye entertained whilst giving the sofa a sturdiness. Wealthy families rushed to incorporate a Chesterfield into their homes, often coordinating its leather or velvet upholstery with luxurious surroundings. These iconic sofas then migrated into gentleman’s clubs and hotel lobbies, and the Chesterfield firmly established itself as a classic.
Chesterfields have long stood for sophistication and luxury, and they still represent these ideals today. They are instantly recognisable when you walk into a room, and yet they can suit a wide range of interior styles. They look equally at home in an industrial loft-style apartment as they do in a polished drawing room. Their seminal design and effortlessly cool appearance make them a staple of the interior design world.
Click here to browse the Chesterfields in our collection.
He was the creator of era-defining textiles, a writer whose ground breaking ideas forever changed how we think about our homes and, according to a recent study, a peddler of poisonous wallpaper. “Antiques Roadshow” expert Chris Yeo asks “Will the real William Morris please stand up?”
When William Morris (1834-1896) died at the age of sixty-two, his physician declared that the cause was "simply being William Morris, and having done more work than most ten men." We know him best for his easy-on-the-eye textiles with their scrolling leaves and biscuit cutter birds. The designer of patterns such as Willow Bough and Strawberry Thief, his is the face that launched a thousand National Trust tea towels. We probably think that that’s all there is to know about Morris: move along, nothing more to see here, but we’d be wrong. This multi-faceted man was at one time or another (and sometimes simultaneously) a designer and manufacturer of furniture, wallpaper and fabrics, stained glass, and tapestries; an accomplished weaver; successful businessman; a pioneering preservationist; an active Socialist and social reformer; a successful poet and novelist; and in his last years, the founder of the Kelmscott Press. We see him in photographs with tousled hair and wild, unkempt beard; part Byron, part Marx. His passionate belief that everyone should surround themselves with beauty revolutionised the way we think about our homes and his influence went well beyond these shores. If these days he’s known as a pattern designer in his own lifetime he was actually better known for his writing. Morris was a revolutionary force in Victorian Britain – the original Angry Young Man whose rages against the shortcomings and injustices of the world changed the fashions and ideologies of the era but is life was filled with paradoxes. He was obsessed with the medieval, but he also had a socialist vision of the future. He’s considered by many to be the spiritual Godfather of modern Socialism and a champion of worker rights yet he died a multi-millionaire and was a part owner of the world’s largest arsenic mine. Will the real William Morris please stand up?
Morris was born in Walthamstow, east London in 1834. The financial success of his broker father led to the family moving in 1840 to Woodford hall, a large house in rural Essex, as well as providing young William with an inheritance large enough to mean he would never have to concern himself with the tedious business of earning an income. Morris enjoyed an idyllic childhood growing up in the countryside, exploring local parkland and churches and immersing himself in the novels of Walter Scott, helping him develop an affinity with the natural world and historical romance. William was a privileged boy, but had a mind of his own. He a was forced to leave Marlborough College in 1851 following a “rebellion” but still made it to Exeter College, Oxford in 1853. He first planned to become a clergyman but, following a trip to northern France and inspired by the gothic architecture he saw, opted for architecture. Morris was a rebel by nature and one, very much, with a cause: ugliness. We all know his famous dictum Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. For Morris this was nothing short of a battle cry against poor taste. What started him on his crusade was what he saw as the sheer tackiness of the Great Exhibition in 1851. This colossal event, staged in the specially built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, had been intended to display the best of British manufacturing, a dazzling showcase for the Workshop of the World. For Morris it was neo-Renaissance, neo-everything nightmare of poor design and shabby art. Tales of the teenage Morris’s visit to the Crystal Palace are legion and range from the strange to the ridiculous – my favourite being that Morris was so appalled by the poor taste on show that he staggered from the building and was sick in the bushes.
For Morris shoddiness was a punishable offence; ‘Shoddy is King’ he railed, ‘From the statesman to the shoemaker, everything is shoddy’. From that point on he dedicated his life to creating useful and beautiful objects for the modern home.
While working in Oxford Morris had a chance meeting with a local stableman's daughter, Jane Burden. Consciously flouting the rules of class, Morris married Jane in 1859. Morris and Jane moved into Red House, their home in rural Kent, the following year. Morris wanted his home to be a ‘small palace of art’ Unhappy with what was on offer commercially, spent the next two years furnishing and decorating the interior with help from members of their artistic circle. And what friends: Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabrielle Rosetti, Ford Maddox Brown. As George Martin was to the Beatles, so Morris was to the Pre-Raphaelites; the unofficial eighth member. It was at Red House that Morris began to find his forte - he was, in truth, an abysmal architect and a lousy painter, but he had an affinity with interiors. At heart, he was a pattern-maker, taking his inspiration from the English countryside to create the patterns that made him famous. Having decided to branch into textiles, he apprenticed himself to a dyer's workshop in order to "learn the practice of dying at every pore" even going as far as grinding his own pigments. Over the course of two decades Morris produced over 600 chintzes, woven textiles and hand-blocked wallpapers. They were distinctive for their soft, flat colours, their stylised natural forms, their symmetry and their sense of order. His patterns were revolutionary at the time, and quite at odds with prevailing mainstream fashion.
Having gained a taste for interiors, and the experience of 'joy in collective labour', Morris and his friends decided in 1861 to set up their own mega-design partnership: Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co, later re-named Morris and Company, but nicknamed ‘The Firm’ by William. It was virtually a Pre-Raphaelite co-operative with £1 share contributions from Burne-Jones, Rosetti and Brown. From its London headquarters the Firm issued a selection of carefully crafted household items, painted furniture, metalwork, pottery, carpets and cushions. All were guaranteed to have been created by an expert hand using artisanal – the word still meant something – methods.
Morris was a radical thinker of his day; a prolific poet, author, publisher, campaigner and socialist reformer; “Apart from the desire to produce beautiful things, the leading passion of my life has been and is hatred of modern civilization”, he said. By the 1860s skilled workmanship was being replaced by machines. He was a dedicated socialist, and wrote passionately about the growing gap between rich and poor, which had been intensely accelerated by industrialisation. Morris saw salvation in a return to a medieval craft-based society, one where happy, contended workers would produce objects with integrity. If this is sounding at all familiar we need only look to the nearest artisan hipster baker or be-whiskered craft brewer. Although Morris preached passionately for the return of the medieval craft ethic, his objection was – contrary to what you’re likely to read elsewhere - not so much to machine production as to poor workmanship. He loathed mass-production but understood its place in society. In fact his first registered design was a trellis of African marigolds for machine-made linoleum. William Morris lino, who would have guessed?
The most ironic aspect of Morris’s aims was that, although he aimed to make good design available to all (‘I do not want art for the few, any more than freedom for the few…’), ultimately his own furnishings — made painstakingly by hand using the best natural materials — were typically too expensive for anyone but the wealthy industrialists Morris hated.
Morris was a founding father of the Socialist movement and a champion of workers’ rights. He campaigned against many things, banning arsenic in wallpaper was not one of them. Arsenic was a major component in wallpaper manufacture and by the 1870s, when Morris was at the height of his fame, its ill effects were becoming well-known. Morris inherited his fortune from an arsenic mine in which he still held stock for a number of years. By the 1870s, the Morris family’s Devon mine was reportedly producing over half the world’s supply of arsenic. And while he did ultimately divest his interests in the company, questions on Morris’s apparent hypocrisy—and why he never actually visited these notoriously bad workplaces—casts something of a shadow over his right-on credentials.
Happily, this is the Lorfords blog, so we can leave the politics at the door. In design terms William Morris was a true visionary whose influence was felt well-beyond his own lifetime. With his hands-on philosophy he pioneered the idea of the artist-craftsman and his designs helped to lay the foundations for the modern movement. Today, we find ourselves returning to many of Morris’s preoccupations with craft skills and the environment, with local sourcing and vernacular traditions. But perhaps his greatest legacy was his avowed belief that, rich or poor, male or female, aesthetic beauty should be a central feature of everybody’s life and home.