Win a Patternologist voucher worth £85.00

We’re really excited to be teaming up with The Patternologist this month. We share a passion for nature and the outdoors and the desire to bring it into the home.

Dawn, the creative force behind the company, describes herself as a ‘Biophilic Artist’; she expresses her creative principles thus:

I felt the urge to dig deeper beyond the idea of just knowing I love being in nature I wanted to discover the ‘Why’ I felt that knowing ‘why’ could add another dimension to my designs, combining my love of art with nature feels so natural and perfect to me…

Biophilia acts as the will behind conserving our planet – by destroying the source of food and clean air, water, and land, we are destroying ourselves. We have an innate understanding of the importance of nature – E. O. Wilson, 1984

The Patternologist creates a range of linen and velvet items in a number of patterns inspired by the natural world. For instance, the brand new line – titled Little Owl – is a beautiful composition in inky blue and silvery white of little owls in moonlit woodland.

It was inspired by Dawn observing the unfolding fledging process of a real life owlet from its oak tree nest.

The ranges are all available as cushions, lampshades and wall art (which is printed onto wood) – you could bring together different pieces from the same collection or mix & match the various patterns.

To enter, please tell us about your favourite ways of enjoying nature.

The competition is open to all – any age and internationally… good luck!

A Patternologist voucher worth £85.00

Designer Desire: Sven Fristedt

Sven Fristedt is one of the most successful and prolific textile designers to come out of Sweden in the mid-20th century.

Since the mid-1960s, Sven Fristedt has designed dozens of fabric designs; primarily for IKEA and Borås Wäfveri. He began at Borås in 1965 and remained there until 1990, acting as the factory’s artistic leader between 1975 and 1977. Plexus, (the design is shown above – a repeating starburst-type pattern) which was the company’s first silk-screen print was also his first commercial design. It proved to be hugely successful. Amongst his other output for the company include Frutto, Frots i trädgården, Mitt Zoo, Oppo, Ormen, Pompelona and Päråna.

He designed for IKEA from 1968 to 1985 as is responsible for design lines such as ALFI, GLADA BLAS, MYRTEN and SKYAR.

In 2013, he collaborated with Hemtex, producing a gorgeous design with a repeating pear motif.

In a 2014 interview with the magazine, Scandinavian Retro, he shared:

Naturally I was influenced by others. Marimekko did fantastically dramatic things, and Josef Frank did some great pieces for Svenskt Tenn. I discovered the designer Ken Scott at a trade fair in Milan. He designed some really beautiful patterns for Falconetto… I am surprised about how many good things I did, at least there’s nothing I’m ashamed of.

Because they were produced in such large runs, his designs are readily available on eBay and Etsy.

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Additional image credits:

Bukowskis

Towels with a twist

We were sent a bale of grey towels from the Zero Twist Towels range from The Towel Shop. We’d collaborated with them previously and were really impressed with the quality of their products.

They’re made from 100% cotton and include face cloths, hand towels, bath towels and bath sheets; all available in a range of 5 colours. The ‘zero twist’ feature gives the towels an added layer of softness.

As well as the towels, we received a super-soft bathrobe and absorbent bath mat in tonal grey shades.

There’s pretty piping detail on the sleeves and patch pockets and you can choose to have a shawl or hooded collar. The bathrobe is available in 3 sizes and 4 colours.

The colour is perfect for our spare bedroom, so we’re keeping them for when guests come to stay.

What’s inside Rebecca’s Cupboard?

Hello, and welcome to our last competition of 2019 – where did the year go? This month, we have a kitchen textile bundle that’s worthy of a domestic goddess… or god, for that matter!

The set – that comes complements of printmaker, Kate Guy – comprises an organic cotton tea towel, tote bag and apron in Kate’s gorgeous Rebecca’s Cupboard design.

Kate explains the inspiration behind her Rebecca’s Cupboard print:

The design is a linocut print I made of a friend’s kitchen shelves, she lives in the South of France and is an excellent cook. They grow a lot of their own produce and so she also makes lots of preserves and pickles. They have a small vineyard and make their own wine and grape juice, her husband is a keen forager; always coming home with wild mushrooms, asparagus and other local delicacies in season. Her daughter keeps bees and makes her own honey and her son is a keen fisherman, often providing a fresh wild caught trout for the lunch table. This rustic idyll is captured in this print.

If you’d love to win the bundle, tell us in our comments section below who tackles the kitchen chores in your house.

Rebecca’s Cupboard kitchen textile bundle

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: textiles

Win a Patternologist voucher worth £85.00

Designer Desire: Sven Fristedt

Towels with a twist

What’s inside Rebecca’s Cupboard?