Friendly Folk

‘Friendly Folk’ is a versatile fabric from my collection for Andrew Martin. The design was inspired by a collection of Late Medieval tapestries which I saw on a visit to Charterhouse in London. It was fascinating to see these magical creatures hiding behind leaves and under hedgerows. That was the start of the idea, to give them new life in a contemporary world.

In the Suffolk Suite at Haymarket Hotel, ‘Friendly Folk’ in basil green on the curtains is in good company with ‘Hedgerow Quince’ on the blinds and cushions.

The pictorial curtains have a whimsical yet simple leading rick rack edge in a fresh white. These tapestry scenes bring our love of folklore and the lyricism of rural land into a contemporary London setting.

In the one bedroom suite at the Crosby Street Hotel, we used ‘Friendly Folk’ in Melon Orange on curtains and cushions in the drawing room. This reverse colour-combination adds a freshness to the warm room, upholstered in a Casamance orange fabric. We added a solid orange trim on both the curtains and cushions to create a frame around the fabric. Combined with Lewis & Wood’s ‘Tribal’ fabric in Limpopo green on the sofas and my ‘Loom Weave’ design for Christopher Farr Cloth on the tub chairs, there is a sense of harmony and nature in this spacious suite.

‘Friendly Folk’ is also used on the walls of the bedroom, combined with block colour woollen fabrics on the headboard. The rich autumnal tones are echoed in the Pierre Frey weave on the armchair.

In the Terrace Suite at The Whitby Hotel, we used ‘Friendly Folk’ on both the curtains and the chairs placed in front of a view of the New York Skyline. Both the city and the countryside play equal roles in creating this striking scene. The rolling hills in this fabric contrast and compliment the contemporary concrete and glass.

The walls in the drawing room are lined in my ‘Wychwood’ design. Placing a positive and negative pattern beside each other in similar hues is an easy way to create an impactful and cohesive space. We’ve contrasted the green in this scheme with pinks to add warmth, echoed in the colourful ‘By Way’ rug from Wilton Carpets to tie everything together.

The beautifully framed Grisaille painting adds a traditional twist.

I love seeing the different ways my fabrics are used, especially when they are recreated in an artwork. It was a joy to see ‘Friendly Folk’ cushions on the checked Bergeres chairs in this painting by Gwenda McDougall, titled ‘Maison Jacques’. This interior portrait, also known as a zimmerbild, is rich in colour but my favourite subjects are the naughty and inquisitive dogs peeping out from the French windows and under the chair. Let’s not forget our favourite Staffordshire dog lamp on the commode.

Every living space should have elements to capture the imagination and enchant, I hope you are just as enchanted by these mythical scenes as we are.