There is something wonderfully evocative about a brushstroke. A line made by hand carries a certain looseness and warmth; it tells you that someone, somewhere, has taken the time to make a mark. Puff, from the Kit Kemp x Andrew Martin Harvest Moon collection, captures that feeling in a delicate arrangement of hand-drawn horizontal strokes. Available in Orange, Rust, Rain, Spring and Yellow, the design has an easy, painterly quality that brings colour and character to a room without ever feeling too considered.
It is the irregularity that makes Puff so appealing. Nothing is quite uniform, yet everything feels beautifully balanced. Across a wall, the brush marks have the romance of painted decoration; gathered into curtains, they become softer and more fluid; on a cushion or lampshade, they offer a small flourish of pattern and colour. In this room at The Soho Hotel, Puff in Rain wraps the walls in a quiet, washed blue, creating a serene backdrop for the richer colours and layers of pattern throughout the room.
At Residence 19 at Ham Yard Hotel, Puff in Orange tells a warmer story, its earthy terracotta tone lending the apartment a sense of intimacy and ease. Together, the two spaces reveal the versatility of the design: cool and understated in one setting, rich and enveloping in another.
There is a particular romance to Puff on a wall. Its loose, hand-drawn lines have the spontaneity of a brush moving across paper, while their gentle repetition gives the pattern a pleasing rhythm. It feels decorative without being overly formal, allowing paintings, textiles and collected pieces to sit naturally against it. The result is a wall that feels less like a backdrop and more like part of the room’s story.
On the curtains in the Drawing Room at The Soho Hotel, Puff becomes more fluid. The lines shift gently as the fabric gathers and falls, creating a changing pattern from one fold to the next. By day, the design catches the light; as evening draws in, the colours become richer and the room takes on a softer, more atmospheric feel. The same fabric on a lampshade feels more intimate still. A small pool of pattern takes on a golden glow once illuminated, casting a gentle warmth that draws the eye and adds another layer of atmosphere as evening falls.
Cushions offer a more relaxed introduction to the design and sit particularly well among the happy mix of patterns, florals, stripes and textured plains that give a room its character. A cushion in one of the stronger colours can pick out a shade from elsewhere in the scheme, while the loose brushwork prevents the combination from feeling too neat. Mixed across different shapes and sizes, the pattern has a pleasing informality: the sort of detail that looks as though it has gathered there over time.
Perhaps the loveliest quality of Puff is its ability to change with its surroundings. On a wall, it has presence; at a window, it becomes animated; gathered around a lamp or scattered across a sofa, it becomes something altogether more intimate. Its hand-drawn quality brings a little imperfection into the room, and with it, a sense of personality.
Puff is a pattern with a light touch: painterly, unfussy and full of quiet charm. It has just enough character to make itself noticed, and just enough restraint to let everything around it shine.