So how do you like your sofa?  Bright, colourful, with bold splashes of pattern, or tonal, elegant and serene?  We’ve got a few ideas here for you to see how it’s done, whatever your style.

Maximalist

Image credit @the_dovecote_nest | Featuring our Ginkgo leaf Side Table & Gold Beetle Wall Decor

This hot pink velvet sofa is a maximalists delight.  Big bold patterns and plenty of vibrant colours going on there.  The two front cushions match, just in different colourways and the back two cushions match in a unifying mustard colour that picks up on the colours in the room scheme and the other cushions. So, maximalist yes, but in a considered way.

Clash with Panache

Image credit Audenza| Featuring our Flamingo Table Lamp, Zebra Vase, Sunburst Pendant

Amelia’s sofa is what we like to call ‘clash with panache’ in that it has two clashing patterned cushions at the front that don’t tie in with or each other, or the rest of the room.  To calm this down and create some sense of order the two back cushions in hot pink tie it all together as they pick up on the colours in the room.

Tonal

Image credit @paintthetownpastel

If you prefer a calming ordered scheme tonal is the way forward.  Just make sure you mix lots of textures for interest.  Bright pink with pops of lilac give this room a fun invigorating look.  The cushions are in all the shades of pink possible, and all different shapes and sizes, but it works so well by keeping to a common theme and toning in with the sofa.

Image credit Swoon Worthy | Featuring our Leopard Print Goat Fur Cushion Cover

By layering a muted pink throw on this deep burgundy sofa it grounds the muted pink and neutral coloured cushions for a calming serene style.  The whole room is in tonal colours apart from the sofa for a very relaxed feel.

Ordered Simplicity

Image credit @the_dovecote_nest | Featuring our Ginkgo leaf Side Table

Ordered simplicity is the art of keeping it simple – something, I personally, am not capable of!  But this beautiful colourful room achieves it.  Two sets of matching cushions, two to tone in with the sofa and two for a colour clash – perfect.

Image credit @home_onthecorner | Featuring our Antique Bronze Palm Leaf Table Lamp

Another set of four cushions, two that match the sofa and two patterned that tone in.  Perfect simplicity with the black and white gallery wall behind for drama.  So, for striking simplicity the motto is two matching cushions either end.

Layered Cosiness

Image credit @layered.home

Don’t you just want to sink yourself into this amazingly cosy looking sofa?  Layers of textured cushions in shades of pink and mustard that contrast with the teal sofa.  The addition of the mustard throw really sets the scene for layered cosiness that invites you in.  You can just imagine sinking into the cushions and wrapping the throw around you.  And two fabulous star shaped cushions for a hit of quirkiness.

Asymmetric

Image credit @kate_rose_morgan

And last, but certainly not least, this eye popping candy coloured room with its gorgeous blue velvet sofa.  Just three cushions – that’s all it takes to make this fabulous display.  Three quirky cushions mind!  With the colours picking up those of the gallery wall behind.  The asymmetrical layout really works, and mirrors the table display with its random layout.  Best styled in odd numbers for that slightly unbalanced feel that makes it work.

I’ve just ordered a new sofa for my front room – pink velvet – so lush.  Not coming until the end of January mind so I think there is plenty of time for the cushion search.  I really love the asymmetrical sofa but I know three cushions will not do it for me so I think it will be more along the lines of layered cosiness.  Plenty of ideas here to wet the appetite anyway.  So have a browse of our range of cushions, and happy sofa styling!

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Obviously 10 animal print fabrics to lust over is only a taster of what’s out there but still, it’s a tasty selection to start you off with and get you exploring.

[Gifted*] Let’s start with a stunner, so says Amelia who has chosen this one (and which has very kindly been gifted) for her sitting room roman blinds in a fabulous cerise colour – all of which will be revealed in a future blog post when Amelia finally finishes the room! Cheetah by Mathew Williamson for Osborne & Little is a small-scale pattern that lets the colours do the shouting, available in a choice of seven colours, and perfect for when you don’t want the pattern to dominate the room. Osborne & Little is a well-loved British brand known for their collaboration with high end designers.

Inky Leopard Velvet Fabric, by Avalana Design, is a beautifully rendered ink and watercolour print that glows in navy, sapphire and smoke grey velvet. Avalana is a new Manchester based brand launched in summer 2018, with all the products made in the UK. It’s always nice to support small independent companies and it also means you are getting something that bit more exclusive.

This Giraffe print fabric by Charlotte Jade, from their Into the Wild Collection, is a bold design that comes in 2 colourways. It’s always easier to visualize a fabric in your own home when you can see it in situ on a product. Again another British brand, founded by artist Charlotte O’Reilly in 2015, with all products made in the UK.

If you are looking for a design that features exotic animals as opposed to just the pattern, then Faunacation by Divine Savages is a hot contender, featuring lush tropical foliage and big cats. Bold and brave, but then with a name like Divine Savages you would expect something a little different! Founded in London in 2016 by husbands Jamie Watkins and Tom Kennedy, they bring a twist of the unexpected to interiors.

Gosh, what a deliciously gorgeous chair – much more inspiring than a fabric swatch! From Rebecca J Mills’, ‘Falling for – Magic’ is in a soft feel velvet, in subtle shades of blue and pink, that drapes beautifully and is available as fabric, lamp shade and cushions. A small British brand with all products made in the UK.

Ocelot Noir by Clarke & Clarke is a fabulous print that this photo does not do justice to. Amelia has a sample of this and it really is far more desirable in the flesh. Available in several colourways, it has a lovely sheen to the finish that shouts to be stroked. Also, it looks quite similar to a House of Hackney print, but at half the price it’s a more affordable option.

Another Charlotte Jade print, this time featuring thoughtful looking zebras. Not just the preserve of children anymore these wonderful creatures would look amazing on an armchair for a really eye-catching statement piece, although not for the more conservative amongst you!

Blush Pink Giraffe Velvet by Anna Hayman is a beautifully reinterpreted giraffe print from a small design company that are happy to adapt either the scale, or palette of a design, to suit your interior needs. Anna creates prints the old fashioned way, using linocuts which are then digitally printed. She describes her work as “sixties cum thirties with a cool chic edge”.

Onda Fushcia is an exciting reinterpretation of the zebra stripe from Clarke & Clarke. Available in 13 colourways there has to be one here to wet your appetite for an animal print.

House of Hackney doesn’t need an introduction really, does it? It’s a brand that inspires and delights, at a cost! ‘Wild Card’, a reimagining of leopard print looks so cool as matching wallpaper and curtains – a great way to have a small scale pattern base for exotic and original interiors. Load on the pattern with furniture and accessories for drama, or keep it simple and monochromatic for sleekness.

So, what do you think of animal print fabrics? Is it lust or loath for you? Certainly a trend that requires some subtlety, I think. Maybe you’re ahead of the game and you have a window, or a chair or two, in animal prints. I’m limited with windows as I have shutters at the front and fairly new roman blinds at the back, but I couldn’t resist a few velvet leopard print cushions to jazz up my gorgeous green sofa. With so many extravagant designs out there, happy animal print hunting!

Jacqui x

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*Gifted – the Cheetah print fabric has very kindly been gifted by Osborne & Little for Amelia’s living room project.

And to quote Julie Andrews ‘These are a few of my favourite things’ all rolled into one……. things being textiles, velvets, cushions, colour and nature.  The landscape of Scotland being another one of my favourite things, I was instantly drawn to these beautiful and evocative velvet cushions photographed here on an amazing green velvet settee in The Pink House (another stylish Edinburgh based lady).

There’s currently a flash sale on all Mairi’s beautiful cushions (ending 28.02.17), so do take a browse here >>

The Mairi Helena collection incorporates a variety of print processes, including digital and hand screen-printing, producing abstract surface pattern designs with a unique fine art feel.  The homewares range includes velvet cushions, fabrics, contemporary wallpaper and lampshades, all with that high-end luxury look, and that uniqueness which is essential to create a truly eclectic home.

There is also a range of silk scarves and velvet tote bags in the same vibrant hues if you wish to adorn yourself as well as your home.

Mairi Helena also has a great blog with lots of home renovation tips and styling advice so check that out as well to see how she uses her amazing designs.

Jacqui x

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Image Credit: Mairi Helena

Gorgeous, no?! I caught up with Abigail to find out a little more about her:

Q. What’s your background?  How long have you been a textile artist?

A. I studied a degree in Surface Decoration and Printed Textiles which finished in 2003 and I started making textile art pieces and plush toys then. I did it alongside various design and illustration jobs until 2008 when I took on a studio space to concentrate on my own work.

My love of fabrics came from my grandma who was a seamstress. My earliest memories are of her sewing machine, threads and fabrics. It’s a very natural medium for me to work in.

Q. Can you tell me a little bit about your design and making process?

A. I do very little preparatory design/drawing work. I like to get straight into making once I have an idea. I gather my ideas and inspiration, make a little sketch perhaps of my idea which I use to create the pattern (if working in fabric) then I just let the fabrics help me form my thoughts.

Q. Do you have any of your creations in your own home? And if so, can we see a picture?!

A. We have a few pieces, I have to gift them to my boyfriend to stop me from allowing people to buy them!! We have a few birds, some circus animals, a fabric totempole piece, a paper fox sculpture and a large white peacock with vintage brooch detail.  We have just moved house, but this is a shot of a couple of my birds set up in old our flat:

Q. Have you ever been commissioned to do a piece a little out of the ordinary?

Not really, the only one slightly out of the ordinary was to replicate a customer’s dead pet canary, and to include some of its’ feathers that had been kept. It’s sweet really and nice I could make her something that stood in memory of her beloved little friend. 

Q. Finally, where can your work be bought from?

A. I sell directly to my customers through my website www.abigail-brown.co.uk, making each piece to order. But I sell in shops and galleries all over the world.  Here in London you can find them in Liberty.

Abigail works from her studio at Cockpit Arts in Holborn, London, and they open twice a year to the public, once in June and then in November.  The June open weekend runs from Friday 6th – Sunday 8th.  You can find out more information on the Cockpit Arts website.

I would love to know which is your favourite from Abigail’s website? Mine is without doubt this absolute beauty…  incredible to think he’s been made entirely by hand, I can’t imagine how long that must have taken.  Sadly at £1,530 he is on my dream wish list for now!  I firmly believe that Abigail’s work are heirlooms of the future and pieces to be loved and passed down for generations to come.

Image sources: all Abigail Brown

Thank you so much to Abigail for answering our questions and I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing a little more about her.

Hollie x

Sourcebook: Abigail Brown Textile Art by Hollie Brooks

]]> https://blogs.audenza.com/blog/sourcebook-abigail-brown-textile-art/feed/ 3 https://blogs.audenza.com/blog/inspiring-interiors/ https://blogs.audenza.com/blog/inspiring-interiors/#comments Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:56:19 +0000 http://www.miafleur.co.uk/blog/?p=942 Now instead of my usual ramble (yes, I know I can go on a bit!) I thought it might be quite nice to do a post that was less of me and more beautiful imagery.  So I have picked out some of our favourite images from our board ‘Inspiring Interiors’ on Pinterest… enjoy!

It’s no surprise that we have a penchant for eclectic interiors… one very brief glance at our website is enough to tell you that, so this gorgeously eclectic and almost ethnic inspired setting is right up our street!

The cross stitch design on the back wall has actually been painted on… what a fantastic idea!

Oh to live in a house like this!

I’m not much of a breakfast person, I do always have to have at least something in the morning, even if it’s only a few nuts and a banana on the go (I am ALWAYS) eating my breakfast on the go! Even before school my Mum would stand at the front door with a sandwich bag of peanut butter on toast ready to shove in my hand as I ran (literally, ran) out of the door!  However, I would like to think that if I had a cosy breakfast table like this, I might just be able to make time for it at least a couple of times as week… it certainly looks like a nicer way to start the day than hot and flustered anyway!

If ever there was a bedroom designed to make you feel like a Princess (yes, we’re probably a bit old to want to feel like Princesses.. but who cares!) then this would definitely be it!  I think it would have to be reserved for weekends only though- there is no way that you’re going to want to get out in a hurry!

So, that’s a little snapshot of our ‘Inspiring Interiors’ board on Pinterest, which is your favourite?  I think it might just be the bedroom for me!  There are currently 46 pins in that category, so if this has left you wanting more, then head over to our board to see the rest!  We absolutely love getting new followers too, so if you’re on Pinterest, give us a follow!

Audenza x

Inspiring Interiors- By Hollie Brooks