How are Innovative ideas born?

If I were to say to you, go ahead mix up red and blue, florals and geometrics, retro and vintage and it will all come together, would you relish the challenge?

Whilst designing this Red Teasel collection ( which also has hints of cool blue hues to offset to rich warm tones) I wanted to break away from an obvious genre and create something completely unique.

Retro, vintage, contemporary, edgy, classic, I love them all, and selecting one kind would be like taking a sibling away from its family. I found the solution is to try mixing up patterns in a way that would be harmonious and make a room feel complete. The pictures below show a use of delicate branch patterns put together with bold abstract teasels arranged in a retro style geometric pattern. The contemporary vivid colour palette punctuated with pops of neutral browns and whites is the thread that  holds the collection together.

My message is to be positive about mixing things styles and genres and see what happens.

Innovative ideas are born when we persistently question what if?

 

 

A Dose of Colour Therapy

Happy Yellow

Colour as tonic!

 The sky was so dark and grey this morning I decided to pick out our vibrant yellow sky blossom scarf to make a cheery post on Instagram. Whilst it was draped on a chair  I mistook it for a ray of sunshine. A simple solution for bringing a dose of spring colour indoors!

 

A Culmination of Cultures

Here are a selection of pictures I took on a recent visit to India. When I design print & pattern here in the UK, I like to look at the elements of nature at work, for example light, texture, shadows and reflection. The photos below however, confirm that my bright colour palette is inherited from the motherland!

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Marigold Decorations

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Edge of the Meadow makes sense of two very different cultures working together in harmony.

Hello Autumn

Autumn is one of my favourite times of year. After a long summer of never ending green the elements start to change rapidly in a short space of time. Clear air, and intense light, bring out striking contrasts and we can enjoy deep shades of reds, orange and yellow.

Contrast and glow.

Glowing gold

Beautiful objects fall to the ground, not forgotten and happy to be found!

Autumn Finds

Autumn Finds

Northern Seaside Inspiration

A selection of pics from my summer holiday in Northumberland.

I love….

The randomness of spacing in little barnacles,

Springy matt clusters of moss on slippery rock surfaces,

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Bright fishing gear against the dark North Sea,

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Enticing rock pools in clear crisp light,

Rock-pools

Seals whiskers at the Farne Islands!

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The strength of a silhouette against  a raging sky,

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 Elements making their mark on rock surfaces.

Wave Rocks

“Oudolf Field”

I was at Hauser and Wirth in Somerset and came across this beautiful exhibition of a perennial meadow by landscape architect Piet Oudolf.

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Such a joy to see that nature really does have such a range of rich colours which are so dynamic when placed  artistically.

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Oudolf Field

Oudolf Field