Every so often I receive a commission that makes my brain tingle with excitement and this was no exception. We’ve been talking on and off since this lovely couple got married a few years ago about designing a bespoke fabric for them to celebrate their union. Their rather brilliant surnames, Button and Sands, started off proceedings nicely.
In the throes of renovating a beautiful Victorian terrace in Leytonstone the Button-Sands picked up some dining room chairs at auction that were in need of some serious TLC and they arrived in my studio looking rather sorry for themselves. Peter Honeywill, a very talented upholsterer whose workshop is next to mine at Ridge Farm, re-webbed and prepped the drop-in seats whilst I got to work on the fabric design and printing.
When designing fabric for a specific purpose, in this case drop-in seats, scale and pattern repeat is important. I was lucky that the two motifs, the button and the sand-timer, sat together rather nicely. A random pattern repeat worked best here and as soon as the design was signed off, the all important colour decision needed to be made before I could start hand screen printing each colour. Opting for a muted palette has worked perfectly with these antique wooden dining chairs and I’m absolutely thrilled with the results. The design is bold, effective, with a nod to mid-century, and most importantly, has meaning and tells a story to anyone who sits upon these chairs for many years to come; it’s a wonderful thing to be part of.
