The dark side
Sophie Lombardi
As a result of living in a hot country for 14 years, cool pastels have been my interiors game to date. Seeking respite from the stonking Australian summer, meant our home was full of cottons, minty greens and we had minimalist aspirations (never to be realised due to the never-ending trail of tat). Having re-acclimatised to great British seasons, I now find myself poking around in antique shops and lusting after velvets, sheepskins and rich colour palletes. We will never abandon the meadowy floral Liberty prints that Poppy and Honesty has become known for, however the time has come to embrace the dark side, particularly as our grown up range continues to evolve.
On a recent trip to Barcelona, I felt inspired by gothic architecture and found myself looking more closely at William Morris' textiles. As the Godfather of the Arts and Crafts movement, Morris revived medieval style in his wonderful block printed fabrics. His neo-gothic designs are very much inspired by nature, as detailed in our favourite Morris print 'The Strawberry Thief'. This block printed beauty took him six years to complete. Crikey, how different was the Arts and Crafts Movement to our 'want it all now /next day delivery' culture?
William Morris was a staunch supporter of craftsmanship and as such I hope he would appreciate Poppy and Honesty's slow style of handmade production. I like to think that we could have a cuppa and maybe play some Victorian parlour games. The neo-gothic style favoured by his posse tends to lend itself to maximalism, more detail, more luxurious and ultimately more expensive. Therefore as much as we would like to make our new range ridiculasly opulent, we are having to reign it in a little, to make it affordable to our punters. Don't worry though, we have sourced the softest of velvets in rich jewel colours that would have Oscar Wilde quivering in his knickerbockers.
We'll keep you posted as our vampy range continues to evolve. Be prepared to unleash your inner Moticia Addams and light your candleabras...
Sophie xxx
New Cushion and Bedding range launches Nov 17th.
'These arts...are the sweeteners of human labour, both to the handicraftsman, whose life is spent working in them, and to people in general..'
William Morris. "The Lesser Arts" December 1877
