Fabric Friday - Designers Guild A/W11

Lotus Flower Bedlinen

September has arrived with a chill in the air and my thoughts have turned to warmer colours for the house.  I don't mean redecorating, so no need to panic Drew, we have plenty of glossing left to do!  No what I am thinking about is changing cushion covers and curtains to warmer shades and more luxurious fabrics. Well if you can't have velvet in winter when can you?!

Cesano

With Autumn around the corner various fabric designers are busy launching new collections which can help us update our homes with the latest trends in interior design but also add that warmer tone that lends so well to the cooler time of year.

Amrapali

Today I thought we could take a look at the delights Designers Guild are launching as their A/W11 collections.  Obviously we should not expect muted tone and wishywashy prints as this is not Designers Guild at all.  With a richness of colour or texture in their fabrics these designers are not afraid to be bold.  I have to admit that 'Amrapali' in Peony is my favourite of the new designs for it's bold floral print in vibrant azure blues, bright pinks and hints of oranges and chartreuse.  Whilst this may not seem very autumnal I am sure 'Amrapali' would brighten the dullest of winter days. 

Kasida

For a more luxurious fabric to add warmth to the cooler nights 'Kasida' offers jaquard patterned silk in a jewel palette. Perhaps you prefer the feel of velvet then 'Cesano' would be perfect with it's geometrical pattern close cropped velvet.  For a stylish finale the new 'Chevenon' trimmings are simply gorgeous, offering a selection of trimmings and tie backs, including glass and embroidered beads and fabulous fringes.

Miss Muffett Bedlinen

Aswell as beautiful new fabrics for projects Designers Guild also offer an array of products in their fabulous designs.  So even if you are not nimble with a needle you can still indulge in their new designs.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend
Zoe
x

Fabric Friday - New Collections

It is Friday again and of course that means it's time for some fabric indulgence.  Continuing from last week I am going to look back at previous features and share some new collections from designers that have apepared in Fabric Friday in the past year.  As today sees the start of London Fashion Week I feel it apt to look at some of our main British textile designers.

Cath Kidston

I first featured Cath Kidston for Fabric Friday back in April last year and am excited to see what new designs she has released.

Cath Kidston - Fabric Friday - April 2010

Whilst other design houses release new collections usually in line with the fashion seasons Cath Kidston does not clearly announce new designs on her website.  However I am sure that Circus and London Scene are fairly new designs and are both fabulous.  Cath Kidston designs are synominous with quintessential English ideals and the theme of London Scene I feel ties in very well with the Cool Britannia trend that is still popular.  The Circus print reminds me of childhood trips to the big top and again airs that feeling of nostalgia that Cath Kidston prints evoke.

Circus

London Scene

Designers Guild

Designers Guild were first featured in a Fabric Friday post in the Summer last year and I have since been fortunate enough to review Tricia Guilds book, A Certain Style.

Designers Guild - Fabric Friday - July 2010

There are several new collections released by Designers Guild that fit with the fashion seasons of Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer.  This new Spring /Summer season has seen thirteen new fabric collections, including the fantastic Arles collection resulting from a collaboration with Christian Lacroix. There are also three new wallcovering collections, Linnaeus, Around the World and Essentials Oxbridge.

Here are three of my favourites from the new collections, I especially love the solid vibrancy of Piave, reminiscent of catwalks for S/S11.

Around The World

Sofienberg

Piave

Lisa Stickley

Lisa Stickley has become a household name, especially since joining the line up of 'Designers at Debenhams'.  I first featured Lisa Stickley in the middle of the summer last year.

Fabric Friday - Lisa Stickley - August 2010

Whilst there is a new homewares collection available from Debenhams Lisa Stickly has several new designs available on her website.  Here are a few new pieces -

Linda Magazine Bag

Modestly Marvellous Mug

Substanially Generous Jug

Book Review - A Certain Style by Trica Guild

Tricia Guild founded Designers Guild in 1970 and has since designed many fabulous collections that adorn homes worldwide. These collections have included floral prints in many sizes, vibrant colour palettes through to shades of white and a mixture of plaids and stripes. Over the years Tricia has created designs that have become easily recognisable as Designers Guild collections and created a certain style, the perfect title for her latest book.

A Certain Style shows an eclectic mix of properties interspersing modern homes with decadent Parisian pied-a-terres or elegant English country manors. A mood is suggested in a single word before being greeted by each homes decor and design. Atmospheric, tranquillity, reflections and eccentric are just a few examples of the moods created by Tricia in this mixture of architecturally different homes.

From the moment that I took A Certain Style out of the packaging and saw the vibrant floral display on the front cover next to the monochrome striped spine, I knew this book would not disappoint. Tricia has used her own collections, with each of the fourteen homes being touched by the hand of the style queen and taking the reader on an international style journey. A Certain Style does not limit us to viewing just one room in each home but leads us through the rooms to help the reader understand how to effortlessly connect an interior space. Tricia shares little style secrets and advice throughout the book, teaching the reader to use pattern and print or a mix of bold plain textiles effectively in their home decor. In the 'Modern Country' location of an 18th century stone farmhouse Tricia explains that by limiting the palette to black and white makes it easier to layer florals with stripes, also offering a feeling of understated grandeur.

Whilst A Certain Style is full of fabulous printed textiles I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tricia had chosen bold blocks of plain colours in the modern decor choices, as seen in the 'Modern Coastal Retreat' and 'New York City Loft'. The 'English Manor House' lent itself perfectly to the fabulous jewel colours, however the dark wood proved a challenge as Tricia explains the use of light reflecting white and a sheen on the wallpaper to assist with making the room lighter and brighter. The 'French Chateau' requires decadence and of course Tricia does not disappoint, wonderful turquoise velvet sofas alongside raspberry pink silk damask floor to ceiling curtains, the opulence of gold printed on to bright bold colours, everything a stuffy manor house would avoid.

As a self confessed fabric addict and fan of Tricia Guild I am left in awe by A Certain Style and every time I open this book I am delighted by beautiful rooms and still see something new with every look. I am sure any fan of Designers Guild or anyone who has an interest in interior design will be equally delighted by A Certain Style.

My review was first featured on UK Handmade on 27 November 2010

Fabric Friday - Designers Guild

                                                                        Ramblas Rose

Sound the horns, it's the end of the week and time for Fabric Friday! I have decided today to look at one of my favourite upholstery fabric design houses, Designers Guild.  When I worked at Ramm, Son & Crocker several years ago I longed to work for Designers Guild, sadly I never made it, but have five lovely children instead!

Delancey Noir

Designers Guild was founded in 1970 by Tricia Guild to design and wholesale upholstery fabric and wallcoverings. In 1975 the first collection, Village, was launched and many other  collections were added over the next nine years.  Tricia Guild published the first of many books, Soft Furnishings, during this time aswell.  In 1989 Designers Guild opened an office in Munich, aswell as adding another seven collections to their porfolio.  Only two years later Designers Guild received the Queens Award for Export Achievement and in 1993 the Paris office was opened.  During 1995 Designers Guild launched it's Bed & Bath division, producing bedlinen, blankets and towels and then in 1996 they opened their 66,000 sq ft Production and Distribution Centre in West London.

Tasket Emerald

Over the following years many more collections were added to Designers Guild portfolio as were floor rugs, carpets and furniture.  In 2003 Jasper Conran collaborated with Designers Guild to design a range of fabric and wallpaper. Three years ago Tricia Guild was awarded the Homes & Gardens Lifetime Achievement Award.

Musette Celadon

Designers Guild currently has over 5000 fabrics and 4000 wallpapers, inclusing florals, plain, checks, damask, jacquards and childrens collections.  The company is still owned and headed by Tricia Guild, as Founder and Creative Director and her brother as Group Chief Executive.

Elephant & Castle Blossom

Even after 35 years Designers Guild are still a lead design house for upholstery and wallcoverings, but also have expanded to produce many other lines.  They are still one of my favourites with vibrant prints and I have included soem of my favourites thoughout the post.

Petticoat Lane Sherbet

A secret to share with designers who use fabric

Shhhh! Let me tell you a secret.  If you use a lot of fabric in your designs/work you may well benefit from a designer account with fabric distributors.  Whilst all fabric addicts can name drop....Amy Butler, Heather Ross, Michael Miller, Anna Maria Horner, Blake Riley...to name a few, but many of these design for 'fabric houses' and are distributed by big companies.  This then got me to remembering when I worked for Ramm, Son & Crocker an upholstery producer several years ago and they offered trade accounts to interior designers.  So I set about checking websites for different designers and looking into the wholesale details with their distributors.  After contacting several distributors it became apparant that designer accounts are available to people like us!

Obviously there are some catches, like minimum order quantities (MOQ), buying designs by the bolt and shipping, duty and customs when the fabric is coming from outside the UK.  But if you use alot of fabric this maybe beneficial. I have compiled a list of the companies I contacted and details of any MOQ.  To qualify for a designer account you will need to provide details of your business and you cannot just resell the fabric, it has to be used by you.

Amy Butler & Freespirit Fabrics (Anna Maria Horner, Valori Wells & many more)
http://www.coats.com/ (Rowan Fabrics)
£200 MOQ
Buy the design by the bolt or half bolt
Price per yard - approx. half RRP
Form to complete providing business details

Cath Kidston
15% designer discount
You will need to provide a copy of your letterhead

Alexander Henry
http://www.ahfabrics.com/
Distributed by a company in Denmark http://www.adlico.dk/
One bolt minimum per design, 20 yard bolt, approx. half RRP.

Designers Guild
25% designer discount
You will need to provide a company profile on letterheaded paper and complete a trade account form.
No MOQ, buy by the metre.

Birch Fabrics
http://www.birchfabrics.com/
This is a new company with their first collection being available in the next 6 weeks.
4 bolt MOQ

Michael Miller
http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/
UK distributor http://www.eqsuk.com/
Awaiting response, will update.

Robert Kaufman
http://www.robertkaufman.com/
Awaiting response, will update

So I hope this helps some of you keep your costs down and increases the profit margins!