Fresh Inspiration

The Zoffany Entrance Hall at WOW!house 2024 was a sumptuous showcase of the brand’s heritage-inspired fabrics. Inspired by the sumptuous interiors of a Sicilian palazzo, interior designed Benedict Foley draped the walls in swathes of ‘Long Gallery Brocade’, a jacquard inspired by traditional tapestry techniques that is based on an 18th-century original, while a generous banquette was upholstered in glorious yellow ‘Wool Satin’.

The show may be finished, but the fabrics have had a fascinating afterlife, in line with the show’s ethos to be as sustainable as possible. Sanderson, Zoffany’s parent company, worked with scholars from QEST (the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) to reinvent these textiles in surprising ways, across multiple disciplines.

David Morrish, a digital embroidery artist, and Alison Morrish, an upholsterer, have created a king-size headboard (pictured above) with David’s intricate embroidery of pineapples, peacocks and florals; while passementerie artist Elizabeth Ashdown’s ‘Ring for Champagne’ tassel-pull (below left) combines ‘Long Gallery Brocade’ with a rosette, ric-rac edging and a bullion skirt adorned with pom poms.

Costume designer, sculptor and props creator Isabel Nellie Walters made a woodland nymph mask in a Venetian style (above centre) while milliner Virna Pasquinelli’s ‘Twisted Perspective’ sculptural hat loosely circles into a spiral, using ‘Wool Satin’ in tabac with ‘Long Gallery Brocade’ for the lining; the intricate embroidery is by a new graduate student from The Royal School of Needlework.

The finished pieces were exhibited at Voysey House (Sanderson’s recently opened new Chiswick HQ) in early autumn; and, finally, they will be sold at Chiswick Auction House at its Design Modern and Contemporary sale on 12 December 2024.

“QEST’s work advocating excellence in British craftsmanship perfectly aligns with our values as a company of British designers and makers and our sustainability pledge, Live Beautiful,” says Sanderson’s CEO Lisa Montague. “Sanderson is a proudly British brand with roots dating back to 1860 when Arthur Sanderson first founded the business. His eye for innovation knew no bounds, with a brilliant vision for British home decoration. We are so proud to continue his pioneering spirit for finding and elevating beauty and artistry in design.”