Floral Brights
Bold florals are experiencing a revival. The big, blousy, overscaled designs made famous by brands such as Sanderson in the first half of the 20th century seem just as vital today, whether they’re used with a reverence for traditional country-house style or in a way that seeks to bring the look up to date for a more contemporary setting. It goes hand-in-hand with a renewed interest in all-over pattern, where curtains, wallpaper and upholstered furniture are deftly layered, matching or clashing: a rush for the senses.
Sanderson’s florals continue to be some of its most popular designs, with the latest Caspian collection including the ‘Idra Flower’ fabric and ‘Cantaloupe’ wallpaper pictured above left. The fabric takes an archive design and updates it by applying a softy diffused style derived from an ikat, a change to the usually crisp outlines found in such designs. Meanwhile Travers (available at Zimmer + Rohde) channels traditional English decorating through an American lens: its Central Park collection (above right) was inspired by the mansions of New York and includes ‘Greensward Bouquet’ (on cushions) ‘Gracie Lampas’ (on screen) both named after these opulent treasure houses.
Scaled-up designs make a substantial statement. Either opt for a big print on a standard-width wallpaper, such as Elitis’ ‘Arum’ design (above left, from Abbott & Boyd) – part of a whole floral-theme collection called Flower Power – or go even bolder with a panoramic product, such as Lizzo’s ‘Wild Garden 05’ (above centre) or Pierre Frey’s ‘Mille Fleurs’, painted by artist Gaël Davrinche (above right), both of which are an eye-catching 280 by 300cm.
Colour, as much as pattern and scale, is driving this design direction. Rubelli’s ‘My Fair Lady’ (above left) is a rich jacquard shown in shades of blue and green but also available in shocking pink and lime green; the chinoiserie-inspired ‘Courances’ (above centre) by Manuel Canovas from Colefax and Fowler features large peonies and other flowers climbing a trellis; while GP & J Baker’s latest collection also follows a chinoiserie theme with ‘Magnolia’, shown in a rich emerald and teal colourway.
Abbott & Boyd, First Floor, North Dome
Colefax and Fowler, Ground Floor, South Dome
G P & J Baker, Ground Floor, Design Centre East
Lizzo, Ground Floor, South Dome
Pierre Frey, First Floor, Design Centre East
Sanderson, First Floor, South Dome
Rubelli, Ground Floor, Design Centre East
Zimmer + Rohde, Ground Floor, North Dome
