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Trends in interiors come and go, but good design will always stand the test of time. So the launch of a new collection which has taken beautiful, much-loved archive prints for its inspiration is sure to find favour with the interior design world – as well as discerning home owners around the globe.
The latest offering from highly respected heritage British company Sanderson has an appealing resonance, referencing its illustrious past with a fresh take on favourite classics. The Water Garden collection stylishly reinterprets beautiful archive designs, which hark back to a golden age of English decorating – the period spanning the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Furnishings from this era were wonderfully atmospheric, featuring eye-catching natural motifs, rich colours and exotic influences from Japan, as well as China and India.
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Oriental water gardens were fashionable at this time and were landscaped into the grounds of many English country estates. Evoking a sense of tranquillity and calm, they were surrounded with oriental-themed planting schemes showcasing new and exotic varieties – a style which influenced the decorative tastes of the time. Inspired by an extraordinary collection of documents in the Sanderson archive, Water Garden captures the enduring beauty of this era.
Combining the most striking elements of these botanical wonders and historical designs, patterns such as ‘Emperor Peony’ and ‘Fusang Tree’ feature vibrant flowers blooming and blossoms flowing across fabrics and wallpapers. The distinctive palette includes warm reds, earthy ochre yellows, sumptuous blues and a beguiling forest green for some of the backgrounds, while for other designs a pale base provides a canvas for a profusion of pink flowers and green bamboo shoots.
There is an abundance of delightful patterns to choose from, offering exciting inspiration for your walls and furnishings and the option to create a variety of different looks, whether you wish to make a colourful statement with walls covered in bold, brilliant florals or to create an elegant focal point by showcasing one of the fabrics on a chair or ottoman, with contrasting cushions. Many of the patterns are designed to be mixed and matched to eye-catching effect.
The atmospheric prints transport you to another time and place, where swallows swoop across a pool of water with blossom trailing into it from above and lotus flowers and yellow shoots winding up from below. Exquisite details of exotic blooms and foliage reminiscent of the prints of country-house chintz will provide inspiration for every room in the house. With this stunning collection that looks both to its archive and the history of English decorating, Sanderson has added something fresh and new, yet reassuringly familiar, to the canon.
Rebecca Craig, head of design for Sanderson says, ‘This collection is all about discovering documents in our archive that had previously lain untouched. Whether drawn, printed or painted, we are celebrating their authentic beauty and the host of eastern cultures that came together to create something so special. Along with a touch of glamour, subtle metallics and vibrant colours blend to give our country aesthetic an elegant, contemporary twist.’
And it is not only Sanderson whose heritage adds to the appeal of the Water Garden designs, but also a prominent London wallpaper printer, Jeffrey & Co, which operated from 1836 to 1924 and was best known for its association with the Arts and Crafts movement. Its popular wallpapers featured trailing patterns of highly stylised, oversized flower heads supported by elegant, coiling stems and Sanderson has paid tribute to them, recreating these motifs here. Beautiful embroidery has also been employed to add another dimension and pleasing texture to several of the fabrics, bringing to life the flowers in charming designs such as ‘Chinoiserie Hall’ and ‘Chinese Lantern’.
With its clever, exciting use of archive designs, historical stories and heritage colours, Sanderson has created a glorious collection of new wallpapers and fabrics that will enliven interiors for many years to come.
