Green with Envy

Rich Autumn colours of Burgundy and pomegranate reds, pumpkin orange, chocolate brown and aubergine purple are all well and good but when green ordinarily sends your heart aflutter, gives a spring to your step and takes nature indoors into a house party celebration of the bounties of life, there is simply no forsaking the colour green for a change of season.

There is not a more visual way to stamp personality onto a home than through wallcoverings and Style Libray is a worthy starting point. Now if green is your cup of green tea like it is mine, they have a sampled variegation of greens to explore at our leisure...

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." - William Morris

'Cashmere Paisley' wallpaper by Sanderson

As the largest soft furnishings group in the UK, Style Library operates a portfolio of six British brands, two of which of iconic, heritage status Sanderson  and Morris & Co. Sanderson, established 1860 in Islington, London, by Arthur Sanderson, was awarded the Royal Warrant in 1923 and then again in 1955. Morris & Co. was established 1861 by famed textile designer, typographer, poet, philosopher and political theorist William Morris (1834-1896). Mr. Morris is associated with the Pre-Raphaelites and the English Arts & Crafts Movement. His wallpaper designs translate naturalism through the Aesthetic style.

The other brands under the Style Library umbrella are luxury wallcovering creator and archive curator Zoffany, colour trend-setter Harlequin, Scandi-inspired and Mr. Fox prints Scion, and contemporary wallpaper designer Anthology.

'Verdure' fabric by Zoffany

'Strawberry Thief' wallpaper by Morris & Co.

'Caverley' fabric by Sanderson

Sources: (1-5) Style Library. (1) Rest assured: this frilly foliage is no fuddy-duddy! The 'Cashmere Paisley' wallpaper (colourway code: DART21680) is part of the aptly-named Art of the Garden botanical wallpaper collection by Sanderson. A fresh and dainty paisley design in a sage colourway that is more neutral than feminine, Cashmere Paisley will light up a North-facing room like no other. Pair with white-painted woodwork in satin finish and a quality sisal floorcovering to add warm texture. To make the room shine boldly, introduce a statement Murano glass floral chandelier in a contrasting coloured glass of pink or blue. Without a shadow of a doubt, that North-facing room of yours will start enjoying the bright side of life!

(2) For those of us who seek a heritage linen fabric that does not look like it belongs in the National Trust, 'Verdure' (colourway code ZAMW320465) by Zoffany is worth considering. Based on a late 17th century painted cloth, Verdure will take your windows on a wondrous wander across pastoral lands. With the church in the background and tea-time beckoning, the only question on your mind will be: 'More tea, vicar?' The design has a modern (Art Nouveau) quality to it and the teal green oscillates between turquoise and slate.

Green paint shades, top row from left: Misty Mint, Queen Anne Green Light and Green Shoot (all three by Sanderson); bottom row from left: Lime Cloud, Green Almond (both by Sanderson), and Fennel (by Zoffany).

(3) As an action-packed heritage wallpaper for a single feature wall contrasting with the other walls in a plain cream, 'Strawberry Thief' (colourway code DMCR216477) by Morris & Co. beckons. As the pièce de résistance to your dining room, it will be your conversation piece as soon as guests arrive and companion piece once they are gone. Originally a cotton fabric design, it was registered in 1883. One of the most popular Morris fabrics, it is now available as a wallcovering.

(4) For a bird theme that is less prominent than Strawberry Thief, combined with only a few hints of green supported by pops of floral pink on a mustard canvas (referred to here as Chinese Yellow), the 'Caverley' fabric (colourway DCAVCA202) by Sanderson does the trick. It resmbles a tapestry, with a Chinoiserie influence although the design is described as being 'typically English in style' despite its exoticity. It is based upon an early 19th century hand-block print.

(5) Green paint collage by Mirabelle. Paint shades, top row from left: Misty Mint, Queen Anne Green Light and Green Shoot (all three by Sanderson); bottom row from left: Lime Cloud, Green Almond (both by Sanderson), and Fennel (by Zoffany).

The Tile Files: Majolica

In interior design and the decorative arts, an Italian noun that rolls off the tongue in a little dance usually has a lot of premise to it, and Majolica is one of those words! Welcome to Mirabelle's monthly design series, The Tile Files. We've had quite a journey so far, from Tomettes to Mosaics, via Azulejos and Delftware, and right now we are about to embrace the wondrousness of Majolica in its bold design, rich decorative layers, deep strong colours and endearing crackled glaze. 

Tin-glazed Earthenware Dish, via The Metropolitan Museum of Art

As much as Majolica is mellifluous by name and by nature, it seems that its heyday is being reinvented by every major art movement. First off, Majolica is a generic term. Scratch its veneer and you find a confluence of timelines and spaces, yet rooted in the same influences. For the purpose of our tile-based research, we aim to concentrate mostly on Victorian Majolica decorative tile, although we need to be aware of other variants of the ware, most notably the decorative tin-glazed earthenware of Maiolica, popular in Italian Renaissance (14th-16th century). The name is believed to be a Medieval Italian reference to the Balearic island of Majorca, a pottery stopover on the Hispano-Moresque wares trade route to Italy. Maiolica ware was mostly used for presentation dishes, drinking vessels and apothecary jars. The designs on the wares depicted a scene or told a story as istoriato wares do.

Art Nouveau Floral Majolica Tile, via Tile Heaven

In general, Victorian Majolica is known to be brightly coloured, richly adorned, layered, moulded and embossed, with emphasis upon florals and curves. Contrasting from the multi-coloured designs are the monochrome ones, which play on the depth and intensity of one single colour, from deep and dark to watered down to a watercolour effect. Closely-guarded trade techniques produce the high-gloss lead-glazed finish, with other effects of translucency and opacity being also achieved. Alongside colour and finish, relief techniques were achieved, by means of cloisonné, tube-lining (a.k.a. slip-trailing), or barbotine (raised painted slip decoration). Stencilled slip tile designs befit the streamlined industrialised processes. Meanwhile the advent of the Arts & Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau will confer Majolica a modernist, angular and voluptuous decorative edge that bridges the gap between the 19th and 20th century.

Art Nouveau Majolica Tile, via Tile Heaven

Historically-speaking, Mintons Ltd. (part of The Minton Tile Companies) is the English pottery manufacturer that is the most associated with Victorian Majolica. The firm started off under Thomas Minton, producing blue transferware for dinnerware, including the popular Chinese-inspired Willow pattern. His son Herbert Minton took the family business to pastures new (with a resolutely modern, design-led approach), branching out into decorative encaustic tiles, and forming partnerships with designers and architects in the process, attending worldwide trade fairs and gaining recognition as high-profile contracts were signed. Minton took on French engineer Léon Arnoux as Art Director and the latter produced Majolica coloured glazes that gained a lot of attention at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

As much as the second half of the 19th century had heralded Majolica's heyday, the 20th century took the fortunes of the English pottery industry as a whole into disarray, through a series of mergers and restructurations that progressively squeezed innovation out of the production model and with it the richness that had been experienced in earlier times. Staffordshire, the pottery county of Britain par excellence, took a hard blow in the process. This bittersweet statement shouldn't prevent us from admiring and appreciating those designs of the past that actually appear so contemporary and fresh through their choice of bold colours and inventive motifs.

Art Nouveau Tile by Sherwin & Cotton, via Art Nouveau Tiles

Sources: (1) Tin-glazed Earthenware Dish, late 14th century, Tuscany, Italy, via The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2-3) via - and available to purchase from - Tile Heaven. Let us note in passing their interesting history of art section on Majolica. (2) Art Nouveau Floral Majolica Tile, manufactured in the U.K. by Corn Bros, circa 1900, features the popular Victorian and Art Nouveau theme of foliage and florals. The central motif resembles a blue poppy, with a foliage border surround. Interestingly the motifs sit at the intersection between Victoriana and Art Nouveau, with signs of Victorian exuberance, as opposed to the more rigid and restrained (stylised) geometric representations of Art Nouveau, as found for instance in the (3) Art Nouveau Majolica Tile, manufactured by id., circa 1905. Further fine examples of Majolica tiles may be viewed from Tile Heaven. (4) Art Nouveau Tile, circa 1910, by Sherwin & Cotton (1877-1911), via Art Nouveau Tiles. The website boasts a fine Art Nouveau collection, with some stunning examples by the likes of Marsden Tile Works, Alfred Meakin and Pilkington.

Plants, Illustrated

Mirabelle has always been fascinated by the botanical plates, prints and illustrations produced by those unsung artists and acute observers with an eye for detail and a propensity for translating the object of their desire realistically in photograph-like accuracy. More often than not, those illustrators happened to be biologists. This post is a tribute to their art and an opportunity for us to rediscover their often-overlooked talents.

Sources: (1) 'Citrus' print (1770-77) by artist John Miller (1715-1794), part of the Victoria & Albert Museum Collection, in London. According to the V&A: 'Miller's book, An Illustration to the Sexual System of Linnaeus (1770-7), was an attempt to explain and promote the system of classification devised by the famous botanist Carl Linnaeus. This was based on the number and relation of the reproductive parts of flowers. The book was published in various combinations of plates, coloured and uncoloured. This is one of several proof plates, printed before the lettering was added. Miller's publication gives in a single plate a complete account of the plant's habit, structure and life cycle. Linnaeus himself praised the illustrations extravagantly as 'the most beautiful and accurate . . . since the beginning of the world'. (2) 'Plumeria' (Germany, 1744) by Georg Dionysus Ehret (1708-70), watercolour and bodycolour, available to purchase from V&A Prints. (3) 'Papaya, Carica Papaya' (1726), hand-coloured engraving by Maria Sybilla Merian (1647-1717), 'a respected scientist, artist and explorer in what was very much a man’s world'. © Natural History Museum (London). (4) 'Orchid, Dipladenia Crassinoda' (1837), by Samuel Holden (active 1830-50), watercolour, available to purchase from V&A Prints.

At Home with Kokeshis

In recent years, Kokeshis and Matriochkas have donned many guises in the purpose of entertainment and homely companionship: just check out our capsule photographic collection for some further inspiration!

Sources: (1) Brighton-based illustrator and blogger Kris Atomic, via her Other People's Houses photographic exhibition. (2) Hang on a minute! This can't be a kokeshi, it's Barbapapa! Photo from The Yvestown Blog (02/02/12). (3) 'Kimono Girl Bento Box', available to purchase online from the Victoria & Albert Museum shop. (4) 'Four Seasons Kokeshi Dolls' from the Japanese Shop. (5) Extract from Kris Atomic 's sketchbook. (6) Quirky kokeshi sketch by French up-and-coming Corsica-based artist and personal friend Isabelle Duvignon.