SICILIAN ORANGE

I've just spent some time in Sicily - which I hope goes some way to explaining the time-lag on this blog.  The weather was a little inclement for much of the time, but that didn't seem to detract from the sheer abundance of lush produce everywhere you look. No wonder they are famous for their cuisine! Cauliflowers, fennel, and artichokes filled the markets - whole stalls tumbling with outsize vegetables. You couldn't help but buy and buy and rush home to cook up a pasta with brocolli brodo, or a fennel salad, or artichoke hearts slavered in fresh olive oil.  

But for me, the best thing by far was the citrus fruit - lemon trees groaned with bright yellow fruit; then the 'cedro' - the outsize lemons where you eat the whole fruit: pith, peel and all, dripping with honey. And truckloads of oranges, parked up on the roadside. Sicily is famous for its blood oranges - slices of dark red deliciousness and a kind of metaphor for this beautiful island with its dark heart and history.

With the zing of citrus still fresh in my mind, today I'm channelling oranges!

Marimekko Kivet fabric in pink

Romo Suvi Clementine

An outdoor print by Trina Turk for Schumacher called Sunglass in orange.

Another Schumacher outdoor print designed by Trina Turk and called Sunriza.

A cotton print called Zsa Zsa in Pebble, Chilli and Jasmine by Scion.

NEUTRAL NATURALS

Here's a shot of a recently completed job where we re-vamped some plain twill curtains with a deep embroidered border of Romo's Black Edition Safi Natural, which beautifully reflected the client's eclectic mix of pattern and texture.

This sparked me off gathering some other swatches of fabrics together, all neutral naturals with lashings of wonderful texture. Some embroidered, some woven, some appliqued - all gorgeous!

From top left, Ian Mankin's Kintyre check and Fulham linen, Zoffany's Banyan Coconut, Sanderson's Savary Linen, Romo's Ennis Steeple Grey and Austin charcoal, Gina Take a Bow's Pixel Rose Natural. 

 Middle from left: Harlequin's Caprice Chalk/Linen, Clarke & Clarke's Maroc Natural and Raja Natural, Harlequin's Cheree Slate/Chalk.  

Bottom from left: Romo's Chaumont Pewter, Clarke & Clarke's Anita Natural, Romo's Xilia Feather Grey, Ian Sanderson's Macita Husk.

HOW TO BONE A HERRING!

As London Design Week approaches and the fabric companies, amid noisy fanfare, collectively prepare to unveil their seasonal offerings, I find myself drawn to the quiet understated honesty of a simple weave pattern. The herringbone.

Or is it a chevron? Its hard to tell the difference, so some basic weave terminology needs to be unpicked. Hold onto your hats, because this gets complicated:

Twill weave is a pattern of parallel diagonal ribs (like denim, for instance) where the weft (crosswise) yarn floats over one or more of the warp (lengthwise) yarns and then under two or more of the warp like so:

Chevron weave describes a distinctive V-shaped pattern, where the sequence of twill weave is reversed forming a point at the base of the zigzag. Not to be confused with herringbone weave, where there is a break in reversal so that alternating diagonal lines form a broken V-shaped pattern:

Lastly strie is a dying technique where a subtle mottled striped or streaky effect is produced by random warp (lengthwise) yarns having been dyed unevenly in a variety of tones of the same colour before weaving.  Nowadays there are mechanical processes at the finishing stage of textile production that creates the same effect.

OK, the technical part of the lesson is over...but now look at this smart new fabric from Romo called Dante where the combination of strie dying techniques and a tapered chevron creates movement and light within the weave itself, and calls to mind leaves or ferns. Love it!

To complement a new collection of more flamboyant designs, Romo have created this subtle weave in 5 on-trend colours: a light and dark neutral, an indigo and two acid-brights.

LOVE TRIANGLES

Last year I talked about my new blinds and how, after weeks of agonising, I very uncharacteristically plumped for a dizzy abstract triangle print from Romo.  I should not have fretted because nine months later I am still mesmerised by this seemingly simple design.  The intermittent pop of random colour causes the pattern to morph from square to triangle, lozenge to diamond, egg-timer to envelope.  I find it strangely soothing, which probably says more about me than the fabric!

MORE PRINTED VELVET

You couldn't really get two designers further apart than the granddaddy of all the Arts and Crafts, William Morris, and the 80's badboy of Paris couture, Jean Paul Gaultier! But I have been so bold as to unite them here in my quest to highlight the rich detailing, and plush texture of some more printed velvets. All made possible, I have discovered, because of the wonders of modern technology and specifically, digital printing. Computerised digital printing allows colour to be applied to fabric in millions of tiny but precise dots of ink that penetrate the pile of the velvet rather than sitting, slightly stiffly, on top, as conventional printing methods were inclined to. The result are prints of amazing detail and lavish colour that lose none of the soft velvety texture of the basecloth.


Morris & Co's Forest Velvet Azure from the Archive ll print collection, based on an 1887 tapestry design.


Lelievre's Fangio Petrole from their Jean Paul Gaultier collection La Defile, a photo-realist montage complete with every fashionista's dream: a logo.


Romo's Black Edition's Pleasure Garden Velvet Bloom from the Jessica Zoob 'Desire' collection, where her impressionistic paintings have been faithfully transcribed to fabric.

Unbelievably these velvets have a Martindale score of between 20,000 and - in the case of the beautifully delicate Jessica Zoob print - 100,000 rubs so they are sturdy enough for upholstery yet fluid enough for curtains. Tempted?

THIS WEEK'S THEME: STRIPES

Perennial and classic, stripes go on and on.....


Designers Guild Ottomon Lime


Ian Mankin Empire Sage


Romo Somerford Ebony


Zoffany
Corinthian Gooseberry & Natural