Top Drawer

It’s been a few years since New House took a stand at Top Drawer London, so this September we’re happy to be back. Top Drawer is a ‘trade only’ show, but we’re sure lots of canny public sneak in too. It’s always been a classy show, and a great place to let the retail world know what we've been up to. 

Melanie and Charlotte have designed a nice simple stand, with Charlotte's illustration.....

Sneak preview of a few new things....     Laura Fletcher (our weave specialist) has been working with a historic English weaver to produce boldly coloured woven cushions in glamorous mixes of silk, wool or cotton. Very opulent.

Charlotte has gone all English bone-china, and teamed-up with Roy Kirkham Ltd of Stoke-on-Trent

Meanwhile, in Sweden….. Marianne Westman (now in her 80’s), who designed ‘Picknick’ - Sweden’s most successful homewares design of the 1950’s (also available from New House), has granted permission for her very first commercial design, ‘Belle Amie’ to be manufactured again. Marianne tells the story of when she was young and all her friends were out dating, one weekend she found herself alone, so went into the Swedish countryside to sketch some flowers. Her simple stylised drawings soon became best-sellers, and at Top Drawer, New House are pleased to be offering this lovely 1950's design again as trays,  potstands, fabric and napkins . 

 

sweet things

I've started work on some new tea towel designs...involving many trips to sweet shops and asking for one of everything. Then there's tea pots to go with the tea cup teatowel I've already done...and finally all things ice cream related - I think there may have to be one or two 99's with flake as research...it's tough job...!

Hopefully they should be ready in time for Top Drawer, though it's creeping up fast.

yum - hello dentist!

sketch book sketch

pick n mix

                                                                         teapots

                                                                            wafers

mood boards

I have been working on some mood boards and colour palettes for Summer 13- here is a taster! The colours will influence our design work at Newhouse Textiles from homewears to fabric colours and prints.

Hand crafted and authentic- tone-on-tone blues.

Soft neutrals, whites and coral based nudes for a soothing palette.

Vapouress tints of colour inspired by solaroids from Jeff Mclane.

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Artificial, fruity pinks and edgy cocktail orange.

Woven Stripes

Stripey fabrics from Laura Fletcher!

Here is a taster of some cushion stripes I have been developing with a weaver in Sudbury. I love using neutral colours, natural yarns (cottons and linens) which are injected with a pop of zingy colour.
The designs have all been woven and are on the roll, soon to be made into some versatile cushions- watch this space......! They will be available on the Newhouse Textiles website soon.

Strawberries for Summer

These days New House is very a international and sophisticated technical business - but away from work, there's nothing like escaping into the garden for some basic hands-on work!

The good thing about gardening is that it's pitched at a level where you are physically occupied, but your brain has plenty of time to dream. I'm not the greatest of gardeners, and if it were not for supermarkets, Bob Geldof would be organizing a Live Aid concert for my starving household. But I keep trying...

Last week I revived an old strawberry barrel that my granddad bought in the 50's, but never used.

It had lurked in the corner of an outbuilding for years, and aquired a bit of woodworm, but after treatment I reckon it'll be giving me strawberries for years to come.

The barrel was beautifully made by Malleny (does this company still exist?). It's pretty basic - but these  English-made products from another era, feel quite different to their (probably) Chinese-made equivalants of today. The wood and metal is much thicker and heavier, so after a modern equivalent has long-ago rotted away, I bet this strawberry barrel will still be there.  

Revival of an old Swedish Textile Company

Sadly Stromma Sweden AB - an old and well-respected supplier to New House, closed before Christmas.
Stromma was a historic Swedish manufacturer dating from 1854 that specialised in producing many classic fabrics for roller blinds. However in the 80's, Stromma was bought by Boras Waferi AB who took fabric production out of Sweden to Estonia, was unable to develop the brand, and then in 2010 the group collapsed.

New House's other Swedish roller fabric producer (Almedahls Kinna AB) bought the Stromma Sweden name & rights, and New House became very much involved. As well as investment, our clever designers, Melanie, Charlotte and Laura are now working on the new Stromma Sweden collection for launch in Feb 2012 at the R & T fair in Stuttgart.

Reviving a historic brand is always a challenge, and here are a few pics of us working on some new designs...

   

King (and Queen) for a day

There’s nothing like a souvenir tea towel to get the patriotic crowds roaring on Wedding Day.

I remember the Charles n’Diana wedding - New House didn’t make souvenir tea towels then (mainly because as a young textile student, I was also working as under-gardener to a very-old titled lady). We gardeners were invited into the Big House’s study where (beside the slowly-ticking clocks and the stink of ancient bee’s wax) we watched the Royal Wedding on a small B & W TV. All the staff were given a small glass of sherry, so we could stand at the appropriate moment and toast the happy couple.

….If only I had a B & W telly today to watch Kate n’Wills!

Our designer Charlotte Farmer only let us make 165 of her hand-drawn celebratory tea towels. Already a bundle have gone to the USA & Australia ex-colonials - so if you want one (my suggestion is) hurry up!