Beneath The Canopy5/5/2018
Chamberlayne Bed a facsimile copy of an impressive mahogany four poster bed purchased from a Sotheby house sale in 1998, following the dispersal of the estate of The Chamberlayne Family of Stoneythorpe Hall, Warwickshire. Here dressed with Claremont fabrics.
When all the Milan madness is laid to rest, there is another trip closer to home that is sure to bring much joy and some welcome comfort for those dreaming of a bit of shut eye. Beneath the Canopy (open 2- 31 May) is an exhibition in praise of the four-poster and based upon a collection of bespoke beds created by Max Rollitt on display at his Hampshire showroom. ‘Over the years, I have spent dealing in fine antiques, many examples of exquisite four-poster beds have passed through my hands. I have always documented these, knowing that they are hard to come by. Now I find it time to awaken them from the archives and revive what is, to me, one of the most enchanting pieces of furniture.’ Max Rollitt Max is all set to revive interest in the four-poster bed. Each new design is beautifully drawn, of contemporary proportions and can be upholstered or kept in their skeletal form. True to form, Max is no follower of fashion so his OTT drapes are not because of the fad for boisterous maximalism but because the bed was once the most important piece of furniture in a household and dressed in swathes of lavish fabrics and ornate trims. Kings would hold court from these rooms and in medieval times they were known as the canopy bed, providing privacy and warmth. Inspired by traditional designs, these beds have been reimagined for modern living and Max tries to use at least one in every interior design project as they combine classical elegance with the enduring pleasure of comfort. Handmade in Britain, they are made using the finest black walnut and each is custom made to whatever width, length or height the client desires. Max is six-foot foot four so there are no limits. Dressing a fully-draped four-poster is an art in itself but what a great excuse to indulge in the most glorious fabrics and passementerie. Max has collaborated with his favourite fabric houses for this exhibition - Claremont, de Le Cuona, Bennison and George Spencer Designs.
Bala with de Le Cuona, New Gloucester with Bennison Fabrics and Campaign with George Spencer Designs
See these sleeping beauties at Max Rollitt’s showroom. Max Rollitt Yavington Barn Lovington Lane Avington Hampshire SO21 1DA T. +44 (0) 1962 791124 www.maxrollitt.com VELVET GOLDMINE18/10/2017
Tulip by Neisha Crosland for Turnell & Gigon on Pendel sofa by Pinch
Velvet is lavish, luscious and loved at this time of year. Catwalks are crushed with it and our homes welcome it to keeps winter draughts at bay and to upholstery deep-seated sofas. Aesthetically, velvet catches the light to give a rhythm to the surface and a sort of Chiaroscuro effect. The new Tulip velvet by Neisha Crosland has even greater depth due to the hand-blocked nature of the printing. It was also Neisha’s first ever textile print and makes a magical story ‘At school, I took an old sheet and dyed it pistachio green, cut out some stencils from cartridge paper, and bought some fabric paints. I made a silk screen, and printed my first textile not knowing that I would still be at it 39 years later - the design I printed was a Fritillaria TULIP, but as the checks seemed too tricky to cut out of a stencil I just decorated the flower head with stripes instead. Twenty years later, on seeing the design that my mother by now had proudly framed, a friend of mine insisted on taking it to India to have some woodblocks cut of the design. She came back some months later with a few meters printed on cotton muslin. Last year, when visiting my studio, Matt Gomez of Turnell & Gigon spotted this length folded up in a corner, and was so inspired by it and its story, that he took the original blocks off to Thailand to print the design on gold and silver velvet’ Perhaps something more than transient trends is afoot in the velvet revolution, because in uncertain times traditional textiles and cosy upholstery hark back to a bygone era, evoking comfort and warmth. Country Life recently wrote about Victorian upholstered furniture, a la Uncle Monty’s drawing room in Withnail & I, examining the stylistically legacy of the lavish comfort of Howard-style sofas and chairs. This may be a chair too far for most of us, but velvet can look refreshingly modern even if touched by a little English eccentricity. www.neishacrosland.com Read more blogs here www.elizabethmachinpr.com THE PORTRAIT18/7/2017
In fusty, weighty albums complete with clasps there are copious small black-and-white photographs documenting the life of one set of my grandparents and my father’s childhood – from studio portraits to snaps taken anywhere and everywhere, from the seaside to back gardens.
Fast forward to the sixties and Kodak’s Instamatic introduced a whole generation to low-cost photography. I have boxes of colour prints and slides capturing the springtime of my life. Who also remembers the photo booths in Woolworths? Fast forward again to the time when I have a family and all the images are of my own children, holidays and seascapes. Some make the longevity of albums, others are casually posted on Facebook or Instagram. But wherever they find their home, there are no shots of me. I am the one pointing or shy of the camera. I also don’t do selfies. Loathe them. Fast forward to a year ago. A health scare prompted me to consider commissioning a portrait. I wanted my two boys to have a keepsake image of me and to see their mother as an individual. Enter Kristin Perers an American creative in London with two sons. Her former roles as a fashion designer and interior stylist, coupled with her experience as a painter are all now channelled into her work as a captivating and charming photographer. We spent a joyful afternoon in the comfort of the Bennison Fabrics showroom. These aren’t fleeting youthful shots but unphotoshopped images with the depth that age and experience bring. I hope my boys are proud. I am. Thank you, Kristin. Categories
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