About
DESIGNER AND PAINTER OF DECORATIVE INTERIORS.
From my studio in Hastings on the Sussex coast of England I design and hand paint surface pattern for interiors. Working largely to commission I create bespoke pieces for domestic, commercial and heritage interiors.
I came to the world of decorative interiors from an unconventional direction, specialising in reproducing Elizabethan wall paintings and painted cloths in the tradition of the craftsmen known as "painter stainers". I’ve remained intrigued by this beguiling genre researching and reproducing rare designs for museums and historic houses whilst also adapting them for modern tastes.
At the same time my inherent love of surface pattern has drawn me towards diverse and ever-changing influences for my designs. My open-minded and inquisitive approach to decoration makes for fruitful collaborations whilst ensuring the artwork carries my distinctive signature.
This signature style is imbued with a historic, artisanal and painterly feel that has its roots in the wall paintings of old. My paintwork is often finished with ageing and distressing to distance it from the new and the mass produced, adding what I think of as "The patination of time".
In 2007 I was awarded a QEST scholarship and received a grant to carry out further research into Elizabethan decoration. QEST (the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) is the charitable branch of the Royal Warrant Holders Association and my association with both bodies has led to many exciting opportunities. Amongst these are exhibiting at Fortnum & Mason and, in 2013, painting a 10m wide landscape mural for the Queen's summerhouse at Buckingham Palace.
I’m honoured to be included in the gorgeously photographed and written book “Celebrating British Craftsmanship”. This coffee table tome features over 100 QEST alumni with portraits by Julian Calder. Purchase your copy HERE
In recent years I have collaborated with top brands on award winning designs. These include several for Zoffany starting with the pioneering Arden Collection followed by single designs; Peacock Garden, The Gondolier, Winterbourne and Stand Wood. I’ve a new Zoffany wallpaper launching in June 2023. I have also produced two designs for Lewis & Wood called Bacchus and Rococo printed as luxury fabrics and wallpapers.
2016 saw the start of a collaborative journey with Kit Kemp, design director of Firmdale Hotels. My first two commissions were to create a large scale, scenic wallpaper for Firmdale's newest hotel The Whitby in New York then one for Charlotte Street Hotel in London. Next came a fun opportunity to paint folk designs in a Shepherd’s Hut in Kit’s New Forest garden. I supplied fresco secco folk panels for her pop-up Caribbean Suite at Turnell & Gigon (Design Centre Chelsea Harbour) then supplied the artwork for her fabric and wallpaper collection for design house Andrew Martin.
This fruitful alliance continued as Kit launched her 7th floor takeover of the iconic New York department store Bergdorf Goodman in 2019. For this epic pop-up I supplied fresco secco paintings and painted furniture and our designs for Andrew Martin appear on the walls, upholstery and soft furnishings.
In 2019 I created a fantastical landscape wallpaper for New York fine jeweller Larkspur & Hawk. Called Emily’s Garden this wallpaper is now available to buy directly from my website.
2020 saw me embark upon an epic series of mural wallpapers for Fortnum & Mason’s new store in Hong Kong. Commissioned via Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (MBDS) my brief was to create a British, yet fantastical, countryside scene with subtle nods to Fortnum & Mason’s heritage such as travel and various mythical creatures. Complex shapes and sizes of the design had to fit the ground floor then tall trees shot up 7 metres to fill a staircase. Other panels were tailored to fit soffits, bulkheads and reveals. Images of the final shop floor & restaurant staircase coming soon.
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SOME PAST CLIENTS:
Andrew Martin International
Addison Nelson Design
Alan Paine Knitwear Ltd
Birmingham City Council
Charleston House Trust
Coats & Clark UK Ltd
Cowper Griffith Associates
Diageo
Diana Kelly Interiors
Exeter City Council
Firmdale Hotels PLC
Fortnum & Mason PLC
Forum Design & Manufacturing Ltd.
General Trading Company
Hackett Holland Architects
John Smedley Knitwear
Johnnie Walker
Katrina Phillips Ltd
Larkspur & Hawk
Lewis & Wood
London Craft Week 2017
Lucy Johnston Antiques
Le Bon Marche, Paris
McCully & Crane Art Ltd.
Martin Brudnizki Design Studio
QEST Enterprises
Royal Warrant Holders Association
Rowan Fabrics for Coats plc
Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust
Silks Hotels
Stroud International Textiles Festival
The Creative Source
The Wallpaper History Society
The Worshipful Company of Painter Stainers
Zoffany (Walker Greenbank PLC)
Weald & Downland Open Air Museum
Westminster Fibers inc
Wild Apple Publishing & Licensing
Plus private clients at home and abroad.