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The clue is in the name: for our new 'Super Nature' collection, our House takes its dual domains – art and nature – to the very extreme.
Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, we draw inspiration from
larger-than-life characters and the most extraordinary creature to have ever walked the earth – all while mining our colour palettes from the boldest, most dazzling pigments given to us by Mother Nature.
The clue is in the name: for our new 'Super Nature' collection, our House takes its dual domains – art and nature – to the very extreme.
Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, we draw inspiration from
larger-than-life characters and the most extraordinary creature to have ever walked the earth – all while mining our colour palettes from the boldest, most dazzling pigments given to us by Mother Nature.
Amongst the kaleidoscope of cultural influences behind the collection is the 1884 novel À rebours (translated as Against the Grain) by French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. Famous – or rather, infamous – as the first aesthetic novel, it focuses on the eccentric and reclusive Jean des Esseintes, the last scion of an aristocratic family. In his loathing of 19th-century bourgeois society, des Esseintes retreats into a world of his own creation.
And so, at the expense of a storyline (something which caused a furore at the time), the novel extensively details the aesthetic of des Esseintes’ interiors, from the colour palettes he chooses by comparing pigments under candlelight to his idiosyncratic décor: think fish tanks filled with coloured water and even a tortoise encrusted with semi-precious stones.
After a moment in history in which we have all spent a lot of time in our own insular worlds, the new season finds an unexpected joy in the novel’s depiction of the art of collecting exquisite objects and curating our interiors.
The tale of des Esseintes is echoed by that of the equally eccentric Benjamin Tucker, a naval man who bought a 100-year lease on the Castle of Trematon in 1807 after the medieval fortress had fallen into ruins. In a similar fashion to the fictional aristocrat, Tucker transformed the grounds of Trematon into a world of his very own: carving out an ornate swimming pool in the garden and building a grand Georgian house overlooking the castle courtyard. And that’s not all: Tucker even transformed the medieval gatehouse into a miniature museum of natural history, filled with curiosities (including an Egyptian mummy, no less) that he had picked up while sailing the seven seas.
Fast forward over two hundred years and the Castle’s new custodians, our founders Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle, have paid homage to Tucker’s elaborate vision while reimagining the interiors for the 21st century.
Simultaneously, the ‘Super Nature’ collection revels in our signature rock ‘n’ roll sensibility. A contemporary take on the 1960s peacock revolution, the mood is heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, the star-studded concert show of 1968 – its spectacular aesthetic mirrored in the bold, circus-style CAMELOT STRIPE.
The tale of des Esseintes is echoed by that of the equally eccentric Benjamin Tucker, a naval man who bought a 100-year lease on the Castle of Trematon in 1807 after the medieval fortress had fallen into ruins. In a similar fashion to the fictional aristocrat, Tucker transformed the grounds of Trematon into a world of his very own: carving out an ornate swimming pool in the garden and building a grand Georgian house overlooking the castle courtyard. And that’s not all: Tucker even transformed the medieval gatehouse into a miniature museum of natural history, filled with curiosities (including an Egyptian mummy, no less) that he had picked up while sailing the seven seas.
Fast forward over two hundred years and the Castle’s new custodians, our founders Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle, have paid homage to Tucker’s elaborate vision while reimagining the interiors for the 21st century.
Simultaneously, the ‘Super Nature’ collection revels in our signature rock ‘n’ roll sensibility. A contemporary take on the 1960s peacock revolution, the mood is heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, the star-studded concert show of 1968 – its spectacular aesthetic mirrored in the bold, circus-style CAMELOT STRIPE.
As for our other new prints, we’ve delved into the archives of the renowned silk weaving house Gainsborough – reinterpreting the mill’s working drawings to create playful, disrupted versions of traditional damasks. Our reinterpretations of Gainsborough’s archive fabrics purposely preserve the original draftsman’s pencil marks and grids (which were used to plot the design onto the loom) – at once celebrating the time-honoured craft of weaving fabrics and subverting the idea that the final prints must be “perfect”. And of course, our signature psychedelic touch materialises throughout, be it in the double-layered, ‘shadow’ effect of the AMARANTHINE motif or the blown-up scale of ANDASTRA and OLWEN.
As for our other new prints, we’ve delved into the archives of the renowned silk weaving house Gainsborough – reinterpreting the mill’s working drawings to create playful, disrupted versions of traditional damasks. Our reinterpretations of Gainsborough’s archive fabrics purposely preserve the original draftsman’s pencil marks and grids (which were used to plot the design onto the loom) – at once celebrating the time-honoured craft of weaving fabrics and subverting the idea that the final prints must be “perfect”. And of course, our signature psychedelic touch materialises throughout, be it in the double-layered, ‘shadow’ effect of the AMARANTHINE motif or the blown-up scale of ANDASTRA and OLWEN.
For our new-season colourways, we’ve taken our cues from the natural world, with the shades grounded in reality but heightened – from ‘Lapis Lazuli’ and ‘Sapphire’ blue to ‘Jadeite’ green and ‘Tourmaline’ pink. Then adding to that feeling of unreality is our new House icon, the Dodo. Brought back to life across cushions and lampshades, our painterly rendering of the long-extinct bird serves as an ode to Mother Nature’s boundless creativity while symbolising the need to safeguard our planet’s precious wildlife.
So, the ‘Super Nature’ collection is all about conjuring up your own interiors fantasy – only this time, it’s in the most decadent, unconventional fashion possible.
Explore the room below to shop your favourite pieces…
Wondering how to weave the wonders of our 'Super Nature' collection into your own interior? Book a complimentary Decorating Consultation with our in-house experts via video call or in-person at our London flagship or New York showroom.