We talk to Rosie Axford and Caroline Downing Nadel, founders of the fabulous fabric design company Wicklewood…
Much like Pooky, Rosie Axford and Caroline Downing Nadel believe you can transform your home into a beautiful, distinctive space without breaking the bank. They founded Wicklewood to help others do the same, with gorgeous,striking fabric design including rugs and cushions, and they also individual interior design advice to go with it. We teamed up with Wicklewood to make three lovely exclusive, lampshades. Here’s our Q&A…
How did Wicklewood come into being?
Like true modern nomads, we moved from place to place in our twenties. We sought to bring each new rental to life by decorating it in our own signature style to make it feel like home. We soon became frustrated by the lack of affordable design options that can change with each season, mood or move, so, we launched Wicklewood to provide people with an easy interior design solution, bridging the gap between high-end and high street and giving people access to exclusive fabrics without the costly mark-ups.
How would you describe your fabric design style?
Classics turned contemporary. Our signature Wicklewood original designs are inspired by the archives of Caroline's great great grandmother, Lilly de Jongh Osborne, an esteemed Guatemalan textile collector. The classic weaving motifs from these archives from the 1930s, formed the foundations of our original designs. All of our designs are inspired by traditional textile techniques like block printing and weaving and our products are crafted by skilled artisans around the world who use traditional techniques to develop our modern designs into final product.
Where does the inspiration for your patterns and designs come from?
Wicklewood is inspired by three generations of women, each passionate about textiles, design and individuality. Caroline’s Great Great Grandmother Lilly De Jongh Osborne spent her days traveling on horseback through the highlands of Guatemala trading and collecting rare Mesoamerican textiles, ultimately developing the world’s largest Guatemalan textile collection. Caroline grew up hearing her legendary stories and surrounded by the motifs, colours and designs from her archives. And, then, there is Blithfield, the iconic British fabric and wallpaper company founded by Caroline’s mother Elizabeth Downing and Anne Dubbs. Boasting an extensive range of colourful, printed and woven designs inspired by antique documents from around the world, Blithfield was the world Caroline grew up in and it’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for design were contagious and inspired the creation of Wicklewood.
You give free interior styling advice and also design room ‘sets’, combining different products. What tips can you give people for bringing your patterns and fabrics into their home interiors?
Pick one favourite piece and then build out your room from there. Your home should be a reflection of you and your personal style and we find that the best rooms come together when people begin by choosing a product they love. We spent almost a year, perfecting the colours in our inaugural range to ensure that our designs are all complimentary. By building out from a central piece comprising of various colours, you can use colour to bring different patterns and styles together, allowing your home to exhibit an exciting variety of designs and textures without it looking cluttered and over the top.
Which recent products or projects are you particularly proud of?
This June, we launched our inaugural pop up shop, The Wicklewood Design Collective. Alongside showcasing our first collection, The Collective celebrated creativity and entrepreneurship by bringing together women in the interior design industry, including Gloria Gonzalez, Rococo Davis and Sophie Conran. It was incredibly rewarding to speak to our customers face to face about the brand and get to tell them the story behind each product. We’re already gearing up for our next pop up, The Wicklewood Revolving Concept Store, launching on November 19th for ten days where we will be swinging open the doors of 123 Sydney Street in Chelsea, London, and welcoming 3 influential people, all passionate about interiors and designs to come in a makeover 1 room in 3 different ways…to be kept up to date with news on this sign up to our newsletter, or email hello@wicklewood.com!
You give free interior styling advice and also design room ‘sets’, combining different products. What tips can you give people for bringing your patterns and fabrics into their home interiors?
Pick one favourite piece and then build out your room from there. Your home should be a reflection of you and your personal style and we find that the best rooms come together when people begin by choosing a product they love. We spent almost a year, perfecting the colours in our inaugural range to ensure that our designs are all complimentary. By building out from a central piece comprising of various colours, you can use colour to bring different patterns and styles together, allowing your home to exhibit an exciting variety of designs and textures without it looking cluttered and over the top.
Do you have a particular favourite corner or room (in your home or anywhere) that you feel is 'all your own'? Or do you have any tips for creating a 'cosy' space?
Rosie: It would have to be the armchair in my bedroom, which has more cushions on it than my bed (and that’s saying a lot)! For me there is something luxurious and very grown-up about having an armchair in a bedroom. It’s where I go to curl up with the Sunday papers or work from when I am finding my desk uninspiring. But I would say no cosy space is complete without a big area rug, squishy underfoot, they bring an instant sense of cosiness.
How do you see the role of lighting in interior design generally?
Lighting is crucial to any room or space. Bad lighting, whether it be too much or too little, can over or under saturate the soft furnishings and furniture in a room, which in turn will have an effect on the overall ambience. The bases and/or shades themselves can also be a key focal point in a room, so it is important that they sit well alongside the soft furnishings and colours.
You’ve collaborated with the Pooky team on creating a special lampshade range. What can you tell us about that?
We are very excited about the upcoming launch of the limited edition Wicklewood X Pooky lampshade range. We selected our three favourite designs, The Caballo, The Tiger Tiger and The Palopo and created 3 shades, 2 drums and 1 empire. Each design is bold, bright and playful and best represents our belief that design should be personal and fun. We worked closely with Pooky to cherry-pick bases that we feel compliment each shade the best. They are very versatile and would look great anywhere, from a child’s bedroom to an office or cosy corner.
Tiger Tiger
Caballo
Palopo
Finally, do you have a favourite Pooky light (and if so, why that one?)
Rosie: I love the Artur table lamp (aka the artichoke) in turquoise with the empire shade in stone taj with samurai tape. It would sit very well in my living room, next to Wicklewood’s Tree of Life cushion in blue/green which is on my sofa.
Caroline: I like the Shiva, it reminds me of my travels to India and I love incorporating design from around the world in my home. It reminds me of all the places I have been, those I’d like to visit and that there is no place like home. It also compliments the many Wicklewood inlay boxes that I have scattered on the various surfaces of my home.
Shiva
