This March, celebrate the longer days and new beginnings, decorate with patterns inspired by nature, and invest in handmade pieces for the home, crafted using traditional skills
A SPRING IN YOUR STEP
Whether you are hosting a brunch or a dinner party, plan the perfect Easter gathering with a pretty tablescape. Add natural, seasonal touches to celebrate the start of spring, and team subtle sage greens with posy pinks, offset with gingham and stripe patterns. Dress the table with spring flowers and finish each place setting with a tabletop ‘favour’, such as an egg or after-dinner treat – see our Easter craft ideas on page 135 for decorative ideas. Pictured are the Oaksey checked napkins, £35 for a set of 4; Oaksey checked tablecloth, from £80; Chilford solid wood bench, £650; Nether placemats in Natural, £35 for a set of 4; Ithaca egg cups, £10 for a pair; Eshott cushion covers, from £20, all Garden Trading.
HERITAGE REVIVAL
Little Greene has launched its fourth instalment of wallpaper designs derived from National Trust proper ties. The eclectic collection features eight designs adapted and recoloured across 42 colourways, with patterns ranging from exotic birds, stylised blooms and scrolling trails to ditsy florals and large-scale tropical murals. ‘Designs within this collection date back to 1770, yet still endure, feeling fresh and relevant today,’ says Little Greene’s creative director, Ruth Mottershead. Pictured is Spring Flowers in Garden, £127 per 10 metre roll. The design is taken from a paper at Standen House in West Sussex, one of the country’s finest examples of an Arts and Crafts house, designed by Philip Webb with interiors by William Morris. The surviving paper is in a monochromatic colourway of blue and white, but it is now available in two gentle neutrals or four stronger grounds.
Turn over a new leaf
Inspired by the Maltese landscape and the Mediterranean Sea, Kappar is a new collection of fabric, wallpaper, and cushions by textile designer, Abigail Borg. Caper or ‘Kappar’ bushes are found in abundance tumbling down rock faces across the Maltese islands. The multi-directional pattern perfectly captures the loose movement of the leaves and it can be positioned with the leaves flourishing upwards or cascading down. The new design is available in eight warming and natural colourways: Seagrass (pictured); Sand; Leaf; Med; Mist Ecru; Honey Ecru; Stone and Sunset Ecru. Fabric £110 per metre; cushions, £85 each; wallpaper, £120 per 10 metre roll.
PRETTY PRACTICAL
Sprig is one of the new designs from Lottie Murphy’s SS24 range, featuring chopping boards to napkins, teatowels to placemats. Every design starts off as a hand-drawn sketch by Lottie using a variety of media, mainly pencil and pen. The drawings are then scanned in and digitised before being
