PROFILE: MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
The British designer brings his signature motifs and a sense of play to furniture
RICH, VIBRANT PATTERNS of exotic motifs have already taken Matthew Williamson from sartorial designs to home textiles, but this year he adds his whimsical aesthetic to a collection for 78-year-old British furniture makers Duresta. “I’ve always been far more keen on decoration and motif, whether designing a dress or a sofa, than reinventing the fashion wheel and pioneering new catwalk silhouettes,” says the designer, whose foray into homewares includes a long-term partnership with British department store Debenhams and a wallcovering collection for Osborne & Little. The eight-theme furniture collection reveals Williamson’s passion for a wide range of design eras, a playful style evident in the decoration of his own home, the result of many weekends combing antiques markets in England. “My taste is very eclectic; I am the antithesis of everything matching. It brings me out in hives if everything is too formal,” he says with a laugh. The styles hint at eras, rather than directly referencing them: the splayed ebony and brass legs and button detailing of the ‘Tango’ sofa and armchair suggest 1950s cocktail hour; 18th-century France oozes from the hand-carved silver-leaf detailing of ‘Fontaine’, ‘Marianne’ and ‘Margot’, from the ornate daybed and from the boudoir tub chair; while the rolled arms and high backs of the ‘Kemp’ sofa and chair are a nod to Victoriana. Williamson designed some 40 fabrics exclusively for the range, featuring his most recognised motif, the butterfly. Variations on that theme are joined by Oriental florals, jewel-toned velvets and slubby tweeds. “I wanted to create prints unique to the collection to lend the furniture greater integrity,” he says. “You won’t see these turning up as curtains elsewhere.” The pieces work equally well in luxurious plain fabrics. “The blocky square-edged ‘Minnelli’ daybed could be pared back with a neutral for someone wanting a cleaner vibe,” he says. The bird-themed side tables add humour with flamingo legs and peacock feet, adding to the collection’s deliberately off-kilter appeal. “Perhaps they shouldn’t all go together but in my eyes they do,” he says. “I wanted to allow people an element of creative flair.” Williamson welcomed the opportunity to work with Duresta, whose heritage is steeped in hand-craftmanship. Frames are made using traditional joinery; seating is coil-sprung; cushions are filled with feathers and down. “I treasure the workmanship of the embroiderers I use for my dresses, so watching Duresta’s team turn a simple piece of wood into something whimsical and timeless has been amazing,” he says. Contemplating the latest direction of his 20-year fashion career, which has earned him a dedicated following of glamorous starlets, Williamson says: “If all that’s gained is a sense of optimism and joyfulness when you either wear one of my dresses or sit on one of my sofas, then it’s a job done.”