The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
Quilty pleasures
An elegant range of bespoke quilts and upholstered furniture
‘I grew up with the sound of the sewing machine whirring as I slept because my mother sewed clothes at night to make money ,’ says the interior and homewares designer Cassandra ellis. ‘She also made quilts and clothes for us and for our dolls. For me now, quilts are a summation of what home is – practical, personal and very precious.’
Originally from New Zealand, ellis creates bespoke quilts for clients from her studio in south-west London and has written several books on craft and quilt-making .‘ The thinking behind the making is really important to me: who will use it, why, what material would suit them, what size,’ adds ellis, who went to university at 16 to study economics, then worked in the corporate world after graduating. She retrained as an interior designer when she was 30, and her practice is based around creating spaces and products that are simple, useful and beautiful.
Last year, ellis launched a furniture range that reflects her under stated aesthetic, and she has recently added several more cove table designs. She works closely with respected english furniture makers and upholsterers to realise her ideas. ‘each piece has been caref ully t hought t hrough to f ulf il a role and to be able to move from room to room and home to home, as lives and houses change,’ she says.
Standouts include a deep-buttoned daybed, t he plumply cushioned Big Chair, and t he Sharing Table, which has elegantly tapered legs and works equally well for dining or working.
‘It sits beautifully in both contemporar y and classic settings,’ says ellis of the table, but it’s also an apt description of this timelessly elegant collection.