PASSION FOR PAISLEY
Originating from 19th century Kashmir, the classic teardrop pattern has been given a modern twist to adorn our homes from floors to cushions, Barbara Chandler finds
The familiar paisley “twisted teardrop” dates from Persia some 2,000 years ago. Imported woven shawls with the design were wildly popular in England from the 17th century onwards, but by the early 19th century the Scottish town of Paisley had all but taken over the market, producing clever and distinctive weaves of up to 15 colours. The town’s name stuck. This autumn, paisley is enjoying its latest revival.
This modern paisley, rich and red, is sharp and elegant on linen. By French design studio Manuel Canovas, the price is £92 a metre at Colefax and Fowler, 110 Fulham Road, SW3 (manuelcanovas.com).
Farrow & Ball uses its own paints for block-printed papers including this contemporary paisley, a working of an 1800s French Jacquard. Available in seven pretty colourways, at £97 for a 10m roll (farrow-ball.com).
Designer Bernie de Le Cuona says of her new Demure/Drama paisley fabric collection: “I’ve varied scales, mixed up the colours, and made a dramatic floral. Use with plain, gutsy linen, silk velvet and a smidgen of cashmere for layered luxury.” Fabrics in 75/25 wool/cotton cost £218.50 a metre. The showroom is at 150 Walton Street.
From its beginning in 1875, the Liberty of London department store produced its own textiles, leaving a rich archive. This year these older patterns are reworked for a series of furnishing fabrics that are fresh and modern, yet have a heritage twist. This is the Felix Raison velvet, at £115 a metre.
Now you can buy patterns from the Liberty Art Fabrics range as fitted carpets and rugs. This is one of four designs in Alternative Flooring’s new Jubilee collection, with the motifs of a hand-painted original mid 19th-century shawl upscaled for an 80/20 wool and nylon blend. Priced £149 per square metre.
Soane Britain co-founder and creative director Lulu Lytle found this pattern with two parrots, one inside the other, on a piece of 19th century Indian fabric. This Paisley Parrot poplin, woven and printed in Britain, is £196 a metre. Pair it with Coral, which adopts the background fern pattern, at £90 a metre.