FLOWER POWER
Floral prints are back in style, both in fashion and in home decor,
Floral patterns have been cycling in and out of favour in art and design forever.
More than 5,000 years ago, artists in Egypt carved intricate plant designs on temple and tomb walls, according to an essay by Catharine H. Roehrig, a curator of Egyptian Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In more recent history, the cycle has included the sensuous, graceful florals of the Art Déco period, and the stylized motifs of the ’50s (remember bark-cloth curtains?). Then came ’60s-era flower power prints, followed by the countrified flower patterns Laura Ashley made popular in the ’80s.
The rise of minimalism, which deemed florals fussy and old-fash- ioned, caused a design drought in the ’90s.
But florals are back — both on the runway and in the home.
Good news for Laura Ashley, which saw sales spike in 2012 after several lacklustre years. Fans will be saddened to learn that, although the fabric collection is sold online in the U.S., it’s not currently shipping to Canada. However, the company does have this on its short-term to-do list. Floral designs and motifs are everywhere, including the many goods on display at the One of a Kind Show, which runs from March 27 to 31 at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place. Of the more than 450 artisans and designers who will be at the show, 40 will be emerging sellers from the Etsy online marketplace, such as Erin McIntosh, who designs accessories under the company name Dear Edna. McIntosh is one of several designers embracing flowers, and is showing a very pretty, highly coloured floral reversible apron ($60).
Floral and plant designs also figure in the new spring bedding collection from Au Lit Fine Linens. Take a look at the Courtney pattern in a fresh and zingy fuchsia, which is made in Canada from 220-thread-count Egyptian cotton woven in Israel. It’s also available in a sophisticated grey. Pair it with one of Au Lit’s Scallop Blossom flat sheets for an extra touch of pretty. Prices start at $111 for a twin duvet cover.
For those with a taste for the Rococo, Pier 1 has a painted iron clock that’s festooned with flowers and butterflies for $65.
Later this spring, you can bring flowers to the table in a new way with the Exotic Botanic Garden and Botanic Garden Birds line of tableware by Portmeirion.
The floral patterns are the latest in a line that was originally designed by Portmeirion’s founder, potter Susan Williams-Ellis, based on engravings found in a 19thcentury book about herbs and flowers she found in a London bookshop.
Not only is the new design lovely, pieces in it are also freezer, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. Look for it in April at such specialty retailers as Aurora Collectibles and Olvi China and Gifts. It’s also for sale online now at Kingsmill’s or by special order through William Ashley.
Flowers can flourish in the bathroom with a DKNY Watercolor Bouquet Shower Curtain, which you can find at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $50.
After the minimalist design drought in the 1990s, florals are back — both on the runway and in the home
Despite their long, dark winters — or perhaps because of them — Nordic countries have long been a source of wonderful floral textiles.
Find out about part of that history by visiting the Textile Museum of Canada. There, you’ll find a retrospective exhibit of textiles from Marimeeko, the uber-cool Finnish design house founded in 1951 by Armi Ratia and her husband, Viljo. Known for its striking signature Unikko print, which features pop-arty, over-sized poppies, Marimekko was part of a post-Second World War movement to bring beautiful, well-designed products to the masses.
In Sweden, floral motifs figure large at Svenskt Tenn, a high-end design house founded in 1924 by designer Estrid Ericson, who began in the 1930s to collaborate with Josef Frank, an Austrian-born architect/urban planner/designer.
Frank spent decades designing playful, flower-filled patterns for textiles, wallpaper and other home goods, at a time when the aesthetic was heavily weighted toward monochromatic schemes. You can still buy Frank’s designs through Swedish design house Svensktenn, but only if your budget can handle upwards of $200 per metre.
Lesser mortals can get the look at Ikea, whose under-rated textile department bursts with very decent quality yard fabrics at highly affordable prices, starting as low as about $3 per metre.
If money is no object and your taste runs to traditional elegance, you should take a look at the very fine floral hand-embroidery that Camal Pirbhia, owner of Studio La Beaute, uses to embellish window treatments, light fixtures and other décor pieces. It’s exquisite.
For images of these, and other examples of floral designs in décor, go to my Pinterest board at pinterest.com/vickysanderson/springflowers.
thestar.blogs.com/onthehouse.