MY STYLE INSPIRATIONS
Textile designer Molly Mahon
FAMILY ROOTS
My parents still live down a dusty dirt track in the house I was born in, where my upbringing consisted mainly of horses, the great outdoors and creative experiments with my two sisters. Mum was always busy with anything from marbling and embroidery to bookmaking, and my father was eternally in his vegetable patch! We had endless summer holidays in Scotland, where we’d always have a creative project on the go, which has undeniably influenced my career path.
STARTING OUT
I’m entirely self-taught. I’ve always been creative, but for most of my life I saw creativity as a hobby. I discovered block printing by chance years ago, when I was searching for a creative outlet and found a workshop. I love the instant gratification of lifting the block and seeing a repeat pattern growing along the print table. Since then I’ve worked hard to learn more, from apprenticing at Tobias And The Angel and spending time with wallpaper designer Marthe Armitage, to researching archives on painter and designer Peggy Angus and asking for help from people I admire such as Cath Kidston and Helen Cormack at Tissus d’Helene, a fabric and wallpaper showroom. Molly Mahon launched as a brand in 2015, when we took our first office space and my collaborative relationships with digital printers in the north of England and a community of master printers, dyers and weavers in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan evolved.
INSPIRATION
Three key interests influence my designs. Firstly, nature in all its glory, particularly the trees and plants that surround the house where I live. Second is Charleston Farmhouse, the decorative house in East Sussex that belonged to the Bloomsbury Group and, of course, there’s India, with its rich architectural heritage and incredible patterns and colours. I also admire the artist Josephine Trotter, who celebrates colour in the most liberating way. I love her choice of landscapes, often featuring wild and verdant countryside.
STEP INSIDE
I live in the heart of the Ashdown Forest with my husband Rollo and three children, Lani, Algie and Orlando. Our home is a wonderful mix of old and new – I call it ‘perfectly imperfect’ and wouldn’t want it any other way! Rather than having an aesthetic, it’s more a case of how it feels. We change things a lot, trying out our new fabrics and wallpapers, and there are always the latest artworks by the children proudly displayed! Most importantly, I want my home to feel friendly and welcoming.
PASSION PROJECTS
Recently I wrote my first book, House of Print – a love letter to block printing. It includes a whole section on how to do it yourself at your kitchen table. I want people to read it and discover the joy of creativity. Greencombe, my new collection, is a celebration of being outdoors, and unites many of my greatest loves, from cow parsley and dianthus to the symbolic motifs of seeds that offer hope and new beginnings. I’ve also incorporated some of my signature joyful bold colours with earthier tones found in both the Indian desert and English countryside.