Spotlight on... MOLLY MAHON
How the designer’s passion for block printing evolved into her eponymous homeware brand
Molly Mahon has always been creative. Her mother and grandmother were artists, so it felt natural to her to make things, too – yet Molly’s first port of call was party planning.
‘I ran an events business with a friend while living in London,’ she explains. ‘Then I attended a block printing course back in 2007 and, after that, I started to carve my own blocks and experiment.’ The hobby became something more after a friend commissioned her to print wallpaper for a shepherd’s hut. ‘I was thrilled with the result – and so were those who came to stay in it – so it was a light bulb moment where I realised my creative outpouring could become a career,’ she says.
After moving back to her hometown of Lewes,
Molly launched her interiors business and now her woodblock designs are printed on everything from fabric and wallpaper to ceramics, stationery and other home accessories. ‘I love that block printing has such a rich history; it truly has passed the test of time,’ she says. ‘A great deal of my enjoyment comes from giving this ancient craft a contemporary slant for today’s homes.’ Inspired by this Indian technique, Molly has spent a lot of time in Jaipur honing her skills. ‘I started to work with block printers who have been passing down their artisanal skills for generations,’ she says. ‘To me, they were – and still are – the real deal when it comes to pattern making.’
Alongside India, the natural world is a huge inspiration for Molly – as is the artistic enclave Charleston Farmhouse. ‘It is a wonderfully decorative house in Sussex that belonged to the Bloomsbury Group,’ says Molly. ‘The group of creatives believed that art should be available to all and were not precious about the way it was used. This freedom to experiment led them to apply paint and pattern to any surface with no rules. This sense of abandon inspires me in my own work.’
Molly’s range of colourful designs pays homage to traditional Indian motifs such as elephants and exotic florals, but her British heritage also shines through with classic spots and stripes. All of her patterns and colours are designed to work well together, and can be layered for a harmonious clash. Her newest collection for spring, ‘Bloom’, was inspired by Molly’s obsession with the abundantly blooming dahlia.
‘It’s a pure celebration of this wonderful flower in all her multitude of joy and colour,’ she says.
Sustainability is at the heart of Molly’s creative process.
‘We print until the ink runs out,’ she explains. ‘We have, from the outset, used eco-friendly, water-based inks without any nasty kerosene in our printing.’ No piece of excess cloth is ever thrown away and there is always a use for offcuts; the paper in her journals, wrapping paper and greeting cards are made using fabric remnants.
When it comes to decorating her own home, Molly prefers to shop locally. ‘I frequently visit independent homeware stores such as Freight, Wickle and Closet & Botts,’ she says. Designs by interior designer Beata Heuman, homeware designer Skye Mcalpine and vintage-inspired interiors brand Cutter Brooks are among her other favourites, as well as a much-coveted bobbin side table from craftsman Alfred Newall. ‘I love shops where the owners are there and the passion for what they are doing shines through,’ she says. Browse Molly’s collection at mollymahon.com.