DELIGHT INDESIGN

For more than half a century Designers Guild has been inspiring people to embrace pattern, texture and colour, as Jacqueline Wake Young discovers

Anyone who opened a shop on London’s King’s Road in the 1970s is probably worth getting to know. In 1970 Tricia Guild established Designers Guild (DG), producing furnishing fabrics, wallcoverings, upholstery and bed and bath collections. In November of the following year, DG opened its store at 277 King’s Road and showcased its Village collection in fully furnished settings to give people an idea of how things could look in their own homes.

Its designs were soon appearing on the covers of magazines, and within 10 years DG had developed a network of distributors and agents across the UK, Europe, the Channel Islands and Ireland, as well as the US, Australia, Bermuda, Canada and South Africa.

Today it processes more than two million metres of fabric and wallpaper a year with a turnover in excess of £55 million and a workforce of 280 people.

Its customers are interior designers, department stores, retailers, the hotel and contract market – and, thanks to its online store, directly to the rest of us.

Tricia Guild must have one heck of a trophy cabinet at home for the many awards she has received, including being made an OBE by the Queen for services to interior design.

Over the years she has encouraged people to explore pattern, colour and texture in their decor choices, which is something we may need now more than ever as interiors descend ever further into what Laurence Llewelynbowen calls the “Greynaissance”.

One of Tricia’s top tips for using a bold colour is to let it “sing” by using plenty of white and neutrals around it.

This year saw the publication of her 20th book, Moody Blooms, which was timed to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show, and draws on her constant muse, the cycle of nature.

It looks at how florals can breathe life into a living space and, as the days become greyer and colder, perhaps we could all benefit from a shot of colour and cheer, Designers Guild-style.

TRUE BLUE: English garden floral delft wallpaper, £65; fabrics £65-£75 a metre; cushions £65-£75, Designers Guild.

Christian Lacroix geisha prisme rug, £1,295-£2,195, Designers Guild.

Tapestry flower vintage damson cushion, £120, Designers Guild.

Madhya moss wool throw, £260, Designers Guild.

Cormo colorato cushion, £95, Designers Guild.

Delamere emerald throw, £165, Designers Guild.

Abernethy amethyst cushion, £75, Designers Guild.

Grafton forest cushion, £85, Designers Guild.

Jangal moss rug, £2,495, Designers Guild.

Widdale brick throw, £165, Designers Guild.