The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Taking natural inspiration
Sam Wylie-Harris chats to designer Matthew Williamson about why creativity is his happy place
Famous for his flamboyant fashions on the catwalk, bold designs and feather peacock prints, interior designer Matthew Williamson says his latest collection for John Lewis feels like a lovely tick.
“If you were to say, ‘What would be your dream job?’ One would be the John Lewis collaboration because I think it really sort of cements what I’ve been trying to do for a few years.
“It’s a solid proposition with a very respected, known brand,” says the Manchester-born designer.
It’s been two years in the making, “So a reasonably long, very enjoyable, creative process for me,” notes Williamson. And it’s the largest designer homeware collaboration of its kind for the department store, with 90 artfully curated pieces spanning a variety of homewares, from cushions to bedding to mirrors and lighting – decorative, eclectic and joyful.
“The brief was really open to be honest,” reflects Williamson. “Obviously, I’ve been in design my whole adult life, and fashion into interiors more recently.”
He closed the chapter on his 20 year plus fashion career about seven years ago when he decided to take the leap and fully immerse himself in the world of interior design.
The collection is inspired by the great
British outdoors, but also further afield. The 50-year-old – who lives with his partner Joseph Velosa and their daughter Skye in Mallorca – says he’s often drawn to different cultures and countries that have a very rich palette. “You know, ornate decoration, so strangely or not, I decided with this collection to stay rooted in the UK and therefore, look at what I started to say in my head was ‘doorstop design.’
“So whether that be an English meadow or foraging in a hedgerow, or looking at a starlit sky at night, or the quintessential English country garden, all those very sort of English touch points of nature were my inspiration.” Despite being in Spain for the majority of lockdown, Williamson says, “I’m England born and bred, so it wasn’t too much of a leap to imagine. So yeah, an Englishbased design collection, but I did it in Spain.” Alongside beautiful blooms, signature peacock prints, butterflies and floral meadows to inspire and leave a lasting impression, there’s also a focus on woodland themes, hacienda-style textiles and exuberant touches such as leopard print and exotic bedding sets.
With the aim to create an artistic interplay between standout pieces and Williamson’s eclectic aesthetic, all the products (priced from £16 to £250) prompt a second look – and can effortlessly be introduced to existing schemes to elevate the every day, or by combining colour with comfort.
“There’re two mirrors I love in particular, ” says Williamson. “One’s like a gilded peacock mirror. It’s sort of a gold frame. It’s pretty large scale and it has two ornately carved peacocks. So that’s a real statement piece that would elevate any space. It’s kind of grand, it’s a talking point. It’s a little bit whimsical – it’s definitely got a real character.”
Today, Williamson is slowly but surely building his portfolio and spends 50% of his time on interior design projects, commercial and domestic, and the other half designing homeware goods.
Like most creatives, he finds it difficult to switch off when it’s time to relax.
“The switch off button is not an easy button for me to find.” admits Williamson. “Not good at it at all. So it’s a good job I love what I do, because cliché as it might sound, I guess I’m relaxed when I’m working.
“I love painting. I have a studio in Spain where I suppose that’s not necessarily work but it would be to paint, you know, creativity is my happy place.”
“But when I can get time, that’s what I do to sort of tune off from work, but I am really busy. And there isn’t much downtime.”
■ The John Lewis + Matthew Williamson Homeware Collection is available now.