Living with plants

So many wonderful fabrics take their inspiration from nature but every so often I come across a design that conjures up images of hot houses full of leafy tropical plants or those detailed old botanical drawings that accurately depict the exact details of a species, which are such a lovely things to use in an interior, particularly if your garden isn’t up to Chelsea’s high standards.

I think illustrative prints work brilliantly on upholstery where you can really see the detail of the design. Woodland Ferns from Sanderson is a design taken from an old botanical illustration and shows three different species of fern.

Bananier is a wallpaper from Pierre Frey which has the most wonderful detail of banana and coconut leaves and should be used where it is possible to get really close to the paper to see the detail.

House of Hackney’s wonderful Palmeral design takes inspiration from the Loddiges Nursery in Hackney which was operating up to 1852 and which included an enormous and well stocked palm house.

This delicate and exquisitely drawn design from Sanderson has been a favourite of mine for a long time. It comes in some great colourways but I love the more neutral backgrounds to really show the detail of the pattern.  Etchings and Roses by Sanderson.

This fantastic Dandelion design from Timorous Beasties comes in three huge panels printed on a wool voile with a three metre drop – the image shows the three panels together.

This new fabric, Retiro, from Gastón Y Daniela is a wonderful mixture of plants and insects and comes in five different colours all on a soft linen background.

And finally this delightfully fresh fabric Alice from Manuel Canovas for Colefax and Fowler shows a range of white cut flowers on a natural background.

Have a great bank holiday weekend everyone!