We had the pleasure of chatting with Meg Holloway, founder of Maro, about her love for decorating with vintage textiles and the artistry behind every piece they create. Since launching in 2020, Maro has partnered with skilled British artisans to bring thoughtful, beautifully crafted designs to life. Their ceramics and lamps, made in Leicestershire, boast the charming imperfections of handmade artistry - from the delicate undulations of ceramic butter dishes to the rich texture of oak turned into lamp bases. And their bespoke sofas? Each one is crafted in a family-run workshop in Long Eaton, tailored to perfection with hand-stitched covers that fit like a glove. What makes Maro truly special is their dedication to quality materials, skilled craftsmanship, and exclusive designs that you won’t find anywhere else. If you’re looking for unique, beautifully made home pieces that celebrate the beauty of tradition, Maro is where it’s at!
How do you go about incorporating them into your work?
All of our pieces are made to order, because we work with a skilled team using traditional techniques - it means that we can work with any upholstery fabric, new and old. In good condition, vintage textiles can really enhance your scheme often at the fraction of the price of new fabrics. We’ve used vintage textiles in a variety of different ways - full slipcover sofa covers made from vintage curtains through to reupholstered chair seats in shorter remnant lengths.
How best to display them?
This is often guided by the style of fabric. Heavier Kilims or Suzanis are amazing for wall-hangings, ottomans or bench cushions, whilst lighter weight cottons or linens work brilliantly for sofa covers and armchairs as they tend to hang better, especially if you opt for a frill peplum style. If you’re looking to add a few cushion covers in a vintage cloth into your scheme then anything goes and you can really have fun here. eBay is a great resource for preloved textiles often in 1-2m remnant lengths.
Where to start when using vintage textiles? Can they inspire a whole scheme?
Absolutely! I believe it’s Studio Ashby who says ‘start with the art’ and I think this really applies to fabric too. If you’ve found a vintage pattern that you love, then look to build a scheme around it. Best of all, it’s completely unique. Look for small scale prints, textured plains and tonal stripes that sit alongside a statement piece to bring things together.
Unique creative ways of working with vintage textiles?
Finding large consistent meterage of preloved textiles can sometimes be tricky, so sourcing smaller remnant lengths for cushions, dining chairs, lampshades or even framing on the wall is a great place to start. Always look at combining with new fabrics if you’re struggling for ‘total’ meterage. Vintage curtains can offer a decent meterage for sofa covers or chairs, plus they can be brilliantly cost effective. If you’re lacking a few metres and need to make up the difference, consider adding a contrast ticking or plain fabric on the panels underneath the seat or back cushions. It looks great and you’d never think it wasn’t always intentional.
Why do you love working with vintage textiles?
Beyond the circular credentials, vintage textiles bring a beautiful worn-in depth to a scheme, plus I love the fact that they really make a piece feel unique and special. Sometimes it can be a sentimental fabric that needs a new lease of life, or an absolute steal you’ve found on your travels and works perfectly at home.
Why would you recommend others to work with vintage textiles?
Depending on budget, considering vintage textiles can be a great alternative to ‘new’ fabrics. It’s instant character too which, for an accent chair or cushions that really lift a scheme. I love that you can introduce a talking point, and something your guests won’t have seen before. Where interior trends can feel dominant and repetitive, it’s a really refreshing break from the norm.
How do you select eco-friendly materials and products for your designs?
We work with loose cover styles, so we have no need to work with FR treated textiles. This gives us more flexibility and also the ability to truly tailor make individual pieces for our clients. Linens, cottons and wools are our preferred textiles to work with. They drape beautifully and are all round a healthier choice. On the ‘bones’ of our sofas and ottomans, you’ll find a beech & birch hardwood kiln-dried frame (sourced from FSC managed plantations), steel springs, hessian webbing, rubberised natural latex ‘horsehair’ instead of foam and a wool interliner. We aim to deliver as low a VOC product as possible.
What steps do you take to minimize waste during the design and renovation process?
Making pieces to order entails a ‘just in time’ process. Pieces are developed specifically for a project so there’s no excess or waste. We often take prototypes to test out in situ if needed at customers homes so we know we’re getting it right first time. Fabric is estimated and measured out pre-cutting so often there is very little left at the end of the making process
How do you balance sustainability with aesthetic and functional requirements in your projects?
For me it’s at the core of the whole proposition. Making to order, longevity, good quality low VOC ingredients and local artisans combine to create an offer that is zero waste, made to last and considered. The crux of loose covers is minimising waste to landfill too. Customers can replace their covers without needing to replace their whole sofa each time. It also means we don’t need enter into the chemical FR process either. The access options we offer mean that our sofas can move with our customers so there’s little need to compromise on something you love. This feels especially important as people are renting for longer so they can still invest in a piece they love without worrying it won’t fit when they move.
How do you educate your clients about the benefits of sustainable design choices?
It’s encouraging to see more dialogue about VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) in furniture and the passive impact of these in everyday life. But it’s really not in the interest of larger retailers to talk about this, because a huge part of their proposition still uses petrochemical foam, FR treated fabrics and solvent glues. For me, the opportunity to speak to people about why things could be better and demonstrating that it is possible is key. Unfortunately I think the change is people-powered at the moment but we need to hold bigger retailers to account. If everyone started using wool interliners (which are inherently FR) and natural latex instead of foam for example, the cost to all makers would reduce. At the moment trying to offer low VOC ingredients in upholstery is more expensive because only the smaller retailers are doing it, so we need that bigger buying power behind the movement to make it more accessible for all consumers at the other end.
What advice would you give to homeowners who want to make their interiors more sustainable?
Consider both style and substance, and wherever possible spend a little more if it means buying well but buying once. If you’re looking at a fixed cover sofa on the high street, there’s a high chance it will have a chemically treated FR fabric and petrochemical derived foam underneath.
If you can, shop small and local…look to mix vintage with independent artisan pieces and if you have something in mind that you can’t find, don’t settle - speak to an independent maker or business to see if they can make it for you - you’ll be surprised at often how much more cost effective (and more beautiful) it can be!
