We are delighted to have our next spotlight with Holly, who launched Effortless Interior Design in 2022, with the vision of making high-end interior design more accessible. Holly trained under the internationally renowned Rita Konig (House & Garden Top 100, AD Top 100), before gaining experience with Isabella Worsley and Lucy Cunningham; both highly respected names in luxury interior design.
While working on bespoke projects, Holly had an idea she couldn’t ignore: how to offer professionally curated interiors without the cost of a full design service. This led to the creation of her Off-the-Peg Design Schemes, which allows clients to achieve beautifully designed, high-spec homes effortlessly. Holly recently wrote a wonderful article on timeless fabrics, highlighting the beauty of our suzanis and other cherished materials. We loved learning about her creative approach to incorporating these unique pieces into interiors, adding depth, history and character to any space……it is a joy to hear her insights into decorating with vintage textiles.
How do you go about incorporating vintage textiles into your work?
Well, it all depends on what I’ve been lucky enough to source! Different sizes, materials and patterns will suit different uses and affect how close-up I would want to see a textile: does it have a large- or a small-scale pattern? What’s it made of? How much of it, or how large a piece, did I manage to get my hands on? These factors will dictate how I incorporate it into my schemes. One thing is for sure.... there will almost always be an vintage textile in there somewhere.
How best to display them?
It sounds obvious, but it bears saying again - it really depends on the scale of the pattern and the size of the piece itself. For example, some textiles, such as suzani and crewelwork, have large-scale patterns and are often found as large panels. This makes them ideal for more substantial items,where you can appreciate the full scale of the pattern: e.g., curtains, wall hangings, ottomans and headboards. However, sometimes you may come across smaller (or even fragmentary) vintage textiles, such as French linens, Moroccan saddle bags or Indian saris and shawls. These are better suited to smaller decorative items, such as cushions or lampshades. I always think it’s better to make something useful out of a fragment, rather than to display it as you found it - I sometimes feel a bit guilty cutting up something so old and beautiful, but there is delight to be found in giving it new life!
Where to start when using a textiles? Can they inspire a whole scheme?
Absolutely! I will often use an vintage textile as a starting point for my design schemes. Older fabrics often have gorgeous colour combinations, so I will use them as my ‘hero’ fabric, and draw out those lovely tones in the newer fabrics that I pair with them. It can be really quite difficult to come up with a colour palette from scratch - so I always say to my customers ‘why struggle, when you can steal it from a beautifully designed textile instead?!’
However, if I’m adding an vintage textile into a room that’s already ‘finished’, I don’t worry about the colour palette not matching. The beauty of vintage textiles is that their age contributes to the impression that an interior or a collection has evolved over time (what designers often refer to as a‘layered’ look); and a certain mis-matching of colours is essential to this.
Unique creative ways of working with vintage textiles?
Don’t be afraid of cutting things up and using the best parts. For instance, sometimes a textile may have a beautiful border, but the middle is quite plain - cut off the border and use it to edge a cushion, or stitch it together in rows to make a larger piece. You can also use trims to really make vintage textiles sing; add tassels to the corners of your cushions or a fringe down the edge of your curtain.
Why do you love working with vintage textiles?
In my opinion, there is nothing more comforting than a room that feels like it’s developed over time - in it, you can feel a kind of ‘weightiness’ and a sense of belonging. For me, vintage textiles are an essential part of creating this sense of evolution. Their age implies a depth of time that (literally) adds another dimension to a space. When you consider their history - their journey to being here, in your home - it’s hard not to feel a sense of wonder and delight!
Why would you recommend others to work with vintage textiles?
Quite often, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this - it feels as though we’ve seen everything a million times, thanks to Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, I love Instagram and it has helped my business enormously (I mean, my Off-the-Peg Design Schemes are repeatable by definition!), but I do believe that everyone’s home should feel unique to them. So once you’ve got the basics sorted, getting creative with vintage textiles is a brilliant way of injecting some originality into your home. Plus you can feel proud of your creativity every time you look at your vintage-textile cushion/curtains/lampshade.
What would your top 3 tips be for anyone looking to start using vintage textiles?
1. Don’t be afraid to cut them up - it sometimes feels like a shame, but you’re actually giving new life to what could otherwise have become an unwanted ‘rag’!
2. Make sure you use them in ways that are suited to their durability: silk saris are great for lampshades, but they’re probably too delicate for cushions or headboards.
3. Don’t worry too much about the textile fitting into your current colour palette - by not being too ‘matchy-matchy’ you’ll start to create that layered feeling of a space that’s evolved over time.
