Colourful lessons from history

Colourful Lessons from History

Looking into the history of painted furniture from around the world is an endlessly inspiring endeavour, and one that I would encourage you to explore.

What can you learn from history?

The art of painting furniture is by no means a new phenomenon - it's something we've done for hundreds of years in many countries all over the world. India, Sweden, Mexico and Italy are particularly noteworthy for their production of painted furniture, and it can be hugely inspiring to look at pieces created in these countries to give you ideas.

I like to look at other decorative arts too: fabrics, tin craft, wood carving and embroidery from different countries all give me lots of ideas that I translate into my designs. African art has been particularly influential in many of my projects, and I love to look at the way in which African patterns are composed.

As well as countries, it can also be wonderful to look at different eras and periods of time throughout history. Whether it's Regency, Renaissance, Victorian or Medieval, I always seem to find something I love, and often you'll discover that certain patterns manage to hold on to a sense of modernity.

Inspiration can be found easily and widely on the internet, but I still find books better as you can really examine the detail. There are so many books out there, so just choose something where the style, the use of colour, or a particular pattern inspires you.

Drawing is an immensely useful way to engage with what you're looking at, and copying a motif or pattern will really help to focus your understanding of what you're observing.

Charleston

One of my favourite places to find inspiration is Charleston in Sussex. Famously the home of painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, it was where many of the Bloomsbury Group met in the early 20th century to discuss art, literature and culture. Every visitor contributed to the decorating of the house, and the result is a mismatch of ornate detailing and more informal doodling - and these are the parts that I'm particularly drawn to. While it looks absolutely beautiful, the decoration isn't necessarily perfectly executed, and that's a lesson you can apply to your own home.

Suggested reading

• The Painted Furniture Source Book, by Annie Sloan
• Arts and Crafts of Mexico, by Chloe Sayer
• African Designs from Traditional Sources, by Geoffrey Williams
• Rice's Language of Buildings, by Matthew Rice
• Colour in Decoration, by Annie Sloan and Kate Gwynn
• Charleston: A Bloomsbury House and Garden, by Quentin Bell and Virginia Nicholson

Discover more

Find out more about my collaboration with Charleston here

Assignment

Research a country or era that inspires you and copy down a drawing of a pattern or motif that catches your eye. It needn't be perfect - in fact, I think drawing is best when it's free flowing and intuitive.