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British upholstery stole my heart long ago, and I am confident it will forever be in its grasp. To create a cozy, layered home is to gravitate toward British interior designs and the oodles of textile designs and fabrics the designers work with and create.
As I have customized Le Papillon over the past going on seven years now, gradually, each project is completed, and in just about every project, at least one British fabric designer’s creation is included. Whether for the upholstery of the furniture, the window treatments, or the lampshades, I feel more at home with each detail that is added. Warm, welcomed, and engulfed in luxury, these designers are true masters of their craft.
Below, I have listed the eleven British textile brands I have worked with, along with three that I am drawn to and recommend, but have yet to purchase from. All of the brands offer swatches and samples, and many are available from design houses in the States. Simply look at each brand’s homepage and find out where their fabrics are sold in the country you live in. You can also reach out to the design houses directly, and they will let you know the best way to acquire their samples and, if you decide to purchase their fabric, where to purchase it (from them or a design house online or in your country if you do not live in the UK).
As I go through each interior designer on the list, I will share with you where their fabric was used in Le Papillon, and if you’d like to see and learn more about that particular fabric or the space, you can click through to tour the post (you will need to be a TOP Tier Member to read these posts as they are more private in nature, but they are thorough in the detail included).
Let’s take a look at the list.
Never calling himself an interior designer, Robert Kime had a skill for knowing how to find treasures and then decorate a home with them. Preferring to be called a collector or gather, Kime’s passion for what he did was shared with us all through his fabric designs. I had the opportunity visit his flagship boutique back in 2023 just a year after his death, and it was a visit I will always remember fondly. You can read the post below.
Read the post: Popping Into Robert Kime’s Atelier in Belgravia
Shared in the post touring the entire kitchen at Le Papillon, Robert Kime’s lampshade is seen here.
Nina Campbell is the doyenne of British interior design and was recently honored with an OBE. From furniture to teacups & saucers, to fabric, wallpaper and more, she continues to design and share her talents. I now have three of her fabrics in my home, and one is seen below in my office.
Nina Campbell’s velvet fabric was chosen for the window treatments in the office. Tour the full post and source this fabric in the post shared just below:
Herringbone Floors in TSLL’s Office, the Full Tour + Discover the Art of Parquet Flooring
Rita Konig comes from interior design heritage as her mother is Nina Campbell (mentioned above). However, she is making her own name, and while I admit I am a bit of a fan girl of hers, her taste mixes the classic with the modern whimsy. I have yet to incorporate her new wallpaper or fabric into my décor as it just became available in 2024, but I have ordered a few swatches of the green leaf, seen below (green), and did like it. Her line is through Schumacher (an American brand), but she is most definitely British.
Cabbage & Curtainrail, now known as Cabbage & Co.
One of the first fabrics I purchased for an upholstery project was from a small company run by Michaela Corrie. The brand is located in Cumbria, and draws inspiration from the animals and nature in the area. Having had the opportunity to communicate directly with Michaela on the fabric I chose for the fireplace snug chairs (seen below), her designs are classic, yet playful. Look closely at the print – it is bundle of cows’ faces! How fun, but also so subtly and cheeky. Perfectly British.
Anna French’s fabrics were introduced to me by Véronique, and we chose one of her prints – Arbre – for the bench in my Boot & Basket room. If you are looking for crisp ginghams, charming as well as sophisticated designs that are rooted in English heritage designs, this is a brand to explore.
Many of Jane Churchill’s fabrics are in the running for potential window treatments in the guest bedroom, and having had the opportunity to peruse her many fabric swatches, I am a fan of her often botanical, bold, yet elegant designs.
As I get closer to making decisions about the window treatments and headboard in the guest bedroom, I came across Rose Tarlow’s fabric and immediately was drawn to one of the designs for the curtains. While I won’t give anything away yet, I can say that one of the colorways of the print that is looking like it will be the one is included below.
As you will notice, the designs are rich, decadent and yet, subtle and quiet at the same time. To feel these fabrics is to understand why you will want to choose them. And if you order samples through their website, they are free. Mine arrived in about a week. As soon as I felt the fabric, and saw how it draped beautifully, I was convinced that indeed I had found what I have long been looking for.
There is a regality in the fabric designs from Marvic, and the textures are substantive, yet drape nicely. Their stripe, seen below, captured my eye for the guest bedroom, but then I soon realized it would work far better in the living room, about the console. Tour the full space below and see all three Roman shades in their fabric.
View the full home tour post: Le Papillon’s Cosy English Cottage-inspired Living Room + Styling the Frame TV (how to set it up and use your own art/images)
The fabric chosen for my Poirot armchair is a Colefax & Fowler embroidered design, and it, along with the Cabbage & Co. covered chairs were the first items to be upholstered and what a story it is as to how it all came together in the middle of the pandemic.
View the full tour post and read all the details here in the Curtains for a Reading Nook, English Cottage Cosy, TSLL’s Living Room post.
Currently in my home, I have two wallpapers from Veere Grenney, and while I don’t have any of his fabrics, the wallpaper designs are also available in fabric, and would be lovely for curtains. He is an interior designer based in London who heads an entire design house that is known for its balance of elegance, simplicity, style, and above all, comfort.
A contemporary fabric company that also adheres to timeless designs. Both fabrics for upholstery and ready-made fabric lampshades are available, and I chose one of their prints for my sofa as again, the balance of timeless with a touch of modern, just as my new house that is a Arts & Crafts design is as well.
Take the full tour of the living room and see a full shot of the sofa here: Le Papillon’s Cosy English Cottage-inspired Living Room + Styling the Frame TV
A brand that regularly was in the running for fabric options while I worked with my friend Véronique Waldron, an interior designer who lived in Bend and knew her European brands was Designer’s Guild. My friend now lives in Spain and continues to work her magic in decorating customers’ homes, but it was she who introduced me to DG. Designer’s Guild has been around for decades and for good reason. They have a wide range of designs, in all sorts of colors and are a great place to start to begin to see all that is available.
Brands I Am Curious about but they aren’t yet in my home
Having pulled a few of Penny Morrison’s prints for pillows, lampshades and even blankets as I get ever closer to finishing the guest bedroom, I appreciate her dance with unexpected colors, traditional floral prints while also dabbling in the modern.
Elegant, subtle, rich and stunning, while being understated. Soane makes all sorts of items for the home décor project – furniture too, and while I haven’t purchased anything from them, I am drawn to their aesthetic.
With a wide variety of designs, many floral and botanical focused, they also, as you see below work with stripes and plaids, and playfully so as well.
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