Trench coats, wellie boots, and white T-shirts: all classic, timeless pieces that work anywhere and everywhere. Your tried-and-true tee can be remixed with a leather jacket or an embellished coat for different looks—exactly why you invest in pieces that offer longevity and versatility. The same holds true for dressing your interiors, and no one excels at it quite like British textile manufacturer Sanderson.
The company’s legacy of luxurious patterned fabrics dates back to 1860. Each of its distinctive botanical and floral designs is bold and bright and pushes the boundaries on traditional prints. Sanderson tapped esteemed photographer and stylist Damian Foxe to create a series of images that capture the alluring beauty of these florals while bringing in a fresh audience with his unique take on the brand’s heritage.
Foxe wanted to demonstrate how closely fashion and interiors intersect and to highlight the joy, exuberance, and beauty he found during a deep dive into the Sanderson archives. Working with what he discovered there, he hand-made dresses out of wallpaper, which emphasizes how the kinds of bold patterns that have been part of Sanderson’s collection for decades—but are now more commonly associated with the runway—are a natural fit for interior design. “The message is implicit: It’s okay to embrace prints in all their multi-layered possibilities,” Foxe says. “And the braver you are, and the more you let yourself go, the more compelling and beautiful the outcome is.”
For his photoshoot, the photographer refreshed and revived several classic Sanderson prints, including Stapleton Park, Rose & Peony, Chinese Lantern, and Arboretum. Read on to see how he provides new perspectives while also inspiring novel ways to utilize them in our homes.
Start by honoring legacy
Embrace nostalgia while moving ever forward by elegantly layering prints. First, decide on your color scheme; a classic shade like blue is always a foolproof selection. Choose a relatively minimal pattern for your wallpaper, such as Woodland Chorus in Indigo/Ecru, inspired by an 18th-century painting of flora and fauna. Fabric curtains in Indigo/Blue Pagoda River bring movement to the space, and pillows in a geometric style, like Cheslyn fabric in Indigo/Ivory, will round out the room. All three layers contrast nicely while offering a timeless design.
Center the classics
Follow Foxe’s lead and use Sanderson’s prints as your muse. For example, take Stapleton Park, a hand-drawn fabric featuring large-scale bunches of roses, foxgloves, hydrangeas, and cornflowers, for what it truly is: a design that demands attention. And think bigger than just reserving it for pillows; we’re talking couches, chairs, headboards. To balance out the lavishness of either of the available colorways (Pink/Green and Cream/Pink), ground them with a more muted wallpaper, like the dotted Sessile Plain.
Add a dramatic flourish
Pairing a whimsical print with something a bit more dramatic can have an impressive effect. Chinese Lantern in Peach Blossom is a great base: The delicate blooms have a subtle force against the pale background that will stand the test of time as your bedroom’s backdrop. Then use the dots and lines of Truffle in Damson on an upholstered headboard to add tone and texture. Since the pinks in each pattern are in the same color family, they blend beautifully without competing.
Find beauty in strong contrast
The dense English florals in Rose & Peony present an eye-catching display that works on everything from office chairs to window shades. Then bring in a fresh, clean motif with Pinetum Stripe in Mulberry—use it as a bold statement wallpaper, or upholster it onto a family sectional. We particularly enjoy how the multicolored florals play off the candy-cane stripes.