Thursday 9 June 2016

Old News:19th century designs for satins and silk



 I have titled this post old news as that is exacatlly what it is.... images of an exhibition that ended a year ago!

However, I have only just found these pictures over at Spitalfieldslife and thought they were so beautiful they deserved a share.

All the images (and more) and the text below can be found over at the website

"Rodney Archer, the Aesthete of Fournier St, & his pal Trevor Newton, the Curator, have been busy again, lining Rodney’s magnificent old house with a collection of original French nineteenth century designs for satins and silk velours, created at the Lyons factory of Antoine Donat between 1840 and 1865.

Trevor came upon these designs in a long-abandoned silk mill and they have not seen the light of day since the eighteen-seventies which accounts for their vibrant unfaded colours. Each design is labelled on the reverse with the date and instructions for setting up the loom, and all are for sale – many for as little as twenty pounds.

It certainly makes a splendid display in Rodney’s blue and gold drawing room on the first floor – the one with Oscar Wilde’s fireplace in it – and since these houses in Fournier St were built on the income from silk weaving, it is difficult to imagine a better location to enjoy these rich and extravagant designs, glowing in the February sunlight ."

4 comments:

Rebecca said...

Old news is GOOD news as far as I'm concerned. Beautiful!

Kel said...

Oh that carpet! Would love to have seen Oscar Wilde's fireplace, too!

Claire said...

Sorry for the Daily Fail link, but have you seen this house? I was reminded of it when I saw the post you just made. Its so amazing I could just move straight in..and right in the heart of London! The bathroom is especially wonderful, and I thought of you as soon as I saw it!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3607603/Crucifixes-spooky-carvings-animal-heads-Inside-forgotten-mansion-lay-126-years-sale-3m.html

Claire (big_brown_owl on IG!)

Laura Morrigan said...

Fantastic way to decorate a house!