English Country Manor – Then Now
I wasn’t really a Laura Ashley kind of girl. With a head of unruly curls and a Semitic face, the English Rose look didn’t fare well on me. But, in the 1990s, when the United States was flooded with Laura Ashley boutiques in every mall and Princess Diana was “all that” my friends were having babies and many had nurseries decorated with their beautiful pink and lilac chintz, mixed with their famous Sprigs and striped fabrics.
My own guest room for a time was decorated with Laura Ashley’s Sprig and Stripe fabrics and my baby wore some of the cutest little dresses I would buy there, on sale, off season.
But all those Laura Ashley boutiques closed in bankruptcy and that was the end of that trend although the company did eventually make a comeback.
After Laura Ashley, if you wanted the pastel hued English decor, you had to go to the decorative center and order very expensive, overpriced cotton from companies like Jane Churchill or Colefax, which - had they been a company in the states - their prices would have been more like Waverly. Remember Waverly?
Cabbages & Roses
And then came the romantic and affordable Cabbages and Roses and the fun Cath Kidston and the even more romantic, if possible, Kate Forman Designs.
While Cabbages & Roses and Cath Kidston have a higher profile thanks to the Internet, the third English company, Kate Forman, is not as well known even though they have been producing the prettiest fabrics since 2004. They have the most gorgeous web site, and I love to visit and just drool over Kate’s photographs, many of which are taken at her own country home.
Kate Forman at home in 2005.
Kate grew up in a house she describes as “shabby chic.” Her mother, Pixie Weir, designed costumes for film and the family home was filled with mannequins and fabrics, which is, Kate thinks, the genesis of her love of textiles. After studying fashion at art school, she joined a friend to share an antique shop on London’s Lillie Road. Besides selling antiques, she did a bit of interior design using vintage fabrics she sourced at auctions in London and France.
She had a special love for these fabrics that were faded and pale but she couldn’t find enough yardage for her clients who wanted the English Country Manor decor. Kate took her collection of remnants, recolored to suit today’s interiors, and then found a textile printer on the Internet who created her first line. Market research consisted of groups of friends who offered opinions on colorways and prices. Her company Kate Forman Designs launched in 2004. She still uses the same textile printer and keeps her crew low at just six people.
Kate moved her family to Hampshire to an 200 year old house that friends had once lived in and were renting out. Her shop is five minutes away in a block of renovated stables. Kate’s husband Jake serves as the financial director.
Christophe Gollut
Kate Forman was influenced by the Swiss designer, Christophe Gollut. She especially loved his use of colour and sense of style which she found “utterly beautiful.” Me too.
Just look at this living room by Gollut. So gorgeous, so English! It’s no surprise he influenced Kate’s designs.
And here, from Kate Forman Designs beautiful web site – many of the photographs are prettier than a magazine. I mean, look at this! Gorgeous!!!
And my favorite! A stripe on the sofa with a mix of patterns for the pillows. Notice the tiny bobble trim on the valance. LOVE!!!!!
An hall with an antique chest and curtains.
A beautiful bedroom with an antique bed, in her pink fabrics.
Another bedroom finished in the pink fabrics.
Swedish blues in Check and Cameo Ribbons fabrics.
Kate Forman has a line of beautiful velvets – here in red, with a touch of pink.
Just beautiful walls and mantel!
A bedroom, with her pink Delilah curtains.
A subtle stripe in charcoal for the curtains.
Beautiful – Sophia in gray. This is a very popular fabric and wallpaper.
Here is the Sophia wallpaper in gray and Bella in pink on the bed.
Here, is Josephine in yellow. Kate’s favorite fabric is Josephine in the yellow and in the red colorway.
Brighter, in yellows.
Pearl Lowe’s new book featured curtains made of Kate’s Guinevere.
The newest line – Boho: Elodie in pink. Today, Kate is favoring brighter fabrics.
And the headboard in an ikat – Jag, in pink.
Red Agnes curtains. Candy Stripe in red on the bed.
Kate Forman at her Decortex Booth. I love the caftan made with her new ikat fabric!!
The Hampshire country house. The back side facing the street is stone, while this side is stucco. Built around 1750, the house was extended in 1800 with a new wing and the addition of the Gothik porch with its extravagant frieze.
And, a romantic shot at night.
In 2006, with two of her children – the frieze is painted blue, later it is white.
Kate at the front door. A close up of the frieze around the front door and window.
2006. Inside, the living room is to the right of the front door, with windows on three sides of the room. Above this – is the master bedroom. To the left of the front door is the second drawing room, which leads to the kitchen in the extension.
The back of the house shows the garden outside the kitchen. The mud room on the left is so charming!! You can see the stone facade that faces the street on the left.
The furniture is in Kate’s fabrics, of course.
Here, the front entry with portieres, and her bobble trim at the top. Kate uses her house for some of the catalogues. Twice a year she updates a room or two with new wallpaper or fabrics and then photographs it for the web site. MusAvailable link for download