Inspired by regal taste

Jul 17 2008 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

The furnishings business is every bit as fashion-conscious as the clothing industry and this year royal opulence is setting the trend – as one Huddersfield interior designer discovered first hand. HILARIE STELFOX reports

SILKS and velvets, brocade and flocking are the materials of wealth and royalty.

So it’s no surprise that they make a strong appearance in The Royal Collection, a fabulously opulent new range of fabrics and wallpapers based on originals found in Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

The collection, to be launched by the Designers’ Guild on behalf of the Queen, will be sold at selected outlets across the UK, with only 19 in the North of England and Scotland.

One of those chosen to supply this area is Rose and Co Interiors at Thongsbridge, run by Simon Rose.

“We already stock the Designers’ Guild so that’s why we were chosen, we think,” said Simon, who runs the business with his partner Jason. They also have a shop in Halifax.

“We got a phone call inviting us to a preview in Buckingham Palace to look at The Royal Collection, part of which is in the Royal Gallery, and then at the new fabric and wallpaper collection that is based on the Queen’s artworks and furnishings,” explained Simon.

The new Royal Collection was created by Tricia Guild and her design team using historic fabrics and archive materials in the royal palaces.

The originals have inspired a classic and largely colourful range with a modern twist.

Available from September 1, the collection is not for the home owner on a budget, with fabrics selling from £49 to £150 a metre and wallpaper from £39 upwards a roll.

But it does offer an up-to-the-minute look.

“Fashions in home furnishings are changing from the neutral look to more colour. Colour is coming back in a big, big way,” says Simon.

And the colours for 2009? “Lime greens, bright oranges and pinks.

“People have been a bit frightened of colour but customers of ours are starting to be a bit more adventurous using bold colours and bold patterns.

“If you don’t want too much then you can always have a feature wall,” he said.

Velvet flocking, textured papers and fabrics, as well as metallic finishes are all big at the moment.

The Queen and her ancestors, it would seem, chose well, as The Royal Collection has lots of rich fabrics, gilt and sumptuous furnishing that is now extremely fashionable.

However, there’s one popular trend that won’t be seen in The Royal Collection: “Seventies retro papers are really big. We’ve got books of papers that have all been seen once before and have gone into reprint,” said Simon.

The Royal Collection will contribute to the upkeep of the collection after which it is named – the priceless art and furnishings in the Queen’s homes that she has bequeathed to the nation.