Blog – Lisa Dawson Interiors

Green Shoots of Spring?

BY Jane | Published: April 13, 2018April 14, 2018

I don’t know about you, but the weather in this part of Norfolk has been truly horrible this week with mist and fog the whole time, which holds the temperatures down and makes us think of scurrying inside and lighting the fire rather than getting out and looking at all the new Spring growth around us.

Braving the weather this week on a beautiful walk in the National Trust’s Blickling park, staff member Fayanne snapped away at some beautiful greenery which we all tend to forget when thinking about Spring – it’s normally all about the colours of daffodils, crocus and tulips with their showy personalities but let’s not forget about the abundant shades of green which can make your interior spaces feel serene and calm.

Here are a few to feast your eyes on, with plenty more to see if you feel like popping in to the studio in between the April showers, mist and fog! We are here Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm, ready to help you brighten up your home for Spring.

Until next time, make creativity your happy place!

Instagram Roundup

BY Jane | Published: April 6, 2018

We’ve been busy here in the Studio over the past few months and have been showcasing our work on Instagram where we are gaining followers daily thanks to the talents of Faye who is very creative with her smartphone! Here are some of the new collections available in the studio – check them out via Instagram, or why not pop in to the studio to have a look.

We are big fans of St Jude’s, having supported this lovely brand since it began in 2005 – they originally had a showroom here in Aylsham before moving to Norwich. Founders Simon and Angie Lewin collaborate with an eclectic range of artists to create and print unique fabrics and wallpapers and we have had the pleasure of specifying their fabrics and wallpapers over the years – most notably when we recently refurbished The Pigs, a spa hotel and restaurant at Edgfield, near Holt on the North Norfolk coast – if you are passing or planning to stay check out the corridor and the beautiful Squirrel and Sunflower design wallpaper.

Inspired by Land and Sea and the Countryside, two new ranges from Studio G for Clarke & Clarke will certainly get your creative juices flowing! And if you are local to Norfolk or Suffolk you will be delighted to find that one of the designs, Explorer, depicts tickets of all shapes and sizes and includes many local coastal towns that we all love – Cromer, Holkham, Blakeney and Southwold to name a few. And the big news here is that for the first time we can order many of these amazing designs as PVC Oilcloth, by the metre, so you can complement your blinds and curtains with a tablecloth that will protect the table at the same time!

Last up on this post is a new range from James Hare, Mikado, which features some very useful small print designs which would be ideal for cushions and other accessories. These would be ideal teamed with the stunning Mikado design itself – we are particularly drawn to the Rainbow colour in the picture above – an embroidery with intricate patterned stripes which would make a stunning blind!

Until next time, let creativity be your happy place!

Tropics Arrive in Aylsham!

BY Jane | Published: March 13, 2015

A tropical heatwave has hit the studio this week with the arrival of our new books from Harlequin Fabrics. Amazilia is a new collection, named after the native South American hummingbird and channels the current trend of bringing the outdoors in with bold botanical designs using exotic imagery.

This collection has been 18 months in the making, with initial research by the Harlequin design team at Kew Gardens studying tropical birds and insects and has culminated in beautiful hand painted designs in varying colour palettes. The collection includes both fabrics and wallpapers, is bold and bright and prices start from £46.00 per metre for fabric and £42 per roll of wallpaper.

Tips for Using Amazilia in your home

One of the current trends is to have a statement wall in a room, along with light vibrant curtains.

However, if you feel overwhelmed by the use of this much colour why not pick out a few of your favourites from the collection and have a bed throw, cushions or small piece of upholstered furniture to bring a touch of the tropics without too much change. We don’t always have the luxury of changing our décor regularly so a cushion here and a statement piece of furniture there would enable you to update a scheme without spending a fortune.

This Harlequin range is both bold and inspirational and we think it’s interesting to let you know how collections come to life from conception to execution! The team at Harlequin have worked hard to bring together this collection and they obviously had a lot of fun photographing it for their clients and ultimately you, the customer. If you are interested, click on the link below to see how it was photographed in the sunny South of France! Now, where did I put my cocktail and sunglasses……

Lisa x

Mediterranean Sunshine

BY Jane | Published: July 4, 2014

The weather the last few days has really brought to mind the scorching days and balmy nights we would normally associate with the Mediterranean at this time of year and coupled with a client who was in the studio yesterday wanting to create a Mediterranean feel for her bedroom, I thought it would be a good idea to offer a bit of inspiration on how to create a cool summer look.

Team beautiful blues, evocative of the Mediterranean Sea, with crisp white linen or silk and you are immediately transported to a Greek village set into the cliff side with olive and lemon trees in abundance and white shutters keeping out the midday sun.

The floors are stripped and painted and the wall behind the white wrought iron bed provides the focus with a stunning wallpaper such as Cole & Son Albemarle Coleridge in an eye-catching azure and white design, £85.00 per roll. The other walls are bathed in either a soft white or alternatively Little Greene’s Blue Verditer or Deep Space Blue, both £35.00 for a 2.5l tin of Absolute Matt Emulsion. Hanging at the windows are Clarke & Clarke Lindow in natural, a viscose and linen mix at £18/m, perfect for diffusing the light or alternatively Harlequin’s Plains Five in Nautical £35.00/metre with a white Regal silk trim from James Hare, £41/metre.

So sit on your patio or in your garden this weekend and be transported to your very own Greek island in the sun. Now where did I put the Ouzo?

Lisa x

Spirit, Rhythm and Soul – all new from Scion fabrics

BY Jane | Published: June 27, 2014

If modern tribal designs in a natural palette of rich earthy tones, or fashionable, ultra-modern prints which pay homage to the motifs and colours of the 1970’s are your kind of design, then the new ranges from Scion fabrics are definitely for you. Complemented by plains in bold, bright or neutral shades these new collections are sure to get your design juices flowing!

Want to revamp the downstairs loo, kitchen or utility but can’t decide on a single colour? The new ranges have it all – geometrics, stripes, kinetic brights and on-trend nudes – it will make choosing the bathroom or kitchen accessories a doddle – with so much vibrant colour there will be a wealth of plains to suit and really zing up your colour scheme.

The main picture here shows just how versatile these designs are, mixing zig zags, plains and florals, all with amazing eye-catching effect. Individual fabrics featured include (from left to right, bottom row) Plains Five in Acid £35/m, double width at 275cm; Diva 120277 in Peony/Acid/Sunset – £27/m, 137cm wide; Pivot 131119 in Fuchsia/Pimento – £25/m, 137cm wide; Plains Five in Kingfisher £35/m, double width at 275cm. From top to bottom (right hand side) Groove 120285 in Grape/Lagoon/Shrimp – £27/m, 137cm wide; Plains Six in Cerise £33/m, 137cm wide; Zsa Zsa 120294 in Chilli/Linen/Peony – £31/m, 137cm wide.

All fabrics are available to order – just pop into the studio and take a look at the pattern books. We can order you samples of any that you like (a free service) and delivery is normally within 3-4 days once an order has been placed. We are here Monday to Friday 9.00am until 5.00pm and Saturday 9.00am until 3.00opm. Look forward to seeing you soon.

Lisa x

Harlequin Launch New Range

BY Jane | Published: May 22, 2014

A new summer range from Harlequin has just been launched and features in our other Studio window.

Jardin Boheme is a modern, bohemian-style range full of florals, woven stripes, embroideries and wallpapers in a versatile palette, from contemporary brights to vintage hues.

Featured in the window (from left to right) are:

Floret – Peach/Linen £42/m

Fleur – Blossom/Coral £49/m

Lulu – Wallpaper Coral/Spice £59/roll

Also featured are a range of Little Green Paints in co-ordinating shades – available to order in the Studio – delivery takes between 2-3 days.

Emma Bridgewater Has Arrived

BY Jane | Published: May 20, 2014

Our long awaited Emma Bridgewater Fabric and Wallpaper collection has finally arrived, so we thought we would celebrate by dedicating a whole window to her gorgeous prints and designs.

This collection is a joint venture between two great British names, Emma Bridgewater and Sanderson, renowned for their high quality fabrics and wallpapers, and includes all the Emma favourites such as Hearts, Polka Dot and Love as well as newer designs including Daisy Spot, Floral Damask and Splatter.

Featured in the window are:

Pomegranate – Lion Yellow/Pink £45/m

Figs – Purple/Green £45/m

Polka Dot – Multi £35/

Hearts – Rose £35/m

The Dresser design of wallpaper is available in three colourways and comes untrimmed in a width of 137cm. This design, although wallpaper, is sold by the metre and costs £80/m.

Girls Treat at Congham Hall

BY Jane | Published: May 6, 2014

To celebrate our seamstress Gemma’s forthcoming wedding to the lovely Ben, the girls all spent the afternoon pampering at Congham Hall, a beautiful, privately owned, Georgian Manor set in the heart of the North Norfolk countryside. We were sauna’d and steamed, treated and fed and all had a fantastic time.

Facials were the order of the day, along with a soak in the outside hot tub (thankfully not raining). The tropical showers were pure luxury, with sound effects, and the high tea we had in the hotel afterwards was absolutely sumptuous! We were slightly mean to Gemma though, as we had told her that we were going on an adventure and kept mentioning flak jackets, helmets and gloves, so it came as a nice surprise to spend the afternoon relaxing.

Thanks to all at Congham Hall, who made us most welcome, and if you are passing that part of the beautiful Norfolk coast, do drop in for the day or weekend.

Belynda Sharples Exhibition over Easter

BY Jane | Published: April 10, 2014

Local artist, Belynda Sharples, is exhibiting at Burnham Overy Staithe over the Easter period, showing a selection of her work which will also be for sale.

As far as interiors are concerned, Belynda is best known for her wallpaper designs which depict animals including cows, sheep and pigs. We stock these here in the studio and are happy to support this exhibition, so that people can see a wider variety of her work. As well as her paintings and wallpaper Belynda is developing a fabric range soon, so watch this space for further information.

We wish her lots of success in her exhibition over Easter – here are the details.

and this is the link to the exhibition information.

http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=bb63b599f8b0e99b2aa09020e&id=ab4a50c61d&e=b19c08aa1a

Have a lovely weekend.

Lisa

Fabric of the week

BY Jane | Published: April 9, 2014

We have some new fabric collections coming soon from Harlequin. This gorgeous print is called Florica, from their Jardin Boheme collection. It is a painterly floral, impressionistic depiction of meadows and hedgerows on a soft, brushed chenille – 100% cotton, 137cm wide with a 64cm pattern repeat (half drop). It retails at £42.00 per metre.

We have teamed it with a selection of colours to co-ordinate, from soft greys and pinks through to vibrant cerise, orange and mustard. Ideal as complimentary plain fabrics for cushions and blinds or feature wall paints.

Look out for more Fabric of the Week designs, coming soon.

Lisa