Watercolor of Daphne mezereum with Butterfly by 18th-century artist Georg D. Ehret from the Victoria and Albert Museum permanent collection |
The Fairy Queen Takes an Airy Drive in a Light Carriage, 1870 etching by Richard Doyle, also from the Victoria and Albert Museum |
Her Farfalla wallpaper is so exquisitely elegant. Plus it reminds me of all the lovely names for butterfly: farfalla, mariposa, psyche and papillon. Wouldn’t it be perfect in your dining room?
Replace the hardware on your sideboard with Michael Aram’s Butterfly Knob in gold.
And continue the magic with hand-painted, Filet A Papillons porcelain by Alberto Pinto.
Dinner Plate |
Buffet Plate |
About 20 years ago, as a young mother and homemaker, Vanessa Arbuthnott could not find or afford what she wanted in fabric. So she started printing her own. And today, her home business has grown into a full line of textiles, rugs and furniture. Her company is still firmly rooted in the local community and includes an art gallery that supports regional artists. She is influenced by nature, Asian and Scandinavian traditions and the fabulously fun fabrics that came out of Britain in the mid-20th century.
Butterfly Dance in pigeon and charcoal |
Vintage lamps from Yew Tree House Antiques |
Detail of lamp |
And Sori Yanagi's Butterfly Stool looks as fresh today as when it first manufactured in 1954. Design Within Reach offers reproductions in curved rosewood.
Consider Butterfly Dance in brick for your kitchen, maybe as café curtains or to line cabinet doors. I think the slightly imperfect, block-printed pattern would look great with Arthur Court’s Butterfly accessories.
Nut Bowl |
aluminum;
Winged Pitcher |
Chip and Dip |
Salad Bowl |
And
instead of those ubiquitous glass pendant lights, try Mixko’s Delight lampshades, made from organic
wool felt. Mixko was a collaboration by
artists Nahoko Koyama and Alex Garnett. Although the partnership has ended, you can
still purchase their lighting through NOA Design or Etsy.
Delight Lacie |
Delight Belle |
And finally, round out this cheerful mix of reds, silvers and browns with a stack of Engraved Butterfly dishtowels from Anthropologie.
Flora and Fauna in duck egg and denim |
Butterfly and Blossom Chandelier |
Butterfly Settee |
Play up the brown with Butterfly Seas 1 and 2 from Natural Curiosities...
Butterfly Seas 1 |
Butterfly Seas 2 |
Social Butterfly Chair in silver leaf |
Detail of chair in champagne |
Rapture and Wright designs another wonderful fabric with hints of tan and red.
Birds and Butterflies in grenadine |
Of course, it’s interesting that they chose butterflies as part of the decoration.
Birds and Butterflies, in green, is crisp and contemporary as well as naturally simple. In some ways, it looks back to centuries of gorgeous British craft but also thinks to the future and what we want our lives to be.
Birds and Butterflies in green |
Aesthetic Movement, woodblock-printed wallpaper, designed by Bruce J. Talbert, printed by Jeffrey and Co. in 1875, from the Victoria and Albert Museum |
The original, wonderfully glazed vase was designed by Swedish artist Alf Wallander and produced by Rorstrand. It is available at H.M. Luther in New York City. |
Detail of lamp |
Fly Away in driftwood |
Vanessa and Rebecca and Peter share a lot in common. Both companies have most of their fabrics woven in Scotland. They both collaborate with Lucy Rose Design to distribute their lines in America. And perhaps, most important of all, they live and work in the mainly rural county of Gloucestershire, in southwest England, near Wales. Gloucestershire is perhaps best known for its charming Cotswolds villages and important gardens like Hidcote, and, as you may have guessed, the area hosts over 40 species of butterflies.
Butterflies have long symbolized hope and happiness and
rejuvenation. So they seem appropriate
emblems for Britain’s recent renaissance.
You can learn more about British butterflies at Butterfly Conservation.
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