Wool House
Two knitted trees (the heads anyway) signal the entrance to Wool House at Somerset House. Curated by designer Arabella McNie, the exhibition is a celebration of all that wool can do. Here’s my experience starting with the entrance, a nice monochrome affair with a giant bear for people to mingle by.
Arabella designed the Chequers carpet for Alternative Flooring. Carpet everyone. It’s definitely on.
The bench is upholstered in a digital Woodgrain fabric by Bailey Hills and the Hummingbird wall hanging is by Alexander McQueen for The Rug Company. Why can’t The Rug Company ever be in my price bracket?
Here’s artist Shauna Richardson chatting under her Chrochetdermy bear.
The Mammoth chair is by Amy Somerville. Make sure you stroke it if you go, it likes it.
Next, some glimpses of the seven rooms by different designers, each covering off totally different looks including rustic, folksy, contemporary and, what I’m calling upper class.
Clockwise from top left, Natural Room by Josephine Ryan, Study by Ashley Hicks with nice tweed walls (If you ever become upper class make sure you have fabric walls), Classic Drawing Room by Fox Linton (nice coffee table base by Kai Linke), and Donna Wilson’s cute nursery – very apt for a designer who is also a new Mum.
I like the details in the Kit Kemp bedroom, rather than the whole look – those textures look great together.
There are also rooms by Arabella and Anne Kyyro-Quinn.
Now, here’s a tapestry I liked from Edinburgh-based Dovecoat Studios. It would look good on any number of grey walls, and we’ve all got one of those at home.
Probably the show highlight for me are these felted wool tappestrys by Dutch duo Claudy Jongstra. They use their work to create awareness of ancient Dutch felting techniques and sustainable methods, even raising their own sheep and growing their own plants for the natural dyes that they use.
Pretty, pretty, pretty gorgeous.
Wool House is only on until 24 March. I liked it. Go.
I can’t wait to see this!
Juliana is at the exhibition now, texting me pictures, it looks like an amazing show. Loving Anna Raymond’s new pieces in the Kit Kemp room and these tapestries you’ve included above are really beautiful. I may see if I can pop up to London to see it before it closes.
It was really nice and if you’re lucky, the Dutch ladies will talk to you about their whole design process in a great no nonsense (Dutch) way.
A R’s work is really striking, I have a picture of it somewhere…
Ohhh thanks for the sneak peeks of this and the reminder to go, can’t wait now!
We love the mammoth chair… quick gotta get there before it closes!