A graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Art, Laura Fletcher’s journey into the world of textile design was fuelled by her life long love for colour and pattern. We first discovered Laura’s work in 2019 and fell in love with her stunning work. Now a mainstay of Make Holt, and featured throughout the Shirehall Apartments, Laura’s textiles combine carefully selected natural yarns with evocative inspiration from the environments Laura loves be immersed in.
Slow Living ~ Finding Inspiration
Now an advocate for slow living, Laura didn’t always live this way. After freelancing in the fast-paced trend forecasting and fashion industry for several years, Laura found herself yearning for a more meaningful creative outlet. One that would allow her to explore her passion for colour in a more tactile and intimate way.
Behind every meticulously crafted design lies a story woven from the threads of Laura's experiences and inspirations. This striking pattern is called ‘New Horizons’, using a palette of bright pink and blush, duck egg blue, forest greens and soft mustard – inspired by textures and tones from a visit to Marrakesh.
From the vibrant hues of a sunset over the horizon to the subtle gradients of colour in a weathered seashell, Laura continues to find inspiration in the most unexpected places. Her photography became a canvas for capturing these fleeting moments of beauty, serving as a wellspring of creativity for her textile design process back in the studio.
Laura's Process
Each design begins with a careful study of source materials. It is in this process that Laura explores the delicate interplay of colour in order to translate the natural palette from her photography into woven textiles. What may seem like small changes and tweaks to each colour’s proportion of the design can drastically impact the outcome.
Remi, one of Laura's most popular designs, is inspired by the irregular textures of ageing tree bark in the English Countryside, currently available as cushions and throws here in a range of colour-ways.
This Spring we've really fallen in love with the 'duck-egg' colour way, where depending on lighting you get the perfect balance of blue and green tones. Although we might not immediately associate duck egg with woodland scenes, the combination of smooth and more tactile textures creates a very real physical reminder to its original bark-based inspiration.
Working closely with a traditional silk mill in Suffolk steeped in history, Laura is able to bring her vision to life on looms with their own unique story. This incredibly skilled, small scale production methodology means Laura is able to focus on the design and composition process as opposed to highly labour intensive hand-weaving.
Laura’s Work at the Shirehall
From the bold, eye-catching patterns to the subtle, understated textures, each piece tells a story of creativity with firm roots in the natural world. Below are just a few of the gorgeous pieces we’ve been lucky enough to stock in the shop and use in the Shirehall Apartments:
