PRINTS CHARMING


With its collections of furniture, fabrics and fittings, London-based Designers Guild has been creating elegant interiors for more than four decades


“We don’t reproduce or copy – we create,” says Tricia Guild, founder and Creative Director of Designers Guild. “What we design comes from our minds and our hearts.” An international home and lifestyle


company, Designers Guild designs and wholesales fabrics, wall coverings, furniture and home accessories. Renowned for its use of colour, bold-spirited prints and luxury materials, its philosophy is to combine creativity and innovation. Instrumental to the company’s success is an extensive product range and a unique approach to design. Each product is designed by hand in its in-house studio and it is, in part, this attention to detail that has seen Designers Guild’s turnover leap to more than £50 million in the past 20 years. “In the studio the creative process is a


collaborative one, although I make the final decisions,” says Tricia. “We’re careful to ensure that our products are faithful to the original quality. We have real design integrity; we don’t skimp on anything and have a somewhat zealous attention to detail.”


A REPUTATION FOR QUALITY Key to ensuring the end product is the best it can be is Designers Guild’s long-established relationships with its suppliers and their use of innovative technology. “The printers know


“ WE HAVE A REAL DESIGN INTEGRITY; WE DON’T SKIMP ON ANYTHING AND HAVE A SOMEWHAT ZEALOUS ATTENTION TO DETAIL”


us and that we want to push boundaries,” says Tricia, who established the company in 1970 and was later joined by her brother, Simon Jeffreys, as the company’s Group Chief Executive. “We paint rather than use Apple Macs to design, but we also embrace technology and were one of the first to use digital printing.” The firm’s reputation for quality has led


to alliances with leading designers and royalty. In 2011, the family-run firm collaborated with the House of Lacroix on a series of stunning collections. The Royal Collection, on the other hand, is the result of a direct approach by the royal household to become the worldwide licensee for fabrics, wall coverings and home accessories. Though it is London-based, Designers Guild


also has offices and showrooms throughout the world. Indeed, the company has a truly international reputation, with 80 per cent of its sales generated overseas in more than 80 countries – an achievement that has earned it the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement on two occasions, and saw it named Best British Brand by Elle Decoration in 2010 and 2011. A passionate supporter of British craftsmanship, Tricia was also awarded an OBE in 2008.


AMBIANCE 273


UNIQUE STYLE Part of the appeal of Designers Guild, which employs more than 280 people, is the fact that it cannot be pigeonholed. Its use of colour may set it apart, but textured fabrics in neutral tones account for around half of the company’s collections. And Designers Guild is not just about


creating stylish fabrics and wallpapers. “Taking lifestyle into account is so important, too,” says Tricia. “I have always designed with a total lifestyle in mind, rather than looking at products in isolation.” Inspiration for collections can come from


just about anywhere – from Italian architecture to a Chinese landscape painting to a beautiful autumn day. Whatever the source, however, Tricia makes sure that she is involved at every stage of the design process. “I’m proud of so many of the things


that Designers Guild has achieved over the years,” she says. “Most of all, however, is that we’ve become an atelier of quality that has constantly been at the vanguard of change.” Creative and imaginative, the company is a true original. www.designersguild.com


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