I am delighted to have recently launched the latest Inchyra fabric and wallpaper collection, Briar. The collection introduces two new linens, Briar and Clover, alongside two wallcoverings, Clover wallpaper and our first paper-backed linen, Linen Check.
The first step towards this collection came when we were refurbishing an old farmhouse on the estate here at Inchyra. You may know that we also run a wedding barn here and have three houses for guests to stay in for the weekend. It's great fun for me as it gives me three whole houses to decorate with my fabric and wallpapers. Home Farm is the latest of these and it was fully refurbished in 2022. During the works we found a very pretty floral wallpaper hidden behind the shutters in one bedroom - it was almost like it was waiting for me! It had obviously been there for many many years - I would date it to the 1920s or 30s and to me it definitely has an Arts & Crafts feel.
Curtain and cushion in Briar / Ochre Blue linen, cushion in Clover / Robin's Egg linen, walls in Linen Print / Sea Spray wallpaper
So Briar, as it became known, was the starting point. I usually build each collection with a particular room in mind and this time I was picturing an attic bedroom in the eaves. Next to join the collection was Clover, a design based on an 18th-century block print in my collection. I've been longing to bring this design back to life as I have always thought it would be an incredibly useful small coordinating design. We think Clover is going to be so useful that we've produced it in a huge seven colourways in both a linen and a wallpaper.
These two designs could have been enough but I felt this was the right moment for something I've been toying with for ages: a paper-backed linen wallcovering. Our Vintage Check linen has been so popular over the years and I thought it would be fun to create something that would put it on walls. Enter our Linen Check wallcovering - five colours of wide-width paper-backed linen which make fabric walling much more accessible.
Curtain in Briar / Indigo linen, chair in Briar / Vintage Blue linen, Cushions (top to bottom) Clover / Indigo, Clover / Nutmeg, Clover / Robin's Egg linens, lampshades D'Arbres / Indigo linen (from the Wherwell Collection), wallpaper rolls are Clover / Sea Green and Linen Print / Sea Spray, walls in Linen Check / Natural wallcovering
The collection took much longer than anticipated to release and this was pretty much all down to Clover, as seen in the wallpaper below. It was agony getting the right colours and I'm sure we ran more strike-offs (test prints) for this one design than for anything else I've ever released. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to get right. I'm happy we persevered - I once released colourways in a design that I really wasn't happy with and lived to regret it - I used to wince whenever I saw them popping up on social media attached to Inchyra. We've just recoloured them and the relief is palpable!
Walls in Clover / Sea Green wallpaper, headboard and cushion in Briar / Currant Red linen, bedcover in Netherwood Wool Twill / Camel
I've also added two new colourways in the Linen Print wallpaper. This paper is essentially a very beautiful alternative to paint - a plain but with the texture of linen in the print - and I plan to add colourways with each new collection. It has been wonderful to see this paper going up in clients' houses - it's hard to put into words how good it looks but it brings a wonderful softness to an interior that a paint just can't achieve.
I'm thrilled to finally be sending the collection out into the world and I hope that you love the collection as much as we do.
Caroline x