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House of Hackney by Sarah Ditty
More proves to be more as traditional British homeware is reinvented
F
or the discerning shopper who seeks to imbue every facet of life with refined style and eclectic pastiche, all fingers point towards emerging interior design label, House of Hackney. Described as ‘Colefax and Fowler on acid’, wallpaper, bed linens, and furniture are transformed into maximalist works of art. The brainchild of husband and wife team, Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle, House of Hackney represents a turn away from the beigey, conformist homeware trend that dominated the last several decades and channels the exuberance of bygone eras. You can immediately deduce that both Gormley and Royle worked in fashion prior to their excursion into interiors. House of Hackney speaks to the trenddriven younger generation utilising eccentric motifs, dip-dyed textiles and whimsical illustrations. In their first offerings, they’ve launched five distinct but entirely consistent collections inspired by the local haunts of Hackney, the neighborhood lauded by Vogue Italia as a hotbed of fashion and culture. ‘Hackney Empire’ unites quirky koalas, medallionwearing parrots and banjo-performing squirrels with high-end luxury furnishings. This illustrated animal print is something out of The Jungle Book and has been incorporated into everything from wallpaper and a Victorian-style chaise to porcelain teacups.
‘Flights of Fancy’ carries on the animal theme but spreads its wings showcasing the beauty of the feathered variety. Described by House of Hackney as “a symphony of exquisite British birds set against a duck-egg blue sky”, the collection also incorporates a classic stripe. ‘Dalston Rose’ is evidently inspired by the classic toile print, which typically depicts a pastoral scene of some variety, but instead House of Hackney uses delicate roses in various shades of blues from dusty cornflower to deep midnight navy. This collection is decidedly more feminine and comprises of intricately carved headboards, elaborate candelabras and ruffled bed skirts. ‘Queen Bee’ is the most subdued of the four collections, with its charming bee motif in a palette of soft golden ochre, sage green and pale grey-blue. The effect is an ethereal, dreamy sort of comfort. Like the rest of the collections, ‘Queen Bee’ juxtaposes unorthodox prints and finishes, using both satin and cotton. For those more akin to a sexy and slightly lascivious abode, ‘Wild Card’ features a sophisticated leopard print in luxurious golds, blood reds, and carnal blacks. In addition to wallpaper, the range offers curiosities that could have been collected from visits to foreign lands including porcelain Bengal tigers, gilded pineapple sculptures, a mirror covered in horns and a clay-like urn.