Studio Stories– Art & craft

Art & craft Biographical Flora & nature Interior styling Textiles Travel

November 21, 2024

The Miniaturists ~ and other stories from my ancestors.

By Sophie Harpley

My ancestors miniature paintings are held in some of the UK's major museums. But of course I never met them and have only snippets of stories to begin to understand their lives. This is a short tale of two great grandmothers and an inheritance of creativity.

Continue reading
October 29, 2024

Mr Kilburn’s Calicos

By Sophie Harpley

William Kilburn 1745-1818 was better known for elaborate chintzes, so it blew my socks off when I first discovered these designs, flicking the pages of The World of Interiors in 2014. They look as if they were made 150 years later than they were, I love simple almost abstract shapes.

Continue reading
October 15, 2024

The coils of Colli

By Sophie Harpley

I’ve been in a happy online rabbit warren, researching one particular metalwork designer Pier Luigi Colli.

Continue reading
May 03, 2024

Exhibition wishlist '24

By Sophie Harpley

No surprise my wishlist of galleries to visit this year are made up entirely of the inspiring women of modernism who were making waves despite all odds stacked against them.

Continue reading
February 01, 2024

Jocasta Innes, a legacy of painted interiors

By Sophie Harpley

Rag-rolling, stippling and sponging were all the range in the 1990s and honestly I've never quite stopped loving these effects.

Continue reading
October 29, 2023

Josef Frank, pattern legend

By Sophie Harpley

Many decades after his vast collection of 160 bold botanical prints were made – they continue to prove popular and magically timeless.

Continue reading

Studio Stories / Art & craft

The Miniaturists ~ and other stories from my ancestors.

Mr Kilburn’s Calicos

The coils of Colli

Exhibition wishlist '24

Jocasta Innes, a legacy of painted interiors

Josef Frank, pattern legend