Wild Rose - my collaboration with Alex Monroe
I first discovered jewellery maker Alex Monroe around 10 years ago, while I was working as a graphic designer for a west London boutique who stocked his beautifully intricate handcrafted pieces. I resonated with Alex's style immediately. As someone who has been drawing and illustrating my finds from nature since childhood, I always have a magpie eye out for other designers, creating handmade and soulful work that I can add to my home or wardrobe too! Alex's work is an ode to observation - he sculpts into jewellery every tiny detail of flora and fauna.
When it came to choosing my wedding band, there was no question where I would go. Over the years I have now collected several lovely trinkets - floral earrings, shell-shaped charms and more.
But how did I get so lucky as to collaborate and design a wallpaper for Alex Monroe in 2026? It was all incredibly fortuitous. I sent an email into the ether, to state my admiration. The reply came back from the wonderful Emma who has helped shape the brand over a 20 year career. Alex Monroe were turning 40 and they wanted to create something special to commemorate it. Well, the rest is history.
I set to work to illustrate the most iconic motifs that Alex is known for and to weave that together with my own style. The process was so natural as our inspirations and aesthetic are so alike - a simple love of nature and the handmade.
Wild Rose was brought to life as wallpaper, through seven intricately engraved rollers, which each print a different colour onto the paper. The design, the colours and the century-old technique we used, nod to the arts and crafts heritage of Britain - something that inspires both Alex and myself.
Among the rambling roses and hidden honeysuckle are the bumblebees for which Alex's work is known and loved. We launched the design in April '26 in a whirlwind of activity and I've put together this post to share some of the lovely pictures from our private events - and the lovely days I spent painting Wild Roses across the windows of the two Alex Monroe boutiques in London.
Huge thanks also to Candover Brook (English Sparkling Wine) and Bramley (bath and body) who gave their lovely produce for our parties and to Wainwright Bookbinding who made notebooks from the wallpaper.
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