Sophie Harpley is a British artist and designer painting patterns by hand to create original wallpapers and linen. Inspired by modernist painting, botanical forms, antiques and travel; her fresh freehand style brings a relaxed and storied aesthetic to both traditional and contemporary interiors.
Sophie's story
Sophie grew up in the English west country. When she wasn't drawing or exploring outdoors, she would watch her mother spread bolts of Laura Ashley cloth across the kitchen table to make curtains and clothes. Her earliest memory is of the dainty floral wallpapers around their Victorian home.
After studying in Sussex, Sophie's career began at London's V&A Museum and served to confirm her deep love of art and decorative design. She then went back to art school in Bristol, gaining an MA Graphic Arts in 2012, specialised in print.
Drawing together a love of paint and pattern, Sophie's homeware collection has evolved alongside illustration commissions and design work for British interiors brands like Liberty x Bloom & Wild, Habitat, Sofa.com and Graham & Green.
Sophie's work is known for a relaxed, layered and colourful aesthetic, a passion for nature and her signature loose hand painted style.
Sustainably made in Britain
With both nature and craft as inspirations for Sophie’s designs, she wanted to produce them in ways that honour this. Sophie's papers and cloth are all printed by skilled artisans in Britain, drawing from generations of expertise, yet pioneering sustainable printing today.
Linen is made from Flax which grows organically and even improves the soil around it. Sophie uses the finest, pure European linen. Her wallpapers are made from replenished forests. Both materials being natural, are also biodegradable.
Sophie's cushions and lampshades are handmade in small batches, making use of every inch of fabric and wallpaper, to create joyful interior accessories.
Press, partners & awards
Sophie's work has featured in national press such as British Vogue, House & Garden, The Financial Times, Telegraph and Elle Decoration. Most recently Sophie has partnered with Annie Sloan, Domenica Marland and Haines Collection. In 2023 she won a Homes & Gardens Design Award for her new wallpapers and joined The List by House & Garden.
Studio Stories
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November 21, 2024
The Miniaturists ~ and other stories from my ancestors.
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. -
October 29, 2024
Mr Kilburn’s Calicos
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. -
October 15, 2024
The coils of Colli
I’ve been in a happy online rabbit warren, researching one particular metalwork designer Pier Luigi Colli.