While this year's Decor exhibition will likely include some of the industry's most innovative new goods, some exhibitors are continuing to combine new manufacturing techniques with more traditional techniques and classic aesthetics. Here, we honor a few of the businesses that have helped preserve our rich tradition of interior design. In a situation where many companies have little choice but to manufacture overseas, it's encouraging to see enterprises continuing the tradition of high-quality English manufacturing.
The Little Greene Paint Company is a company that manufactures and sells paint.
We applaud Little Greene for its unwavering dedication to preserving our rich legacy of decor, despite its growing reputation for environmentally friendly paint colors.
Its Colors of England series is a gorgeous and inspiring palette of 128 classic and contemporary colors that champions the courageous use of paint in interiors throughout history.
Secret Shell (a gentle, romantic pink) and Mischief (a daring violet magenta) are examples of contemporary colors. Nearly half of its collection, on the other hand, is made up of shades painstakingly recreated from the 1760s to the 1950s as part of a cooperation with English Heritage to resurrect the country's most enduring and unique colors.
Terra di Sienna, an earthy burnt umber (from the Regency era), was found from "one of the earliest surviving paint cards from 1807," while Stone-Mid-Warm (from Georgian times) is defined as "if 18th century Bath could be condensed into one color." The depth and richness of such colors, according to Little Greene, are because they contain 40% more pigment than conventional paints.
The business has given their coordinated wallpaper collection, which is based on actual papers from the English Heritage archives, the same rigorous attention to detail.
Imperial Bathrooms are a collection of luxurious bathrooms
At The English Home, we're increasingly drawn to nostalgic references for design inspiration, and we're looking for things that will last. Knowing how many of you feel the same way, it's no surprise that traditionally themed bathrooms remain a popular choice for our houses.
This family-run business has been producing creative bathroom designs to the highest standards for more than 20 years from a thriving facility in Aldridge, West Midlands.
It has been 20 years. Each piece of ceramic ware is meticulously handcrafted utilizing the highest quality materials and time-honored processes. Each finalized piece is then put through extensive quality control and comes with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.
The Classical Style collection features designs that harken back to the most popular shapes of the past. There is something for every period of the wood blockhouse with floral ceramics evoking the beauty of the Victorian era, 1920s designs reflecting the sparkle of Art Decor, and the refinement of ornate Edwardian patterns.
Paintings by Richardson
Few things are more evocative of classic English country house style than a superb oil painting, in our opinion. They are a timeless and personal complement to rooms, both vast and simple in scale, from family portraits that keep a watchful eye over the current occupants to landscapes that capture a nostalgic moment.
Such artworks have traditionally been passed down down the centuries, but not everyone has been fortunate enough to obtain such treasures.
Tony Richardson observed in 1991 that many families could not justify paying the associated inheritance tax when they wanted to pass on works of art to their heirs. Others couldn't afford to cover them since they were too expensive. As a result, many people were forced to sell their prized possessions at auction.
Richardson responded by assembling a team of classically educated artists to covertly hand paint incredibly high-quality reproductions so that his clients may continue to enjoy their favorite works after selling the original.
Today, Tony's son Oliver runs the business, which comes highly recommended by auction houses such as Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams. The company has lately expanded its service to offer a supply of classic and contemporary paintings as well as popular museum artifacts, thanks to its stable of 75 great artists throughout the world.
Certain stewards of the nation's historic homes carry out restorations in such a seamless manner that their labor goes nearly unnoticed. Locker & Riley, a firm that specializes in fibrous plasterwork, is an example.
Clive Locker, a joiner, created the company practically by accident when visiting his local lumber yard one winter. He was astounded to find a stock of 7,000 magnificent wood block carvings being tossed on an open fire to keep the workers warm while he was there. He halted them in their tracks, horrified, and offered to buy the entire collection. Locker spent the next two years trying to figure out where the carvings came from, eventually tracing them back to a famous fibrous plaster firm that had closed down in the 1960s. He then sought financial assistance from his high school classmate Michael Riley to resurrect the company.
The company's main work since 1982 has been the meticulous re-creation and restoration of damaged, lost, or deteriorated moldings and coverings in listed structures. Their master craftsmen collaborate alongside top historians and conservation organizations like as English Heritage to ensure their work is authentic and exacting, using skills and production processes passed down through centuries.
Cornices, corbels, friezes, and arches are frequently removed and repaired in their workshop near Chelmsford, Essex. The world-famous mold library presently houses over 10,000 hand-carved wooden blocks, some of which date back to the eighteenth century.
While the company's "legacy works" have adorned some of the most opulent private residences, they have also graced historic structures such as the Royal Albert Hall, the House of Commons, and some of London's most famous theatres. Many an audience has probably admired the exquisite plasterwork decor, without ever realizing the time and effort that went into bringing them back to life.
Make sure to avoid these Worst Appliances Brands when your purchase.