Nicky Percival visits Christopher Farr to see stunning new collection

With over 25 years experience as an interior designer, I’d like to think I’m attuned to the creation of great art and design, and one of the things I love most about my job is that there are always new things to learn as the industry’s constantly changing.

Now, more than ever, our desire to be connected to our environment and be more sustainable and environmentally friendly is driving the creation of new materials, colours, trends and collections.

One of the best ways to keep on top of these changes and develop relationships within the industry is to attend lectures, and I recently had the opportunity to the new London showroom of Christopher Farr to preview their Sandra Blow rug and wallpaper collection.

I frequently use the beautiful fabrics, rugs and wallpapers created and sold by Christopher Farr in my designs, so it was an absolute pleasure to see their new collection on display.

I’m also a huge fan of modern and contemporary art, and Sandra Blow RA was one of the pioneers in the British abstract movement of the 1950s. I personally love the graphic nature of her patterns, influenced by her love of the landscape, and found it fascinating to learn more about Sandra’s life and work through a talk given by renowned art historian Michael Bird who has written a retrospective about her.  

It was also a real honour to be sitting in a room with people who had known Sandra Blow personally. Listening to their recollections and hearing their insights into how she thought and lit up rooms with her charismatic personality while her personal effects were on display just a few feet away.   

Sandra documented her work processes through photographs and seeing these alongside the original finished pieces gives an insight into her work that will stay with me, ready to inspire a design when needed in the future.

In the meantime, I’m working on a very large renovation project in Winchester and will be using several Christopher Farr collaboration pieces. Our eyes are on the following fantastic organic fractal rug designs by Michael Young and two highly collectable one-of-a-kind rugs designed through a three-way collaboration with Christopher Farr, celebrated ceramic artist Makoto Kagoshima and Ritsuko Yagi of the Chariots of Fire gallery in Los Angeles. 

I’m also using their fabulous Carnival fabric by Michael Szell, which comes in several gorgeous colourways, in another project.  

I love creating homes that truly reflect the personality of the people living in them, and it’s attending events like this that allow me to continuously build on my knowledge and create gorgeous, practical homes for real people.  

So, if you would like a hand creating your dream home or just want a second opinion, give me a call on 07773 372 158 or send me an email via nicky@nickypercival.co.uk

Nicky

*With many thanks to Jess Tully and Jonathan Abbot of Christopher Farr for their kind permission to publish official images.