Talking summer trends with Tricia Guild

We feel proud and lucky to have clients as creative and inspirational as Tricia Guild OBE, creative director and founder of the world-famous interiors brand Designers Guild. Tricia first opened a shop on the Kings Road back in 1970 and, along with many other stockists and outposts, this is still the road that the brand calls home today – and still where you’d head for eclectic fabrics, homewares and lifestyle goodies that feel totally exotic. Like us, Tricia is an avid hunter-gatherer, travelling to India at least once a year among the various other destinations that her business takes her to. A woman after our own hearts, she always makes sure she heads to the local markets to drink in the local colours and scents. All of which must help her hone the incredible eye she has for combining colours and prints. We managed to grab her for a quick chat about what summer means to her and how Designers Guild has translated those thoughts into the Summer 2015 Shanghai Garden collection.

Even though you say you don’t follow colour trends and that it’s intuitive – is there a particular palette that you love right now?

“It is very difficult to pick one favourite colour, as it very much depends on my mood…having said that I do have deep shades of blue at home such as cool indigo or rich cobalt.”

How did you decide on the colour palettes for Shanghai Garden?

“The inspiration was very much the beauty of Chinese landscape paintings, with their attention to the beauty of the natural world from mountains, waterfalls and rivers. All our designs are created in our design studio as original hand-painted pieces of art and we draw on a broad colour palette – from the more signature brighter shades that our brand is so well know for, to masses of naturals, neutral and black and white.  Each design is unique and we approach it as such. There are no definite rules, instead it is more of an intuitive approach and the design grows organically as a result.”

What does summer living mean to you?

“It is time spent in my home in Umbria, Italy surrounded by family and friends. We enjoy the local markets, the best cappuccinos and of course wonderful, delicious suppers together.”

What makes Emily’s House London rugs fit so well with the Designers Guild aesthetic?

“There is a wonderful mix of colours, textures and fabrics and this fits perfectly with our own fabric collections – as well as the other pieces that we hand pick to sell in store.”