Cultured Calm: Out of The Blue at The Fashion and Textiles Museum

If you have yet to discover The Fashion and Textiles Museum in Bermondsey Vilage, near London Bridge, a treat awaits.  This niche little museum was founded by Zandra Rhodes in 2003. Today, the Museum is operated by Newham College in London and has a well honed knack of putting on some incredibly engaging exhibitions.

It’s current exhibition ‘Out of The Blue’ celebrates the work of the influential design company Designers Guild, and is a complete joy; but more effusive praise in a moment…!

Tricia Guild is the founder of Designers Guild, which began as a single shop at the wrong end of Chelsea’s King’s Road.  Other shops have since opened but, this has become the flagship store as the brand has evolved into a global enterprise.  The company’s myriad patterns and designs are unique and I think, very recognisable.  This exhibition looks behind the scenes at Tricia’s creative process, and her inspirations.  It dives into the 50 year archive bringing together all that has gone into making Designers Guild the hugely covetable brand it is today

“Frustrated with the lack of truly contemporary fabrics and wallpapers for interiors, Tricia’s vision was to create a lifestyle. Tricia showed people how to put the different elements of a room together; how colour, pattern, texture and form can combine to create a harmonious space”.

As the exhibition opens, a recording of Tricia explaining her inspiration and motivation is played.  In it, she says she is inspired by nature, gardens, flowers, architecture “anything that opens ones heart to seeing”.  I love this sentiment and it seems to fit so well with her prints and products which are so full of colour and detail, they really are made for ‘seeing”

There are lavish room sets charting the influences from the early days until the present. Vintage soft prints, gentle pinks and cane furniture were its beginnings.  Since then the influence of travel has been hugely important.  Countries such as Italy and India brimming with life and colour are evident, and each room set so cleverly pulled together tells its own story.

India is represented by glorious  silks in a riot of deep blue and verdant green which drape from bamboo canes. Rich velvet in shocking pink and turquoise furnish the room set inspired by Venice.  Other sets show the many large floral prints (which I love). Contrasting these with modern stripes and checks and blocks of colour bring a fresh contemporary feel.  The boldness in what might be called a clash of colour and print works because of the unifying colours or textures.

There is a beautiful book called ‘Out of the Blue’ to go with the exhibition, and one I think I may just add to my Christmas List!  A film of some of the images which are captured the the book forms part of the exhibition.  Many of these were taken at one of Tricia’s beautiful homes.  The film is bright and airy and had me longing to step into the screen and those cool white rooms filled with sumptuous fabrics and light. Her gardens are filled with dahlias and the many flowers which inspire her prints.

Apart from room sets, there are mood boards filled with smears of paint, varied fabric swatches and wallpaper samples. These clearly show how a room and design is put together and how varying influences come together to create a complete look.  Magazine insets with glossy images also line a whole room and emphasise again how vast the Designers Guild body of work really is.

This seems such a relevant exhibition at a time when we have all spent so much more time in our own homes. Even without the budget to buy from Designers Guild, there is no reason why we can’t introduce happy colour into our homes in other ways.  A jug of single coloured flowers or coloured glass or pottery bought cheaply in second hand shops.  This exhibition is not only joyous but inspirational too. If ‘Out of the Blue’ doesn’t have you itching to introduce colour into your life, I’m not sure what will!

As a aside, apart from the fabulous Fashion and Textile museum, Bermondsey village has a wide choice of delicious cafes in which to buy coffee and pastries, and a couple of little parks in which to enjoy them.

The exhibition runs until 21 February 2021

Tickets are £9.90 for adults.

Nearest Tube and Train is London Bridge