What is a Fair Isle pattern design?
How did the traditional Fair Isle colours originate? As Fair Isle design is traditionally knitted, these patterns have been developed in horizontal lines, usually using 2 colours per row, and not more than 4 colours for the whole garment. The yarn was always from the local sheep and the colours were chosen based on the natural dyes available on the island. So the yarn could be dyed Indigo, red and yellow, plus natural undyed yarns included dark grey, pale grey, brown, dark fawn and pale fawn. How have we been inspired by traditional Fair Isle? For our Aqua by Design Fair Isle design, we have taken these traditional guides as our inspiration developing rows of patterns including zig zag stripes and abstract lozenge shapes hexagons. We have a pattern repeat as this way we can print metres of fabric for soft furnishings. We have also created different colourways for you to choose from: We print our design onto soft furnishings fabric that can be used for home interiors such as curtains, blinds, lampshades and cushions. We love bringing the knitwear patterns to home interiors as they are so colourful, giving a simple horizontal stripe interest, plus they create a cosy huggy feel to any room. Fair Isle design in home interiors This is a great room set showing how you can add our Fair Isle design to your bedroom, mixing it with other fabrics to create a warm, cosy Autumnal feeling bedroom. Fabrics used here include Fair Isle Teal on the top bedspread, Autumn Wildlife Ditzy on the bottom bedspread, Dark Teal Geometric Flag on the top cushion, and Highland Loch Teal on the back cushions.  About Fair Isle in Scotland, UK Fair Isle designs and patterns originate from the island Fair Isle in Scotland, which lies 24 miles from Shetland, with a population of only 60 permanent residents. This small island is well known for the wildlife birds, rugged landscape and traditional crafts. It hasn’t actually been established why the women on the island started knitting in the designs that we now call Fair Isle, but it’s thought to be linked with the shipping trade from the Baltics. Find out more: https://www.fairisle.org.uk/ Where to buy genuine Fair Isle Knitwear? At Aqua by design, we just love all things Fair Isle. And if you do too, you can still buy traditional genuine knitwear from the islanders. Take a browse, and match your outfit with your interiors:
https://www.exclusivelyfairisle.co.uk/history-of-fair-isle-knitting.php https://fairislewithmarie.com/fair_isle/ https://www.mativentrillon.co.uk/ Ideas for making your home Autumnal What colours do you think of when you think Autumn? For me it's those dark teals of evergreens, mustard & orange the colours of the Autumnal leaves, and dark reds of the amazing Euonymus shrubs. I love these colours and find them so warm and cosy in home interiors. To make your home more Autumnal find ways of introducing some of these colourways. Autumn Bedroom Mockup Design  For this Autumn bedroom we have chosen teal and mustard as the base for the scheme, and layered up different patterns and fabrics to give a warm Autumn hue to the interior design. To pull the scheme together, the same pattern is often repeated such as the Autumn Wildlife Ditzy fabric is on the lampshade and the bottom bedspread. The curtains are warm and soft in the Highland Loch Teal fabric, a design that adds so much interest with a repeat of stags in the Scottish Mountains. And to really feel like you are snuggled, the top blanket is in the Fair Isle Teal design, it's like a big winter jumper. How to create this look Everything in the room set is available to buy as fabric by the metre, or we can make curtains, roman blinds, roller blids, cushions or lampshades for you too. It's also worth thinking about which fabric to use. Velvet is a soft and shiny fabric, lovely to snuggle into and can be used on all soft furnishings. Eco linen blend is much more rustic and textured, so I would recommend mixing these 2 fabrics to create a mix of textures and feels within an Autumn Home Interior. Shopping for Autumn Decor You can also create a whole Autumnal feel with just a few accessories here's a few ideas:
Get 20% off our Autumn Shop Accessories So as a little Autumn treat we are giving you 20% off everything in our Autumn Shop when you sign up to our Fabric Community Newsletter. When you sign up you will be given a discount code which you use at checkout. It will be valid for the whole of September 2022. Here's a little peak at what's in the shop...
Red and Blue Interior Inspirations & Ideas  I just love a red and blue interior. We have been working on some bedroom mock ups to give you some interior inspriation and design ideas. It's also great to see how the red and blue fabrics would work together and how you can mix and match them in a room. So here are some interior design ideas for using our red and blue fabric combinations: Bold & Colourful Red & Blue Bedroom Scheme 1. Go bold and colourful as shown above, mixing different themes and patterns but keeping the colours running throughout. In this scheme we have mixed our NEW Red Heron fabric, with our Nautical Wheel Navy Ditzy (custom colourway), Nautical Blue Ikat and the Nautical Blue Geometric Flag. I think this would make a great Teenager bedroom or Guestroom.
All these fabrics are by Aqua by Design, designed and printed in the UK, for home interiors. You can buy fabric by the metre or we can make roman blinds, roller blinds, curtains, scatter cushions and lampshades in any of our fabrics. We would love to hear from you and your interior ideas, do get in touch if you have a project in mind and would like a quote.
We offer trade accounts to curtain and blind makers, interior designs and interior fabric shops, apply for a trade account. The Platinum Jubilee celebrations are taking place across the UK from the 2nd to 5th June 2022. It's a time to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen being our Monarch for 70years, the first British Monarch to do so, which is really an amazing achievement. There will be many events up and down the Country, but if you would like to organise your own Jubilee garden party then here we have a few top tips for decorating.  Our 5 top tips for how to decorate your Jubilee Garden Party
Useful Platinum Jubilee Websites: You can get free downloadable item from the Platinum Jubilee Toolkit online: Toolkit – The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 2022 You can find events in your area here: Events – The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 2022 Find out more about the Royal Platinum Jubilee Weekend here: The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend 2022 | The Royal Family We have everything you need for your Jubilee Garden Party in our outdoor fabrics. Not everything has to match and have the logo though, so maybe just add a few of these items and mix with items you already have in your cupboards.  Here are 5 top tips to creating a coastal style for one of your rooms. It works really well in a bedroom, conservatory, summer house or lounge 1. Deckchair StripesStripes are a great way to start creating a coastal vibe home interior. Here I have used the Nautical Grey Stripe, on the roman blind, but you could also go with the Winter Marine Grey, or the Nautical Blue or just a very plain stripe. Wide stripes are also becoming very popular. Whichever stripe you choose, this is great to use on an item that will have longevity such as your curtains or roman blinds. If you go with a stripe on these expensive items, you can change your look over time as stripes can match anything. 2. Use of ColoursThe traditional colours for a coastal vibe are of course blue and white. You can stick with this and use a few shades of blue to build up layers. We have gone with grey and yellow though, which can also be added to with splashes of red. Use solid colour fabrics that match your theme on box seating cushions, again another expensive item, especially if it custom made to your window seat or bench. Here we have shown a plain grey in linen look. I really like a piped edge and would usually add the piping in a different colour way ( I would probably use red in this scheme). 3. Nautical Scatter or Throw CushionsScatter or throw cushions are great for pulling a theme together. This is where you can get really add that coastal vibe by having very nautical designed cushions. We have shown you our Nautical Grey Boats and Lighthouse cushions, on this moodboard, you could also add fishes, or seagulls, or any of your favourite seaside scenes. To keep your interior adaptable, i would always have one side of the cushion themed, with the other side a plain solid colour, or stripe, or simple ditzy design. This way you can tone down or tone up your coastal style to suit your taste and mood. 4. Coastal LampshadesI really think lampshades should sing and shout, so would really use your theme in this coastal decor to it's fullest. You only use 1 or 2 lampshades in a room, so give them the attention they deserve. We have used the Nautical Grey Boats fabric on the lampshade in the moodboard, printed on faux suede to give some texture too. 5. Coastal Style Wall DecorSome wall decor or wall hanging can really help to pull a theme together. You can add framed prints, macrame, baskets would work well, or fabric art hoops as shown on the moodboard. The fabric art hoops are particularly lovely for a bedroom as these can be personalised. Or you could add some original artwork, by a local maker. It's really lovely to have something special and unique commissioned for just you. To help you we have now created room sets using complimentary fabric designs in a collection. Room sets include all the accessories you need to start a theme or style in your room. It is so easy to create a whole look with a room set, and very easy to change when you want a new look too. You can pick and choose from matching lampshades, cushions, bunting, and wall decor. As this is all custom made giving you better choices for your decor, we do a print and run make at the beginning of every month. So be sure to book your order before the deadline, for your room set to be completed in time.
We can do a room set in any of our collections, if you don't see the collection you would like in room sets, then just contact us. Author: Jane Hudson-Oldroyd AQUA BY DESIGN - Home   The Spring Look Book Our Inspiration The blossoming colours of Spring is a great inspiration for home interiors. For our Spring Canal Collection we looked at the flowers blooming, Easter and then complimentary colours to make the scheme lift. The Design Process We started with the canal scene, this has been hand painted in watercolours. The fabric has included many scenes from the canals including narrowboats, canal bridges and locks. We then added some of the wildlife such as ducks, dragonflies, herons and kingfishers. Finally we add the flora of reeds, and trees. All typical of the beautiful landscapes next to our unique canal network. The Printing Process We took all these elements and arranged them in a pattern that worked for fabric. The canal scene design has been printed on cotton fabric for use as curtains or blinds. Matching fabrics include Spring Marine Strip in satin cotton. In addition, we developed the beautiful Wildlife Ditzy in Velvet, this fabric has incorporated herons, kingfishers and dragonflies in a repeat design on a gorgeous teal background. This is a really stunning design and sure to appeal to anyone who just loves the English Countryside. Create your own Spring Scheme As seen in the look book images, lime green and purple can be added to the base scheme of light green. Once you have a colour pallet, just have fun mixing fabrics and accessories. We have created 3 beautifully designed fabrics that can be mixed with plain colours. You can make further accessories with our fabrics such as cushions, lavender bags, blankets, lampshades, blinds and curtains. We have some ready made products to help you get started: Spring Kingfisher Cushion
£46.00
The Kingfisher Cushion Spring is designed by Aqua By Design; hand designed in water colours then printed onto velvet giving art on a cushion Spring Canal Scene Cushion
£46.00
The Spring Canal Scene Cushion is designed by our very own Aqua By Design; beautifully hand designed waterways wildlife then printed onto cotton giving art on a maritime cushion.
Manufacturer: Aqua By Design Manufactured: Made in the UK Fabric: Cotton Front cover, Velvet back cover (in Spring Wildlife Ditzy) Product Care: Comes with filling which can be removed, the outer fabric is machine washable Product: Spring Canal Scene Cushion (with Spring Wildlife Ditzy back cover) Size: 43cm Height, 43cm Width Spring Dragonfly Cushion
£46.00
The Spring Dragonfly Cushion is designed by Aqua By Design; beautifully hand designed waterways wildlife then printed onto velvet giving art on Nautical Interiors.
Manufacturer: Aqua By Design Manufactured: Made in the UK Fabric: Velvet Front cover, Cotton back cover (in Spring Aqua Marine Stripe) Product Care: Comes with filling which can be removed, the outer fabric is machine washable Product: Spring Dragonfly Cushion (with Spring Aqua Marine Stripe back cover) Size: 43cm Height, 43cm Width Spring Heron Cushion
£46.00
£23.00
The Spring Heron Cushion is designed by Aqua By Design; beautifully hand designed waterways wildlife then printed onto velvet giving art on a maritime cushion.
Manufacturer: Aqua By Design Manufactured: Made in the UK Fabric: Velvet Front cover, Cotton back cover (in Spring Aqua Marine Stripe) Product Care: Comes with filling which can be removed, the outer fabric is machine washable Product: Spring Heron Cushion (with Spring Aqua Marine Stripe back cover) Size: 43cm Height, 43cm Width Spring Wildlife Ditzy Cushion
£46.00
The Spring Wildlife Ditzy Cushion is designed by our very own Aqua By Design; beautifully hand designed waterways wildlife then printed onto green velvet giving art on a canal cushion.
Manufacturer: Aqua By Design Manufactured: Made in the UK Fabric: Velvet Front cover, Cotton back cover (in Spring Canal Scene) Product Care: Comes with filling which can be removed, the outer fabric is machine washable Product: Spring Wildlife Ditzy Cushion (with Spring Canal Scene back cover) Size: 43cm Height, 43cm Width Spring Canal Scene Tea Towel
£12.95
The Tea Towel Spring is designed by Aqua By Design; hand designed in water colours then printed onto Cotton giving art on a Tea Towel
Manufacturer: Aqua By Design Manufactured: Made in the UK Fabric: 100% Cotton Product Care: Machine washable Product: Tea Towel Spring Size: 70cm Height, 47cm Width   The Autumn Look Book Our Inspiration The changing colours of Autumn is a great inspiration for home interiors. For our Autumn Canal Collection we looked at the falling leaves, pumpkins and then complimentary colours to make the scheme lift. The Design Process We started with the canal scene, this has been hand painted in watercolours. The fabric has included many scenes from the canals including narrowboats, canal bridges and locks. We then added some of the wildlife such as ducks, dragonflies, herons and kingfishers. Finally we add the flora of reeds, and trees. All typical of the beautiful landscapes next to our unique canal network. The Printing Process We took all these elements and arranged them in a pattern that worked for fabric. The canal scene design has been printed on cotton fabric for use as curtains or blinds. Matching fabrics include Autumn Marine Strip in satin cotton. In addition, we developed the beautiful Wildlife Ditzy in Velvet, this fabric has incorporated herons, kingfishers and dragonflies in a repeat design on a gorgeous teal background. This is a really stunning design and sure to appeal to anyone who just loves the English Countryside. Create your own Autumn Scheme As seen in the look book images, mustard yellow, navy and teal can be added to the base scheme of burnt orange. Once you have a colour pallet, just have fun mixing fabrics and accessories. We have created 3 beautifully designed fabrics that can be mixed with plain colours. You can make further accessories with our fabrics such as cushions, lavender bags, blankets, lampshades, blinds and curtains. We have some ready made products to help you get started: AuthorWritten by Jane Hudson-Oldroyd, Creative Director of Aqua by Design |
AuthorWelcome to our lookbook blog, great for waterways inspired interior themes and colour palettes by Jane @aquabydesign x Archives
October 2022
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