Vanessa Arbuthnott

I initially trained as a nurse and a teacher before marrying Nicholas, an architect, and having four children. Together we converted a cow byre in the Cotswolds. Since we couldn't afford curtains, I had to create my own fabrics. I found screen printing and block printing liberating and enriching and to my surprise, friends started using the designs in their own homes. My enthusiasm for designing fabric burns stronger than ever and I just hope that people continue to humour and fund my passion! For the first few months I worked after my four children were tucked up and before they came down in the morning, cutting all the samples with pinking shears and rolling out the first orders on a table tennis table!

The Cotswold countryside is the setting for my life and it hugely influences the look of my fabrics. The developing fashion in interior design is towards simple patterns which reflect a basic and rustic way of living and I have been very fortunate that this mirrors my life and, thus, my designs. Our Collections include: Wild Garden, Forest, Botanical, Orchard, Velvet, Artists', Artisan, Birds and Beasts, Bohemian, Hand Printed, Meadow, Sky, Wildflower, Scandinavian, Swedish, Plain Linen Unions, Earth, Woodland and Cockerel. The collections complement each other by sharing colours and include useful co-ordinates such as checks, stripes, spots, and floral prints. I have really enjoyed working with a small family run mill in Solva, Wales to produce some beautiful rugs and stair runners made from 100% British wool… they are the last mill in Wales to weave rugs!

I only buy certified organic cotton which is combined with eco-friendly flax, to create our unique linen union which I use for all our fabrics - printed and plains. This is because non organic cotton is the world’s dirtiest crop to grow, because it relies on the heavy use of pesticides which are hazardous to human and animal health. Pesticide use has serious adverse effects on biodiversity and contaminates local water supplies. The World Health Organisation reports three million pesticide poisonings per year in developing countries, where almost all cotton is produced. Symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning include vomiting, skin rashes, headaches, tremors, respiratory problems, muscle cramps, blurred vision, and lack of co-ordination, seizures and death. By buying organic cotton you increase demand and help more farmers to be taken out of the debt cycle and have a better quality of life. In my office we are trying hard to do all we can to reduce our impact on the environment: our heat comes from an air to air source heat pumps and our sample room and warehouse are highly insulated using sheep’s wool.

We use recycled paper and biodegradable cardboard. All our waste card and paper is shredded and used as bedding for our ducks and chickens, which in turn makes compost for the vegetable patch!