Lately Loving: Textile Artist Melissa White

When I was a kid I devoured historical fiction novels: tales of kidnapped young princesses, warring dukedoms, traveling minstrels. And always my favorite passages were the detailed descriptions of castles, keeps, and ladies' chambers with their tapestries in rich embroidered hues. So when I saw the work of textile artist Melissa White, I was smitten.

Melissa lives in Sussex and has devoted the last fifteen years to studying rare Elizabethan wall paintings in Tudor houses across Britain. Now she designs for private clients, fabric companies, and public commissions like the Shakespeare Birthplace Museum. The little girl in me, the one who always had her nose in a book, has her heart all aflutter at the sight of these gorgeous creations!

I especially love the way this style of textile and wallpaper is being mixed with modern furnishings in a lot of British design. Colorful, elaborate elements like this create such a lush backdrop when teamed with a Saarinen table or Panton S chair. Or can you see a midcentury settee reupholstered in one of Melissa's exotic fabrics? That makes the grown-up in me all aflutter indeed! 

Images: Harpers Bazaar Interiors.