Shorter days and chillier evenings are turning our attention to what lies within: cosy living spaces and warming meals eaten, informally, around the kitchen table.
When Laura and Bernard Ashley gathered around their kitchen table in Pimlico, in the early days of Laura Ashley, it was to print neck scarves, table mats and tea towels - and, in contrast to the fresh colours and feminine florals for which the company become best known, many of the early designs were bold, modernistic graphics in a monochromatic palette.
Laura loved florals even then but the fledgling company lacked the expertise and equipment needed to print such delicate, intricate designs, hence their production of block-colour screen prints.
One of the most striking examples to remain in the extensive Laura Ashley archive is a set of colour-edged placemats depicting black and white vintage cars. They are bold, uncompromising images, far more masculine than what one might expect from a Laura Ashley product.
Chintzy they most certainly aren't, but a love of vintage, and an ability to reference the past and interpret it in a way that is both modern and relevant, is something at which Laura Ashley has always excelled.
"We find anything with a nostalgia about it sells; it's always a winner," she said in the mid-1970s.
Drawing on the influence of these early car prints, the AW10 home furnishings collections includes a new printed cushion depicting a London cab.
Aptly named Taxi Time, the quirky design features a subtle shade of duck egg blue on a natural background, giving it a look that's warmer, but no less striking, than the stark monochrome of the early placemat prints.
Other cushions in the new season collection feature outline images of the London skyline, plus fantastically retro Union Jack prints.
Piled high on fabric sofas and armchairs, these cushions will help to make your living space warm, cosy and utterly inviting as the cooler weather takes hold. So much so that, on nights out, you'll be wondering how soon you can call 'Taxi Time' - after all, why stay out in the cold when you can go back to such home comforts?
-ENDS-
For more information please contact:
Laura Ashley PR Team
0207 880 5100
About Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley is one of the UK's leading retailers, with over 225 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland, plus an expanding international business offering stylish, high qual women's coats ity, great value women's clothing and home furnishings. In the last financial year Laura Ashley sales were ?268.4 million.
As a much-loved British heritage brand Laura Ashley founded in 1953 provides a source of design-led items, good-quality yet accessible fabrics, wallpaper, furniture, lighting and home accessories and women's fashion.
The company also offers an excellent level of services including an array of bespoke options for the home, including made to order upholstery in a choice of over 100 fabric options, made to measure curtains & blinds and a comprehensive Design service.
Laura Ashley has growing franchise operations all over the world, including the Far East, Australia, Scandinavia and South America, as well as increasing numbers of licensing projects for products including carpets, eyewear, scarves and bedlinen.
In addition to an increasing portfolio of store Laura Ashley also offers a mail order service and internet sales at http://www.lauraashley.com.
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