Made in Britain: A Love Letter to Exceptional Craft
At lumen & line, we are endlessly inspired by the creative talent thriving right here in the UK. We proudly celebrate the extraordinary craftmanship being shaped on our shores — from illustrators and textile artists paying homage to traditional printing methods to meticulous furniture and product design. British design is truly flourishing . There’s something deeply meaningful about knowing a piece has passed through the hands - and hearts - of local artisans. It speaks to the spirit, ingenuity and quiet magic of these Isles.
This is the first of our series of love letters to the makers who blend craft, conscience and character in everything they create. In this edition, we spotlight the textile and wallpaper designers we believe you should know — and fall a little bit in love with.
1. Fanny Shorter - illustrator and textile designer, based in Wiltshire
Fanny Shorter is a storyteller, bringing memories of her childhood home and the essence of iconic and quintessentially British illustration, print and textile makers into her designs - think the mastery of Sanderson, William Morris, Laura Ashley. Her work is bursting with personality and playfulness, with the power the embed energy within a space through bold and indulgent colour, form and detail. We admire Fanny Shorter’s determination to retain traditional printing methods for her fabric and wallpaper collections, with the majority of her work printed in Leicestershire. Our personal favourites? The Mill Oak Wallpaper in Common Blue and Birds and Beasts Wallpaper in Sand - both of which would bring a punchy, playful sophistication to any space, and we can’t get over the Mill Oak Ruffle Cushion in that brilliantly bold Rhubarb / Red.
Pictured below (from left to right): Mill Oak Wallpaper, via Turner Pocock, and Fabric Collection, Birds and Beasts Wallpaper and Mill Oak Ruffle Cushion, via Fanny Shorter
2. Anna-Lisa Smith - textile designer, based in West Yorkshire
Anna-Lisa Smith is a small textile studio based in Marsden, West Yorkshire - an area deeply influential to the British wool weaving industry. Drawing inspiration from the Bauhaus and Modernist movements, the studio’s woven textiles are quietly luxurious, made from superfine, locally dyed and woven merino wool and featuring subtle textures, architectural lines and bold hues. We love the Flora Blanket in Cobble, Navy, Smoke and White and its effortless evocation of the natural beauty of the Pennines. The Modblock collection is another favourite - inspired by the Bauhaus artist Joseph Albers, a pioneer in colour theory and a master of modern art. The subtle geometric prints of the reversible Modblock Blanket in White, Grey, Graphite have certainly captured our attention. Textiles are woven in local weaving mills, then transferred for finishing in Huddersfield and West Yorkshire.
Pictured below (from left to right): Flora Blanket, Modblock Blanket, Steps Blanket, Selection of Blankets, via Anna-Lisa Smith
3. Eleanor Pritchard - textile designer, based in London
Eleanor Pritchard’s woven textiles sing of the stories of the places which inspired their composition and hues. The results are truly sensational. She writes of being profoundly moved by the words of poet John Clare ‘…I found the poems in the fields and only wrote them down…’ (1793-1864). Her collections are deeply personal, and in her own words grounded in ‘place, history, vernacular architecture and the timeless rhythm of walking through an agricultural landscape.’ Each of her textile designs is a response to a specific place - an identifiable and memorable point on OS landranger maps, with accompanying journal posts to tell the story of each design. This reminds us of the placemaking embedded within Australian aboriginal art and you know we love a story… so you can imagine our salivation. All of Eleanor’s fabrics are developed and sampled on the loom in her London studio, and woven in Britain. Her homage to heritage craftsmanship is to be admired. We are a little obsessed with the chalky hues of the Finchingfield Blanket, designed with the muse of a North Essex village of the same name and heralded as the most beautiful village of England’. The reversible Tuulevurr is another favourite, named after the Estonian word for windmill to echo its rhythmic movement and featuring an ‘age-old palette’ of warm neutral / indigo hues. We also have a soft spot for the gorgeous Suffolk medieval church-inspired Blythburgh Blanket and the Coggeshall Blanket whose story stems from the early Saxon Essex town listed in the Doomesday book of 1086 as Cogheshala.
Pictured below (from left to right): Finchingfield, Tuulevurr, Blythburgh and Coggeshall blankets, via Eleanor Pritchard
4. Charlotte Gaisford - textile and wallpaper designer, based in Northumberland
We wouldn’t be able to post our first spotlight on British based designers without including prominent fabric and wallpaper designer, Charlotte Gaisford. Drawn from many eras and styles, Charlotte’s work is endlessly enchanting through its modern energetic, yet also conversely traditional hues and designs. The details are exquisite, with carefully juxtaposed textures, materials and prints that evoke confidence and a charming playfulness. She encourages clients to play boldly and bravely with design, offering mood boards with complimentary prints such as this one for the Alice Green Wallpaper which features some of our favourites. We love Charlotte’s sustainable approach to manufacturing - using 100% natural materials, holding no stock and printing to fulfil orders from her home in rural Northumberland. If we had to play favourites, Red Beach, Betty Red, Flamingo and London Birds deserve a mention. However, with a range comprising 158 fabrics and 30 wallpapers, we are in awe of the wizardry of Charlotte’s entire portfolio.
Pictured below (from left to right): Bedroom with fabric and wallpaper combination, London Birds wallpaper, Shepherd’s Hut with fabric and wallpaper combination, Flamingo wallpaper, via Charlotte Gaisford
5. Kate Hawkins - fine artist and wallpaper designer, based in London
Kate Hawkins is the Creative Director of Common Room which seeks to bridge the worlds of art and interiors. Inspired by William Morris, Kate sees art as a playful and exciting space where disciplines, mediums and materials interact and overlap. Kate and the many artists featured by Common Room are connected by a shared belief that art should be accessible, brightening up the lives of the many rather than reserved for the few. Deeply rooted in sustainable practices, all products are designed and produced within the UK and a tree is planted for each roll of wallpaper. Kate’s work is underpinned by stories - she even writes a Manifesto for Mochaware, where she tells a tale of this utilitarian pocket of Staffordshire’s design history and how it served to influence her collection of the same name. Alluding to the power of craft and its linkages to the human spirit, she writes that there are lessons to be learnt from mochaware - celebrating difference, embracing contrast, respecting natural materials and having faith in the creative process: ‘To create is to make something that’s never existed before. This takes a certain sort of belief. Mochaware teaches us to have faith.’
Pictured below (from left to right): Best Buds wallpaper, Mochaware, Lucky Leaf wallpaper, Binding Us (oil on fabric), via Kate Hawkins
British designers continue to inspire us at lumen & line, not just for their aesthetic brilliance, but for the depth of story, place and spirit woven into their work. From heritage weaving to playful pattern-making inspired by the masters, these makers remind us that every piece we choose for our homes can carry meaning—and that storytelling through design isn’t just possible, it’s powerful.
We can’t wait to share our next feature edit, continuing to curate the very best of British design to help you shape a home that speaks your language and tells your story, beautifully.
Thanks for reading,
V x