You don’t have to scroll very far on House of Hackney’s Instagram account to see the vision behind the luxury British interiors and lifestyle brand known for their maximalist aesthetic and iconic floral prints. Their bio reads, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know…or believe to be beautiful,” a quote by British Arts and Crafts Movement founder William Morris, whose elaborate floral-patterned wallpaper graces the walls of St. James Palace, Castle Howard, Balmoral Castle and other grand homes in Great Britain and Europe.
Small wonder that this is the ideal design house to be this season’s co-lab with the stylishly maverick brand that always embraces print, pattern and color: & Other Stories.
Some of the designs of William Morris
For this collection, the House of Hackney design duo of Javvy M. Royle and Freida Gormley took inspiration from The Bloomsbury Group, so named because this was the place in London in which they would meet up. This collective of free-thinking artists and intellectuals would set off on jaunts to the English countryside where the artists (including Roger Fry and Duncan Grant) came together under the banner of The Friday Club. They luxuriated in each other’s homes and in the great outdoors, painting not the flowers that they could observe but imagining ones that didn’t exist and painting them instead. Similarly vivid and fanciful imaginings are the House of Hackney’s print raison d’être, always distinctive and innovative.
Working on a design at House of Hackney
Just as the Bloomsbury group would gather in the Charleston Farmhouse, home of founding member Vanessa Bell, the fashion editorial for the House of Hackney x & Other Stories collection was captured in the London home of Javvy and Freida, the husband and wife team behind House of Hackney. With the Zodiac serving as inspiration, 12 stunningly eclectic images have been created, with an image assigned to each zodiac sign, and June of course is Gemini.
Click on the image to get your horoscope Detail from the House of Hackney x & Other Stories “The Maximalist Times”
The collection, primarily made out of sustainable materials such as TENCEL and organic cotton, was showcased at a launch in England. This took place in Leighton House Museum, the 19th Century former home of Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton. The once simple home is now considered a ‘private palace of art’ as stated on the museum’s website. The beautiful & Other Stories collection samples were unveiled hanging in the extraordinary golden-domed ‘Arab Hall’. With its spectacularly intricate mosaics and walls lined with beautiful Islamic tiles, this is the perfect setting to showcase the House of Hackney aesthetic.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjEhBhoA7um/
Luckily, you don’t need to go all the way to England to get your hands on these wondrously whimsical pieces, as the collection can now be found across the globe. Locally, & Other Stories is part of the glorious expansion that is Grand Avenue, so you only have to travel to The Avenues to get your hands on these designs! The only question left is which star sign are you? And with a collection as gorgeous as this, you should really find out your moon sign as well, and if one’s birthday happens to fall mid-month, is it too soon to say you’re on the cusp?
Find & Other Stories in Grand Avenue – The Avenues. Opening hours from Sunday –Wednesday are from 10am to 11pm, and from Thursday – Saturday from 10am to 12am. Visit http://www.stories.com/se/Stores for more information. Follow Instagram @andotherstories and follow the #storieskuwait #andotherstories.
