THE STORY OF MY NEW GARDEN COLLECTION NAPKINS

I am so delighted to introduce a new Nicolas Fairford product that we’ve been working on for quite some time - our Garden Collection Napkins. Inspired by my love of the Cotswolds, each napkin in this set of four represents the beauty and elegance of an English Garden.

Collecting beautiful linen is something that gives me pleasure, and I’m always on the look out for special things to add to my collection. Nature is often my ultimate inspiration - when I was thinking about designing my own linen napkins I immediately thought about my love of gardens and how so many of the items that grace my dinner table are reflective of this passion.

I began to think of all the gardens I had visited in the past, and which particular elements stood out for me. From then it was very easy for me to envisage the designs for the garden collection.

This set of four napkins, for me, truly encapsulate all that is wonderful about English Country Gardens

The Topiary Tree is a symbol of elegance and persistence - it takes hard work and patience to shape a tree into this form of beauty. The Knot Garden is a work of art in nature - its shape and pattern formed by the hand, yet so natural in its environment. The Espalier is an elegant structure that compliments and softens the stone wall on which it has been shaped. And finally, the Gazebo provides structure in a garden, sitting handsomely at the end of a herbaceous border, a place to shelter from the elements.

I asked my friend, Thomas Winter, a Cotswold-based artist if he would like to work with my in bringing my rough sketches to life.

He understood my vision immediately, and his first designs were exactly what I had envisaged.

Thomas Winter working on the initial sketches for the Garden Collection

Working with talented people like Thomas is so important to us as a brand. Ultimately our product has to be the very best and that means taking the time to find the right expertise and materials.

When it came to sourcing the linen for the napkins, we partnered with Totum Project - a lifestyle brand founded by a team of creative women with the aim of cultivating environmental wellness through meaningful design.

For over a year, we have worked closely Totum Project to bring this project to life. They helped source this unique fabric which initally was ‘overproduction.’ This rich and timeless fabric had no more use because of ‘old’ production methods. Ria and Alexandra from Totum Project brought it back to life by giving it a special dye finish. It was also dyed in facilities that have a recycled water system, meaning that 80% of the dye is done with reused water. This makes this set of napkins even more special and unique.

The linen, sourced in Tuscany, is thick and robust whilst still being beautifully soft. The quality is truly exemplary and I am so proud to be able to offer it to you here on the Nicolas Fairford Shop.

For me, these linen napkins are heirloom pieces. The timeless design, and supreme quality of the linen means that they will last for generations. To think that they will be passed on and loved brings me great joy - my hope is that they will do the same for you, for many years to come!

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