It was really nice to be asked to create a design especially for my good friend Alison. We go back to our creative agency days.
Sadly her dad passed away recently and she has been clearing his house. She found some Hornsea pottery which brought back happy memories of many childhood homes. Starting in Leicester, the pottery has toured Kimpton, Hertfordshire; West Bridgeford, Nottingham; Grimsby; Liverpool; Bristol and finally ending up in the Cotswolds. She sent some snaps and asked me to create a print for her and her sister Katie.
John Clappison designed the Saffron pattern in 1970 as follow up to the popular Heirloom range. It was sold widely through Harrods, Selfridges, Debenhams and John Lewis stores.
I haven't religiously copied the design - just tried to captured the essence of it. I added the flower motif as an abstract in the background - it stuck me as almost Orla Kiely before her time.
The colours were a challenge - Hornsea of the seventies was definitely brown, yellow and orange but I wanted a slightly more cheerful combination, so with a touch of artistic licence I produced a few in brownish, greenish and mustard yellow. A splash of red seemed appropriate, Alison has always prided herself in her red kitchen accessories.
Here are the stages...
In Alison's words...
"Looking through lifetime of memories I found our beloved Hornsea Saffron range. Coffee, tea and sugar caddies. Plus a butter bowl and jug. They took me straight back to the Seventies where we were living the dream. We got them at Kimpton, Herts where my mum sang Old Time Musical and moved onto Nottingham when I was 8 years old. Here I joined the Amateur Dramatic Society and attended the Marilyn Orlando school of Dance. From there we moved to Grimsby where we stayed until I left for uni. Then they moved on to the Wirral before retiring in Bristol. Their warm hues witnessed many a kitchen scene and of course the kitchen will forever be the heart of the home.
Thank you Katie for using your considerable talent to reinvent them for me as I continue my journey through life. My enduring love of everything Orla Kiely will live on in your fabulous interpretation of the original Hornsea design. Thanks for your friendship x"
I will update with final pictures when they reach their destination.
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