Tradescant & Son

Our collection of printed linen is inspired by cabinets of curiosity and the natural world, and in particular by John Tradescant, the 17th century gardener and collector, whose collection formed the beginning of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford today. The collection was developed over a two year period when we realised that our design research for Natural History was leaving us with a growing archive of unusual and extraordinary drawings and designs. Developing these into our launch collection was a long and careful process of meticulous drawing and exhaustive colour testing. The muted and sophisticated colourways that we chose to complement the richly coloured original drawings were selected to combine perfectly with the paints favoured by the interior designers we work with, so that a coherent look can be easily achieved. All of the designs are available on white linen, but a selection are also available on a rich warm cream linen and natural flax linen. We found that the designs featuring shades of blue have worked best on these base cloths, although we are happy to discuss alternatives with our clients for larger orders. Our designs are printed onto Belgian linen here in England.