Flower Power

Light is a powerful fuel. Solar power is used increasingly in our ever-developing world and for many, one of the earliest memories in science class was learning of how plants can turn simple rays of sunshine into food for growth. From light, a single flower can blossom a full crown of petals and a rainbow of colours. The beauty of bloom has long been depicted in the arts and crafts, and holds a special resilience that continues to propel flowers through centuries of fashion, with no sign of wilting any time soon.

Karen Nicol is incredibly nuanced when it comes to using flowers in contemporary textile design. Through her work in fine art, interior design and high fashion, she maintains an eye for intricate detail and invites the fresh colours of the landscape indoors and onto her surfaces. After carefully studying each chosen flower, Nicol hand and machine-embroiders artworks, furniture and a range of garments with elegant, three-dimensional embellishments including peonies, roses and hydrangeas.

Light is hugely important to Nicol, who makes sure to fill her home and studio to the brim with it. Everything she owns is about its power to inspire and the flowers in her garden are a huge part of that. After studying at London’s Royal College of Art, Nicol now specialises in Irish, Cornelly, multi-head and hand-embroidery. When it came to exhibiting in contemporary art galleries as well as working for top designers such as Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen and Chanel, Nicol ‘just couldn't ignore the versatility and diversity of textiles,’ as she explains to Selvedge in the current issue of the magazine.

To this day, designers and artists worldwide cannot ignore the powers that flowers have over us. From pure light that falls from the sky, to the seas of colour across fields and fabrics, in flowers we see the light – a source of inspiration that will keep on burning for centuries to come.

Karen Nicol will be leading a Floral Embroidery workshop with Selvedge at the Chateau Dumas in France, next August 2018. To find our more and to book your place, click here.

To see inside Karen Nicol's inspirational London home, pick up a copy of the current issue of Selvedge, or you can order yours straight to your door here.

To browse our entire selection of subscription offers, click here.