Artist and colour expert Annie Sloan is releasing a new range of decoupage papers in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Inspired by the vast archive of botanical drawings from RHS’ Lindley Collections, the range includes 12 designs showcasing flora and fauna in styles from Elizabethan Knot garden plants to hand-coloured engravings.
RHS’ mission to inspire everyone to grow chimes wonderfully with Sloan’s ethos of encouraging people to transform their world with paint.
“I’m a keen gardener and have always looked to nature to inspire my interiors,” she says.
“The RHS is a beloved British charity, most well-known for its internationally famous Chelsea Flower Show. It has a world-famous library called the Lindley Collections and I was granted permission to visit and search through their vast archives of historical botanical images. It was as exciting as it sounds and the only difficulty was narrowing the collection down to 12 different decoupage papers.”
Each pack includes two large sheets of decoupage paper, incorporating colours from Annie’s Wall Paint and Chalk Paint palettes, alongside a practical guide.
“From the RHS centuries of images, I have selected the best and most beautiful for you to use at home. Our collection features botanical watercolours painted by the most famous artists from the 17th Century—bright, bold florals made by combining several images with one another, elegant illustrations of mint and 18th Century engravings of songbirds.
“The other half of the collection is more subtle; the papers showcase architectural drawing patterns for formal gardens from across Europe.”
Decoupage is the art of decorating objects and furniture with paper cut-outs until the entire surface is covered. Pictures from books and cards or patterned embossed paper were cut out and sealed with 30 to 40 layers of varnish till the ‘stuck on’ look disappeared.
Where the traditional method was extremely laborious, with Sloan’s decoupage papers it’s all done for you.
“There has been a big resurgence in the decorative, Bloomsbury-style aesthetic recently and decoupage fits into that perfectly. It’s a delightful decoration technique with so much history.
“My aim with this collection was to create a fool-proof way for everyone—beginner or expert—to bring creativity, craft and character into their homes, and transform their interiors into works of art.”
Decoupage papers were the best way to bring the beauty of the RHS Lindley Collection to the widest audience possible and to make it simple for the people who would fall in love with these images into their homes, she adds.
“As I was leafing through the books and folios containing these engravings, paintings and drawings, I knew I had to share them. The backstory behind the papers is almost as beautiful as the imagery itself and I knew I wanted to make it as simple as possible to bring all that beauty into one’s home.”
Launching in Australia in April, Sloan believes the collection will do well because Australians love design.
“Some of my coolest stockists are based in Australia. You aren’t afraid of colour or character and it shows in your beautiful homes. I spent the first 11 years of my life in Australia and I believe it had a huge effect on my love of interiors, art and design.
“I can’t wait to see how you use the standout pieces like Floribunda. Make sure to tag #anniesloanwithRHS if you do use the papers so we can find your work.”
