150 Years of Liberty: A Legacy of Creativity and Innovation
As renowned British design powerhouse Liberty celebrates its 150th year, we take a closer look at the brand referred to as “the leading tastemaker and artistic innovator of interior design”, known for its ditsy florals, botanical motifs and paisley designs. World-renowned for its historic 60,000-strong design archive, Liberty’s in-house team of archivists work tirelessly to collate the latest artworks whilst cataloguing its vast wealth of 19th and 20th century designs.
Mount Stitch in Burleigh, the iconic Regent St flagship store, Genevieve Bennett, Head of Design at Liberty Interiors
Paying homage to their rich legacy, Liberty celebrates its milestone with the launch of The House of Liberty. In this collection, the Liberty studio looked back at its past, documented in drawings and manuscripts treasured in its iconic Regent Street flagship store. Featuring classic florals and reimagined geometrics inspired by the building’s carved oak staircases, wall panelling, and stained-glass windows, each design carries a rich history and a unique story, allowing you to bring a distinctive and meaningful touch to your home.
The House of Liberty is divided into three chapters, each reflecting key periods in its evolution. The first, Arts Club (1860-1875), is all about the bohemian botanicals of Victorian maximalism. The second chapter, Town House (1875-1910), is influenced by the Aesthetic Movement and Art Nouveau period. The final chapter, Painters House (1960-1980), takes inspiration from Bernard Nevill's extensive design archive. Nevill served as Liberty’s design consultant before becoming Design Director in 1961.
Here, we explore some of the designs in detail and gain exclusive insight from Liberty’s Head of Design, Genevieve Bennett.
Etched Bloom
Dating back to the Arts Club era in the late 1870s when Liberty was provided with its first-ever printed fabrics, Etched Bloom celebrates the beginning of the design house’s journey into textiles. Discovered in the archive, the artwork has been carefully reassembled and redrawn in the studio. Inspired by Indian wood blocks with a quintessentially Liberty Art Nouveau feel, this outlined floral is extremely fluid, with bold, stylised blooms sat among swirling foliage.
Palm Parade
Discovered as a loose fabric in an 1880s Liberty pattern book, Palm Parade offers a glimpse into the early days of Liberty prints and an insight into the Town House era. Where the archival artwork was originally crafted using woodblock printing, this contemporary linen interpretation brings an exotic, Middle Eastern feel.
Regency Hera
A true heritage icon, Regency Hera has been spotted amongst Liberty designs ever since the mid-1880s, appearing woven into and printed onto furnishing textiles, fashion fabrics, and scarves. Here it is bought to the fore once more for interiors, in rich peacock hues.
Genevieve concluded our conversation by expressing her excitement about the collection's diversity and depth, saying “I am most excited about the variety and richness of this collection. We have created an incredibly versatile yet contemporary collection which works so well in unison, and also when paired with designs from our wider collections. Every time I view the collection as a whole, I spot a new combination which feels fresh and new”.
Hear more from Genevieve in our exclusive Q&A, where she talks more into what it's like working for such a prestigious brand, as well as tips on using Liberty at home.
