Gawd, I’ve been rubbish at writing up renovation updates recently, there’s simply been too much going on. I kinda think it’s always better to have the full reveal as a tonic to all the dust and we’re definitely getting there with finished rooms now here at Moregeous Mansions – at last! Steel yourselves, there’s some fabulous stuff coming up 🙂
If you’re renovating and are anything like me, there’ll be things you see along the way and save as images on Pinterest or pin to a mood board. One image which has been with me through my house journey is this one, cut out of one of the Sunday supplements several years ago. Me & monochrome have a thing going on so these oversized florals literally made my heart flutter. No, not flutter, pound. 
I googled the company name – Ellie Cashman Design – and found a Rhode Island raised artist living and working in Amsterdam, inspired by the Dutch masters. In Ellie’s own words:
To create my large-scale floral prints, I use a combination of traditional and digital art media. What begins as a hand sketch is later imported and developed digitally for printing. From start to finsh, a design usually takes me 6 months to a year to complete.
Simultaneously, I’m studying Old Master techniques in oil painting, in order to better understand 17th century insights and approaches to light, color and contrast as a means to create a heightened sense of space depth, something that’s very important to my work and the concept behind it.
Her work envelops me, in a magical way. It’s the polar opposite of many other floral wallpapers where the repeat and the print are glaringly obvious. Ellie’s papers are big and blowsy and confident. Uncompromising. Wonderful. 
I’m leaning towards hanging one of these giant florals in my personal space, the home office, primarily as this renovation has been stressful enough and I don’t want an actual divorce. I know Mr M is utterly comfy with his own masculinity but I did feel that imposing one of these on him in the bedroom might be a step too far. It’s not that the papers are girly necessarily, they’re absolutely not, they’re too bold to be girly, but I’m most drawn to the florals which incorporate pastel pink rather than the deeply monochromatic darks.
That’s not to say it’s all over for Ellie Cashman in the Moregeous bedroom. There’s sneakiness afoot. We’ve built some storage seating in the wide bay window and the tops needs upholstering.
You see where I’m going here don’t you….
Twisting Tulips is the perfect compromise. For me this design captures the best of both worlds, floral yet graphic, detailed yet simple. Yep, I’m finally getting my Ellie Cashman fix and ordering a couple of metres of the pale colourway fabric below, in washable cotton, to upholster my seating. It’s a sensible decision too, as the sunlight flooding through the large south facing windows would fade more readily on a more colourful velvet. I seriously can’t wait for it to arrive.
Fancy having a look at some more sumptuous uses of fabrics and papers from this very clever designer? Course you do.
How about this for a stunning powder room, designed in 2014 and one of the first examples of Ellie Ashman wallpaper I admired. Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors and Emily Schuman of the blog Cupcakes and Cashmere created this beautiful space. I adore the big blowsy florals, the mix of pastels and darks and the use of brass. Nailing it.
The voiles and silks were launched at the start of 2015 and I’m as captivated by them today as I was when I first saw them. Classic design transcends trends and when your work is based on those most beautiful of subjects, flowers, they never really fade from fashion but constantly thread through it. 
Buying wallpapers and fabrics can mount up if you’ve one eye on style but the other on a full renovation budget. Adding just a touch of the glorious by way of a cushion or two is an affordable way of layering on some luxury. Unless you fall head over heels and end up buying eight. Tempting though right, when they all look like this 😉
Are you a little in lust too? Are Ellie’s designs your thing?
I’m too excited that we’re finally able to bring one of my long lusted after interior yearnings into reality. My bottom on Ellie’s tulips, it’s a dream come true!
Beautiful and stunning! 🙂