Textintel Sharon Crowson The Design Archives podcast interview February 2021
In February 2021 Sharon Crowson our Managing Director, was interviewed by Debbie McKeegan from Texintel and they discussed The Design Archives, The Crowson Archive and more. Watch the full podcast HERE.
Texintel:
“Welcome and thank you for tuning in – today we have the pleasure of talking with Sharon Crowson, founder of the Design Archives, who’s beautiful printed fabrics adorn luxury interiors worldwide.
With a lifetime’s experience, Sharon discusses design, print and what it takes to succeed in the Furnishings Industry… In our fast paced world we increasingly need online digital access to our textile design resources – Sharon Crowson and her team have achieved just that and alongside her own international designer brand “The Design Archives” which retails fabrics worldwide – she is also the custodian of the Crowson archive which holds many historic treasured documents and vintage designs which are now available for licensing.
We talk about:
Digitising the design process – how has this been implemented, what’s the scale of the project and how does it change design sourcing? What services do customers now need and how is the Design Archive utilised?
Exploring the Opportunities – What are the benefits and new market/product opportunities? How does digital technology unlock creativity and the future of Design on Demand?
The Supply Chain – and for anybody that’s new to the industry Sharon shares her advice to all creatives or young brands just starting out in the Textile Industry?”
Fine & Country Collection Magazine Autumn 2025
Classic Country
In their Autumn 2025 edition of Collection magazine, Fine & Country invites readers to “Embrace the contemporary country look with a colourful layered style, incorporating hand blocked and screen printed textured wallpapers, punchy floral textiles inspired by the beauty of the British countryside and sustainable eco friendly paints to bring the classic country house aesthetic bang up to date.”
We’re delighted that The Design Archives is featured alongside Bloomfield Ink, Lewis & Wood, Beki Bright, and other notable brands as a go-to name for achieving a refined, contemporary country interior. Thank you, Fine & Country!
The Design Archives is the brainchild of Sharon Crowson whose family business, Crowson Fabrics, established in 1978, became one of the world’s leading producers, designers and suppliers of home furnishings. Sharon has taken on the huge archive of designs curated by her father and is creating a series of collections bringing to life some of the archive’s most beautiful designs. High quality drape and upholstery fabrics, and wallpapers, developed and produced in the UK
Bath Life Issue 535 Mid September
The Design Archives has been featured in Bath Life mid September issue. In a piece called Reimaginging The Classics, Sarah Moolla writes a really interesting article about ‘How to tell the story of your home’s past, while incorporating the present’. “Don’t be afraid of maximalist patterns in traditional settings”, says interior designer Clair Strong. “Maximalist patterns — damask, chintz, bold florals — can be stunning in both historic and contemporary homes. I particularly enjoy introducing them into small, transitional rooms like cloakrooms, where the scale and intensity feel jewel-like rather than overwhelming. Design houses such as The Design Archives are wonderful for modern takes on classic fabrics.” Thank you so much for thinking of us Clair! & thank you Sarah Moolla Editor of Bath Life.
In this pretty countryside setting, fabrics from the Archive 1 collection are making a statement. On the wood frame sofa bold and bright The Design Archives Grand Floral Vermillion cotton satin fabric with cushions in Grand Floral and Milano stripe Vermillion, gorgeous Tree of Life Turquoise linen complements the look draped behind.
The English Home, June 2025
Floral Flair
The English Home magazine writes about the Spring Garden Wallpaper Collection in June 2025 magazine, ‘Inspired by rambling anemones blooming in an English country garden, this Perryvale wallpaper is one of five prints recently launched by The Design Archives. Each of the new botanical wallpapers can be effortlessly co-ordinated with the brand’s Spring Garden fabrics to layer florals and stripes together and create an exuberant, romantic scheme.’
Perryvale wallpaper, Mist, £185 a roll, The Design Archives
Floral Flair
Visit Taste of Design, April 2025
Taste of Design writes…
The Design Archives launches new Spring Garden wallpaper collection at Taste of Design
Featured wallpaper is the Heidi – A sophisticated trailing hydrangea design taken from an archival document this perennial garden favourite is an instant classic.
See the full article HERE
The Insider, March 2025
Fabric & Wallpaper Collections S/S 2025, The Insider
Espeth Pridham writer of The Insider online magazine, includes Perryvale Mist and the Spring Garden Wallpaper Collection in her new collections round up for Spring Summer 2025. She writes, “Unashamedly romantic, the Spring Garden wallpaper collection from The Design Archives is inspired and influenced by the blossoms and blooms of an English country garden. The wallpaper’s are designed to coordinate with the company’s Spring Garden fabric collection. Colourways include Delft blue, rose, gold and coral.”
Thank you Elspeth! You can find the full article HERE.
Period Living September 2024
It was a wonderful to find The Design Archives’ Ludhiana Jade in the Fabric Focus section of Period Living magazine’s September edition. Kerryn Harper Cuss investigates the ‘Paisley’ motif from historical times to the modern day. A fascinating 5 page article with information about the origins of the paisley motif which first appeared in artefacts ranging from the Iron Age Celtic to 9th century Afghan. Incredible! The paisley motif as we know it came from Kashmir in the form of exquisite hand loom shawls in the 18th and 19th centuries. The history of paisley is rich, and the motif continues to be used in fashion and interiors today.
As well as the elegant Ludhiana print on 100% fine wool from The Design Archives, you can find paisley motifs in different styles and colours at other interior brands such as Blithfield, Colefax and Fowler and Zoffany. The Ludhiana print is available in four colourways Jade, Chilli, Denim and Caramel. Click HERE to find out more.
Paisley by Name
Estila Fabric & Wallcovering Source Book for Interior Designers
We are thrilled to be included in the Estila Fabric & Wallcovering Source Book for Interior Designers. The book showcases 20 of the most exciting and unique brands in the UK and we are very proud and honoured to be a part of the 2024 edition. The Estila team have curated the book beautifully to offer a variety of styles and materials, with other brands including Erica Wakerly, Josephine Munsey, Pipet Design, Newton Paisley, Sophie Cooney. There is a wide range of British designers to discover and it is not just fabric and wallpaper, there are cushions and floor runners too.
There are 4 pages dedicated to The Design Archives with images featuring Tree of Life Antique Rose wallpaper, Garden Floral Vermillion cotton fabric, Shala, Samarkand and Spring Garden collections.
Visit Estila.co to find out more.
London Life April 2024
‘Spring the Outside In’ London Life
Floral fabrics from The Design Archives’ colourful Spring Garden Collection is the perfect way to bring the charm of an English country garden into the home.
The Design Archives is a Chelsea based boutique interiors brand specialising in printed textiles and wallpaper. Each stand-alone collection has a specific aesthetic and heritage, and the floral Spring Garden collection is no exception, with its beautiful reinterpretation of scale and colour of traditional floral archive designs alongside a classic co-ordinating stripe. “I like to think of this collection as my own tribute to the English country garden as it bursts into full bloom” explains Sharon Crowson, founder and creative director of The Design Archives, “it has always provided an enduring source of creative inspiration for me in terms of developing floral designs.” All of the brand’s designs are inspired by historic documents taken from the Crowson Archive, the legacy of Sharon’s distinguished textile printer and collector father Derek Crowson.This valuable collection provides her with an enviably rich source of design influences with which to breathe new life into archival designs, a skill which she has honed over several years. The palette of the three floral designs – Chloe (sprigs of English roses), Heidi (a trailing hydrangea), and Perryvale (delicate anemones) were created to convey the vibrancy of the English country garden in spring, and given evocative
colourway names such as Rose, Coral, Gold,Persimmon, and Mist, while Delft with its crisp white and azure blue, offers the promise of blue skies and spring air. “Alongside the delicacy of the floral designs we also wanted to offer a coordinating stripe, and the “deckchair inspired” Garden Stripe works seamlessly with the rest of the collection, providing an antidote to the intricate detail of the other designs” adds Sharon. Printed on cotton and linen and all made in the UK, the fabrics are suitable for soft furnishings and upholstery.
Spring the Outside In
Period Living April 2024
‘Textile Tales, Chintz Charming’ Period Living April 2024 magazine
We were thrilled to have one of our designs included in the ‘Fabric Focus’ piece written by Kerryn Harper Cuss for Period Living magazine, ‘Chintz Charming’ feature. Kerryn has written a fascinating and informative article on the history of chintz from it’s early days to modern day interpretations. Tree of Life Sky in 100% linen from our Archive 1 collection was included, see page 81 in the magazine. The Tree of Life design was developed from a beautiful 19th century archival document. You can find it in it’s original colouration in the Jewel collection – Tree of Life Antique Rose in viscose linen. Both colourways are available as wallpapers too in our Birchgrove collection.
Other brands images featured in the pages of this article shown here are Blithfield, GP & J Baker, Lewis & Wood, as well as interior designers Carlos Garcia, Octavia Dickenson and Katie Rosenfeld.
Kerryn Harper Cuss looks into the story of chintz from it’s beginnings to the present day
The Design Archives Tree of Life Sky on 100% linen, is inspired by a 19th century chintz archive document