Fiona Howard

Fiona Howard in a few words

Fiona Howard, is well known for creating the classic ‘Dandelion Clocks' design for Sanderson’s which decorates numerous home furnishings products, from wallpaper to bedlinen, cushions to curtains. After thirty years her catalogue of work for many clients is well respected worldwide in the home furnishings industry.

Today Fiona is recognised for her wallpaper collection using the traditional technique of lino cutting.  Each design is sketched into a repeating pattern then carved and printed by hand. Her colour palette ranges from sweet and subtle shades suitable for a nursery through to glamorous tones for statement walls.

Where do you find inspiration?

‘My sketchbooks are full of ideas for my wallpaper collection. Surrounded by the sea and countryside, inspiration comes from many natural sources. From limestone pebbles, shells and seaweeds floating in sunlit rockpools on the beach by our house, to the summer meadows left wild by the neglect of lockdown, filled with a tapestry of wild flowers and the busy hum of insects.’

‘I try to weave stories through my wallpaper patterns, for example ‘Harbour’ is a memory of Cornish family holidays, trips to St Ives watching the commotion of a busy harbour, fishing boats, nets and the call of seagulls, with the calm backdrop of old white stone cottages nestled into the cliffs against the wind.

Can you explain how you have adapted the business as a result of the pandemic?

As we have all had to adapt to a new world working from home, there has been a renewed desire to update our interiors, even if it is just to make the backdrops to our Zoom calls more interesting. So Fiona Howard wallpapers have never been more relevant as the renewed excitement to redecorate our environments and making ‘staying in’ a luxury.