The trips behind the patterns

The story behind the new patterns has been up on the site for a few weeks now, but I really wanted to give you even more of the back story. Here is a little post about the trips that inspired the collection.

I admit I had a case of 'second album nerves' with this collection. My first patterns 'Stitch' and 'Opbox' had been well received, I'd even had some national magazine coverage in the likes of Grand Designs and GoodHomes magazine. So it felt even more important that my follow up patterns were as strong, as bold, as 'Patternbooth' feeling, as before. So I worked really hard over last few months developing the 'Places' collection which consists of three patterns: NYC, DUB and CPH.

The patterns are all inspired by places I've visited in the last year. It seemed like fitting inspiration for the collection as it incorporates trips I've made in the first year of Patternbooth's life.

New York grid

NYC

New York of course.

I'm lucky enough to have been a couple of times before and I love the energy of the city. This pattern was originally going to be called Grid as the city is full of grids and I love them. The buildings, the vents in the pavements, the fences, all very inspiring if like me you love geometrics. This trip though was my first at Christmas time, with snow and lights and during the afternoons, the low winter sun reflected off the glass in all the tall buildings. Gorgeous.

New York

DUB

I also visited Dubai this year for the first time. I was there for a work related whirlwind of 4 days, and aside from the newness of everything I felt it had some real similarities with New York, with straight long highways and tall glass skyscrapers reflecting, in this case, a huge burning sun.

Dubai

CPH

And finally Copenhagen. Again I'd not been before and tagged it on to a quick trip to Sweden. I'll certainly be going back though, I really loved the feel of the city and even in the short time I was there found plenty of awesome design to swoon over. Walking stone covered shopping streets I came across a pattern marked onto the floor. I did't know if it signified anything from a city maintenance point of view but I liked the pattern, I've since found out that it's actually part of an information system for shoppers with a visual impairment, indicating direction of travel. A bit of playing when I got home developed it into the CPH pattern you see today.

Copenhagen

So those are the trips that inspired the stories behind the patterns you can see below. Have you ever been inspired by your travels to create something? Do share if you have.

Cara x

Couch left to right: NYC green, lemon, pale blue, DUB green, lemon

Chair: CPH green, black

Floor front to back: CPH blue, DUB reverse.

Table: NYC Washbags lemon, pale blue, orange, green.

Furniture: www.andthendesign.co.uk

Picture: Blue Octagon from www.lanebypost.com