The British fashion designer, famous for his colourful, witty clothing for men and women, launches a new interiors collection
‘How you choose to decorate your home is as personal to any individual as what you choose to wear.’ So says pre-eminent British designer Paul Smith, who this month releases both his inaugural homeware collection and a complementary fragrance collection. Legendary fashionista though he is, Smith’s skill as a designer has often extended beyond the sartorial. His company has previously produced upholstered furniture and interior accessories through its collaborations with partners such as De Padova, The Rug Company, and Carl Hansen & Søn. Furthermore, long essential to the Paul Smith brand are the architectural novelties and inspired interiors that constitute its shops. From feline figurines clawing at products on display to the mosaic of 26,000 dominoes inside the global flagship in Mayfair, Paul Smith shops are renowned for the quirky furnishings and objects within.
Hence the label is well at home in its timely expansion into interior living. Since social distancing meant more time spent indoors, many have realised the profound importance of domestic comfort and charm. Paul Smith is now providing the opportunity to enhance both of these with its Signature Stripe. Classic renderings and reinterpretations of the Stripe adorn the new homeware collection’s range of cushions, towels and blankets, as do rich colour combinations. This homeware will bring personality and brightness to any space. ‘With my new collection of pieces for the home I’ve tried to design items that bring some colour and joy, inspire you and never fail to put a smile on your face,’ says Smith.
Paul Smith ‘Signature Stripe’ Cushion, £225.00
As you would expect, the designer has applied the excellent craftsmanship for which he is known to every item in the collection, using luxurious materials – two of the three blankets in the collection, for instance, are crafted from a mixture of wool and cashmere yarns.
Complementing the cushions, towels and blankets is Paul Smith Home Fragrance, a collection of candles and diffusers that launches into stores and online this month, too. Among carefully chosen ingredients are fine natural oils sourced from Laboratoire Monique Remy, an historic supplier of the world’s most venerated perfume brands. Expert perfumers Céline Barel and Meabh Mc Curtin have crafted all four scents to evoke settings and phenomena of which Smith keeps fond memories. “Early Bird”, for instance, recalls the Mayfair flagship store’s cast iron façade and the iron railings throughout London. Its blend of Indonesian patchouli oil, iris and rain accord conjures petrichor-permeated morning air. Meanwhile, inspired by the designer’s summer holidays, the scent “Daydreamer” evokes herb gardens and cycling through sunlit fields during the golden hour. These are perfumes one may treasure as much as Smith cherishes the remembrances which inspired them. For what they all, in essence, evoke is the sublime power of nature, to experience Proustian-like moments.
Botanist diffuser, £95, Botanist 240g candle, £65 and 1000g candle, £225. All Paul Smith
Given the nature (pun intended) of their contents, then, it’s fitting that the vessels of the candles and diffusers have indefinite service lives in accordance with Paul Smith’s commitment to sustainable, environmentally friendly commerce. Constructed from complementary coloured glass, after their original use, they can serve as decorative jars and vases respectively. Smith explains, ‘I really enjoy the combination of colour and light in the containers and I hope that they will become keepsakes in their own right.’
