I've always struggled with art. My partner and I have completely opposing taste, so we've never really been able to settle on something we both like. So when it comes to filling the blank spaces on our walls, I've had to get creative. The best solution I've found so far? Tapestries featuring lush and leafy verdure prints.
It feels rather disingenuous to refer to tapestries as a modern fabric trend, but they are — the 600-year-old statement textile is having its moment again. And while there's only so many you can hang on your walls (honestly, I'd say one is enough), I've found the next best thing is wrapping your furniture and furnishings in the beautiful botanical motif.
I started noticing verdure print pieces popping up in designer's work over the last few years, but when I was in Stockholm earlier this year for Design Week, I came across an upholstered sofa by Bross Design (shown in the image at the top of this article), and, apart from falling utterly in love, decided this was officially a trend with staying-power. (I mean, it's already survived 600 years.)
And the designers I spoke to agree. "I think we're all craving more age and history in our homes," suggests Julia Miller, founder of Minneapolis-based studio Yond Interiors, who wrapped a throw pillow and ottoman in leafy verdure fabric in the living room shown above. And as more of us move into modern houses with typically less architectural character than their predecessors, the traditional connotations attached to verdure print fabrics is one way to add instant old-world charm.
"It's a nice way to blend old and new," adds Shona McElroy, the principal at Australian-based Smac Studio. "Design always likes to take a fresh perspective on historical or antique motifs, and tapestries as upholstery, rugs, and pillows are a really nice way to incorporate something more traditional in a less heavy or overpowering way."
And she makes a good point. This print can be a lot, particularly when draped across a large portion of our walls, which is why this approach to the interior design trend feels more... well, approachable? "Given it is pretty iconic and recognizable, it is important that the rest of the room supports the fabrics," adds Julia, when asked about styling it. She notes that adding other vintage accessories to the space will help it "feel more at home".
For Shona, it's the perfect way to elevate and add interest to neutral room ideas. "Likewise, if you were doing a maximalist vibe, it'd be cool to throw a verdure print in, too," she adds.
Perhaps its reprisal also has something to do with our growing appreciation for biophilic design, too. What better way to seek inspiration from our outdoors than to bring illustrations and motifs of it inside?
I, personally — and I know people will fight me on this — would go so far as to call it a neutral pattern. It relates so closely to the natural world that I simply couldn't see it not sitting well in a space, just as you would never block a view to the outdoors because it clashed with your interiors.
Shop Verdure Print Decor
Price: £98
I am seriously considering buying these boxes for myself. The perfect place to store treasures and tchotchkes in my bedroom, or disguising the ugly-but-practical pieces in my living room.
Price: £40/m²
It's been a life goal of mine to paper a formal dining room in a verdant mural wallpaper ever since I saw it in interior stylist Steve Cordony's country home, and this wallpaper from Graham & Brown would do just the trick. Saved.
Price: £750
While all of Sixth the Residence's collection ooze the kind of old-world charm synonymous with verdure print — they've got a bed upholstered in the fabric, too — I just couldn't go past this pouffe. Put it anywhere in the home. It will work.
Price: £998
An upholstered mirror from Anthropologie? No, a work of art (and I guess that makes you the subject?). It's also available in a smaller size, and customers call it a "show-stopper," and a "standout."
Price: € 3,575
This is the smaller version of the sofa I saw in Stockholm, and while it's unfortunately not available outside of Europe, I couldn't resist still sharing it. (A girl's gotta dream, right?) It was designed as part of collaboration between Dusty Deco and an architectural firm, Bross, and features a beautiful botanical fabric from Lauritzon.
Price: £58 – £798
Back at Anthropologie, here's a little tip: search 'Judarn' and you'll find this stunning rug, the mirror, and boxes I've previously shared, and a few other pieces upholstered in this verdure print, including a dresser, sofa, side table, and drinks trolley.
So, after spending some time searching for furniture and decor finished in verdure print fabrics, I found myself wondering something: why is it all so expensive? Well, if you think about actual 17th and 18th century tapestries, it makes sense. Creating these intricate designs takes time. They're not printed or as easily mass-produced, and when done well, often involve labor-intensive weaving techniques and textiles like silk and wool, that are generally trickier to work with.
A good verdure print is more like an artwork than a traditional pattern. It doesn't repeat, but continuously surprises each time you notice a new detail in a whimsical landscape scene or layered botanical motif. And that's all part of its magic — it tells a story. And now, you'll (hopefully) know how to read it.
