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Artist Name

Beatrice Larkin

Born: 1987

Hometown: Canterbury

Based in: London

Founded in London by designer Beatrice Larkin, the studio specialises in modern woven textiles, accessories and interior products. Not driven by seasonal trends, Beatrice’s distinctive, softened geometric fabrics have a timeless quality that are designed to be enjoyed and appreciated all year round.

The design process begins in Bea’s East London studio with her drawings taking inspiration from traditional weave structures, grids and graphs, West African textiles, The Bauhaus and Brutalist architecture. She then turns these sketches into jacquard weaves, playing with scale and repeat, focussing on the structure and design of cloth in equal measure.

All production takes place in England and Beatrice works with well-respected, highly skilled manufacturers who understand the care and attention needed for the high end textile market. The fabrics are woven in small runs at a jacquard mill in Lancashire and then washed and finished in the Yorkshire Dales. They are then sent to London to be made into throws and cushions, labelled and packaged, every step carefully considered.

The Italian spun merino wool used in Beatrice’s fabrics is more commonly used in the fashion industry for high end knitwear. Called the ‘Rolls Royce of merino’, the fine, soft fibres of the merino sheep give a beautifully soft and luxurious handle.

Bea comes from a family in the textile industry; her father, an interiors consultant and her mother, a textile designer. She was lucky to grow up surrounded by beautiful fabrics. This led her to study weave at Chelsea College of Art and Design, followed by a masters at the Royal College of Art. At Bea's graduation show in 2013 her woven fabrics were spotted by a buyer from Heals. It took a few years to source the right yarn and manufacturers but in Spring 2016 she launched her first collection which has now been stocked in Daylesford Organic, Heals, Folk Clothing, Kent and London and Tate Modern.

 



Beatrice Larkin In The Studio

Beatrice designs in her London studio then works with a mill in Lancashire to jacquard weave her designs into luxuriously soft merino fabrics.

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More About Beatrice Larkin

Question IconWhat inspires you?

I find inspiration in all sorts of places but it often comes from lines, patterns, shadows. Bold lines of Brutalist architecture, Bauhaus design, West African mudcloth patterns. Geometric patterns with a human touch. The hand versus the machine.

Question IconDescribe your creative process.

I build mood boards, gathered inspiration then get my inks out. I like drawing on calico. I'll often make a series of marks, patterns and start to consider how they might look in repeat on a throw or a cushion. I'm always thinking of the end use, early on. Once I have a collection of patterns and marks I will scan them into my computer and start manipulating them changing scales and putting into repeat. I will also be thinking about the weave structures and colour combinations I want to use.

Question IconWhat are 3 words that best describe your work?

hand drawn wovens

Question IconWho are some artists that have influenced your work?

Anni Albers, Gunta Stolzl, Joseph Albers, Paul Klee, Agnes Martin, Peggy Angus, Brent Wadden

Question IconWhat is the most important tool when creating your work?

The Jacquard loom

Question IconWhat is the best piece of advice you have been given?

Trust your gut

Question IconWhere do you go for inspiration?

The Barbican


Collections Featuring Beatrice Larkin

2 Collections

Return to Work 2023

Return to Work 2023

31 Artists, 39 Products

Last updated: October 3, 2022

Nifty Needlework

Nifty Needlework

7 Artists, 28 Products

Last updated: June 10, 2021


Credentials

Education

Royal College of Art

United Kingdom, 2013

Awards

Jill Humphrey Cockpit Art Springboard Award

2016

Cockpit Art Clothworkers Award

2014

Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Award

2013

The Worshipful Company of Weavers Award

2013

The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers award

2012

Exhibitions

New York Now

United States of America, 2020

Decorex

United Kingdom, 2019

100% Design

United Kingdom, 2019

London Design Fair

United Kingdom, 2018

Design Junction

United Kingdom, 2017

Clerkenwell Design Week

United Kingdom, 2017

Pulse

United Kingdom, 2016

Press

Homes and Gardens

2017

House and Garden Magazine

2016

Country Living Modern Rustic

2016

Elle Decoration

2015

Fiera Magazine No 1

2015

Living Etc

2014

Angel Resident

2014

House and Garden Magazine

2014