Celebrating 25 Years of Vanessa Arbuthnott Fabrics: Rooted in Family
This year, we are delighted to be celebrating an incredible 25 years in business! From Vanessa’s humble beginnings creating her first designs on her kitchen table in the Cotswolds, to our exciting new move into the US fabric scene, our journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.
So, join us as we reflect on our past, revel in the present, and look forward to our exciting future ahead…
The story behind Vanessa’s first fabric designs
“I didn’t set out to be ambitious, you know. I just found something I loved doing and followed my heart” – Vanessa Arbuthnott, The Telegraph.
Who would have thought that a simple need for curtains would spark the start of a new business venture? As a trained nurse and mother of four, Vanessa never planned to start a business – but she was on a budget and needed some new curtains, so began designing fabrics from her home in the Cotswolds. She printed her first designs on an old table tennis table, inspired by the beauty of nature just outside her window.
Vanessa wasn’t originally ambitious but she hoped she had something people would like – and before she knew it, she was receiving some exciting word-of-mouth commissions!
The turning point came when Country Living Magazine featured Vanessa’s home, The Tallet, in an exciting 8-page spread back in 2000. As more and more orders rolled in, it was clear that the business had outgrown her charming Cotswold home. There were simply too many fabric samples hiding under the beds and customers traipsing through the kitchen! She packed up and moved to a dedicated showroom and shop in Cirencester on Ashcroft Road, which gave the business plenty of space to grow and allowed her creativity to thrive without taking over family life.
A thriving brand built on a passion for pattern
25 years since Vanessa began, our brand has blossomed into a household name in British interior design. What started as a humble kitchen-table hobby has now grown into a flourishing design house, and many UK households now have a piece of Vanessa’s nature-inspired fabrics in their homes.
Sure, there’s been a few bumps along the road – but through it all, we’ve remained a true family business at heart. From day one, family has been woven into the very fabric of what we do, and this connection has kept us grounded as we’ve blossomed into the brand we are today.
Vanessa’s family members have helped bring some of her bestselling designs to life: her daughter Rose helped her design the popular Wild and Free and Dotty Check patterns, her other daughter Flora brought her creative eye to In Full Flight and Bird Hop, and her husband Nicholas contributed to By the Sea.
There are various other people who have been instrumental to the brand’s success, including:
- Sally Denning – As our long-standing stylist and friend, Sally first joined Vanessa 15 years ago, and has helped to craft the brand’s distinct visual identity
- Mark Scott – A talented photographer and good friend of Vanessa’s, who has been behind the lens and captured the warmth and beauty of our brand for 18 years
- Hayley Brennan – The heart of our Cirencester shop and made to measure operations for over 15 years
- Nicholas Arbuthnott – Vanessa’s husband is the steady compass of the business, helping with long term planning, finance, and business strategy
- Dave Topping – Our exceptional accountant who has stood beside Vanessa and Nicholas since the very beginning
- Tracey Seville – Our trusted bookkeeper since our move to Cirencester, whose insight and support has been invaluable over the years
So, what’s next for our wonderful team?
Exciting new adventures on the horizon
As we look to the future, the energy here at Vanessa Arbuthnott HQ is buzzing! With younger members of the family now stepping in, and a dedicated digital agency onboard to help us grow, we’re more excited than ever for what lies ahead. Vanessa’s role has evolved and she’s now the face of the brand, appearing on camera and sharing her world with a whole new generation of design lovers.
We’re now branching out overseas, too. We were recently approached by US interior media company Homeworthy for an exciting collaboration, who featured The Tallet in a beautiful home video tour. The home tour was so well received that we’re now developing a new US marketing strategy to help bring Vanessa’s fabrics into homes across the Atlantic.
Vanessa’s passion for drawing and designing is as strong as ever, and she’s really excited to begin creating fresh collections that will continue to delight and inspire homeowners across the UK and beyond. Watch this space!
We sell fabrics exclusively designed by Vanessa Arbuthnott, along side small, bespoke collection of Made to Measure items which includes curtains, blinds, sofas, footstools, chairs, headboards, and quilts, all handmade specially for you by master crafts people.
