Hand marbled silk fabric by Janey Whitehorn

I have a weakness for all decorative papers, but marbled paper is a particular favourite, and I find it hard to resist any products made with these colourful, beautiful, intricate designs. So I was extremely excited to discover Whitehorn, a British textile design company who specialise in creating hand marbled silk fabrics, but using a fresh, modern colour palette to bring this traditional craft right up to date.

Janey Whitehorn, pictured above in her studio, founded her eponymous company in 2007 after studying textiles at Winchester School of Art, where she specialised in weaving and dyeing. With her especial talent for colour, Janey decided to bring a fresh, innovative approach to marbling by creating luxury fabrics for the interiors and fashion markets.

Coloured inks are dropped onto the surface of the water, and the design carefully created by manipulating the colours with a variety of tools. Silk is then laid onto the tray to capture the floating design, and very gently lifted off – a painstaking and delicate process.

After drying and finishing, the patterned silks are then used to make a range of products including lampshades, cushions, scarves, wash bags and cosmetic bags. Colour palettes and patterns display a high level of consistency, but each product is completely unique due to the complexity of this handmade process.

Lampshades are hand-dyed onto 100% Habotai silk using the marbling technique and finished with either silk, cardboard or PVC backings and a selection of trimmings. Bespoke projects are very much welcomed; sizes, styles and colourways can all be custom designed to suit any interior space.