Flair for Design: Liberty of London

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Liberty of London

Upon my arrival in London, everyone was busy working away, so I started out at the infamous Liberty of London. Built in 1875, Liberty is synonymous with London and design. Arthur Liberty's legacy lives on in this beautiful Tudor building full of housewares, carpets, and accessories. He was a master collector of his time travelling to find pieces that would inspire and excite his clientele.

The Tudor building is actually constructed out of the timbers of two ships. The building was designed by Edwin T. Hall and his son at the height of the 1920's Tudor fashion revival. Arthur Liberty wanted the building to feel as though you were walking through your own home. There is a center well in the building from the main floor up three flights. Each well is surrounded by smaller rooms with fireplaces and furniture where they would drape exotic rugs and quilts for sale.

These cute little drawings were hung on a wall in one well.

I also discovered this fun fabric line below. Wild prints in bright bold colors!

The back stair well in Liberty.

Liberty's popularity is never ceasing after 130 years!

Preparing for the upcoming years, they have started their own Liberty magazine.

Well-known for their trademark small scale floral prints, Liberty has branched out and produced everything from clothes, scarves, bags, plates, etc. using their popular fabric designs.