Molly Mahon - House of Print: A modern printers take on design, colour and pattern

House of Print

Molly Mahon

Photography by Kristin Perers

My home is so important to me. Its the place where I spend much of my time, the place where my children are going to make memories, and the place where we like to unwind, relax, entertain and create. For me, its crucial that the elements of our home (the things we choose to have around us) make us feel happy. Like a fresh vase of flowers cut in the spring dew, or a newly made bed with crisp linen sheets, a hand-printed cushion or some block-printed curtains add to the joy in my home.

I can express myself using pattern and colour much more easily than I can with words. I think our homes should speak of ourselves of our experiences, desires and passions. Through the art of block print, I have found I can add personal and unique pieces to my home that do just that. From lampshades and stationery to tea towels and tableware, each element, in its own quiet way, enhances our lives and makes us smile.

This book is my love letter to block print. In it I share the inspiration behind my work and show you how to imbue your house with the joy of homespun pieces. I want this book to encourage you to clear your kitchen table, roll up your sleeves and get printing perhaps you might even become as obsessed with it as I am! Most of all, I hope it ignites your creativity and opens your eyes to the beauty of this wonderful craft.

I live nestled down a bumpy track in the midst of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. My life rolls with the constant ebb and flow of looking after my three children Lani, Algie and Orlando and running my textile and wallpaper business with my husband Rollo. Our home is the heart and anchor of all of these things.

In my early twenties I ran a successful events business while living in London and was used to busy. So when I found myself at home with my first two children (and some precious time to spare at my kitchen table), block printing became something of a passion project for me. Inspired by the bursting shelves of beautiful wooden blocks at a printing course I had attended, I became obsessed with pattern and this wonderful craft, which I could practice and enjoy at home.

Having started out by making a few simple items for my own living room, a small wallpaper order for a shepherds hut accidentally kick-started my block printing business. Soon the demand for my colourful patterned prints went beyond my family and friends, and I started to take my work to design fairs where sales of my hand-printed stationery and cushions started to grow.

Fuelled by the demand (and on a bit of a whim), I took myself to Jaipur to further my education in the craft. Blown away by the possibility and the sheer joy of the incredible craftsmanship I found there, I connected and started to work with block printers who have been passing down their artisanal skills for generations. To me they were, and still are, the real deal when it comes to pattern making.

I now run my business from a studio in Sussex where we offer fabrics, wallpapers and a growing collection of homewares from our website, our London concession, and in a number of lovely outposts around the world. For me, the business is a portal to share my love of block print and colour. In the last few years, we have grown a schedule of workshops and sessions regularly sell out. Based on the reception we have received, I know that I am not alone in my desire to bring joy, craft and colour into our homes, and I feel consistently inspired to keep at it and to share the love.

I see pattern and colour everywhere, and this visual inspiration is what forms the basis of my designs. I want to take you on a modern block printers journey and encourage and guide you to take your own.

I am often asked about my business and my design process. My work tends to spring from three main areas of inspiration. The fabulous colours and thud-thud sound of the block in Jaipur, the palettes and shapes I find in nature, and the decorative style of Vanessa Bell (a key member of the Bloomsbury Group) in her home at Charleston Farmhouse. All of these influences help to shape my creative process.

Many of us leave crafts behind at an early age, but I think creativity is an integral part of being human. Wherever I go in the world, I always seem to be able to strike up a conversation about decoration, pattern or the meaning of colour. Its a universal language that connects us all. And I firmly believe that we are all creative. For instance, we all make some kind of decorative decisions about our homes, often without even thinking about it, and its important to nurture this connection to our inner creativity. Just as we need to make time to exercise, we also need to make time to be creative it feeds and nourishes the soul.

I find working with colour particularly rejuvenating its an instant source of joy for me. One of my favourite elements of my job is choosing and printing with new colours I get very excited about it! Putting different combinations of colours together makes me feel happy and some just make my heart sing. My reaction to colour is very instinctive and I allow this instinct to shape my design decisions. I hope that once youve read this book you will make this type of choice about the colours you print with, and find a shade that makes you experience colour happiness.

In this book I celebrate some of my favourite colours to work with, my three wonderful inspirations, and the people that have committed to follow their hearts in all that they do. I hope that it makes you feel as excited about block print as I do. As a craft it can be sentimental, nostalgic and imperfect, but at any rate its full of love and passion. A block-printed piece will forever carry the imprint of the hands that created it that is its legacy.

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