-= Fairlyte Decorative Interiors =-

At the Fairlyte workshop we enjoy all things patterned, especially the forgotten patterns of the past. This website focuses on the Elizabethan aspect of our production, but when you have explored this site do venture onwards to our sister site Fairlyte Interiors for a glorious celebration of colour and pattern.

Below we explain the products we supply, derived from the Elizabethan designs we love to work with. You can see examples of our products on our Portfolio pages which include many of the Elizabethan designs we have researched over the years. However, we have many others catalogued, just waiting for the right project, and we are always happy to discuss designs suitable for specific settings.

Prices are on request and depend on the medium, dimensions and complexity of the chosen design. We are really very friendly so do give us a call!

Our painted cloths
Our fresco secco panels
Our wall painting

OUR PAINTED CLOTHS (top)

We paint to commission, authentic Elizabethan designs on fine 100% linen. We have collected many designs over the years, some are old favourites and others exist just as fragments waiting to be brought back to life .

Our painted cloth may be used in the following ways:

Historic Painted Cloths

These large, bespoke cloths are painted and installed by the methods used in the Tudor and Jacobean eras using dry pigments mixed with size (animal glue). Naturally these cloths are not suitable for washing and should be treated as artworks.

Wall Hanging Cloths:
Painted cloths can be hung loose by fixing from the top only using hooks, poles or a baton. This way they can drape informally or lay flat against a wall like a tapestry.

Wall Lining Cloths:
These cloths are stretched taught and nailed to batons all around the edges of the wall to create a false wall. We survey the room and adapt the chosen design to suit our clients' requirements. The cloths are then painted in our workshop and fitted by professional fabric wallers on site.

To learn more about historic painted cloths please visit the history page

Painted Cloths as Soft Furnishings

For modern living we have brought Elizabethan pattern into the 21st century by applying them to soft furnishings such as curtains, cushions and upholstery. We use modern fabric paints that are lightfast and washable and that maintain the soft handle of our fine quality linen.

Most Elizabethan designs can be painted on soft linen but we have selected five stunning designs known as Antickework to form our first collection of hanging cloths called The Anticke Collection

Please see our Portfolios for further inspiration or contact us to discuss suitable designs.

Prices start from £100 p/metre sq. for a simple black design on linen or £95 for an 18" painted cushion.

OUR FRESCO SECCO PANELS (top)

Unlike true fresco (buon fresco) this unique fresco secco process, developed over the years by Fairlyte, involves painting on a dry plaster surface which is cracked and aged to appear time-worn like a section of salvaged wall. The final piece is mounted and ready to hang or used for lining furniture and walls.

The examples in this website celebrate Elizabethan patterns but this fresco secco technique lends itself to many other wonderful styles from across the world. For examples visit our sister site Fairlyte Interiors

Prices start from £95 for a 30cm2 panel.

OUR WALL PAINTINGS (top)

The most direct way of getting pattern into a room is to paint straight onto the walls, ceiling, beams and even stone and brickwork as did the Elizabethans. For these on-site commissions we discuss the project in detail with the client so that we can propose an appropriate choice of designs.

We can cover whole walls with original schemes or focus on smaller areas such as a cartouche with an inscription above a fireplace. We use traditional materials and techniques as far as possible.

For many it is a bold move to cover an entire room with pattern as they did between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. However when you see surviving schemes in houses across the British Isles there is no denying there is both a logic and an intrinsic magic to these interiors with designs often loaded with long lost meaning and symbolism.

Prices start from £250 p/day plus expenses and materials (based on location and type of work). Free initial consultation.