In 1970, when Tricia Guild was an interior designer on the hunt for the perfect textile, she decided to instead create her own. Designers of Indian hand-blocked printed textiles, which Tricia edited with her own choice of colours. Today, the brand is known for producing vivacious colours and illustrations in collections that make it easy for homeowners to mix and match prints and textures. We pick this design doyenne’s brain for tips.

What do you love about the fabric industry and your job?

The industry lacks the ficklness of, say, fashion, but it is every bit as creative and artistic. And Designers Guild is my passion – I live and breathe it and no day is quite the same.

What should we use as a guide when shopping for fabric?

For depth and a cosseting feel, I would choose a heavyweight velvet but, if you prefer light and airy spaces that feel more delicate and fresh, opt for linen. When combining colour and texture, white and neutral shades are your building blocks. They add crisp graphic detailing and airy expanse to their vivid counterparts. They also ensure the palette — which should include two or three colourful shades — is relevant and modern.

Designers Guild carries silk, faux leather, voile, taffeta as well as linen, such as the Brera Moda

Which pattern or material is never out of style?

Textured plains such as velvet, I find, are utterly versatile; they work perfectly in their own right and can also coordinate with printed fabrics.

Take us through the production process of one of your fabrics. 

Let’s use the exceptionally soft Brera Moda linen as an example. We choose yarns that are characterful but robust, techniques that retain all the gorgeous “slubbiness” made in Italy using artisanal manufacturing techniques dyed, washed with enzymes to give a vintage feel, then wet-tumbled to create bounce and liveliness.

 The Jourdain wallpaper.

Share with us one of your favourite pieces from the Spring 2018 collection ‘Giardino Segreto’.

We have such exquisite elements this season – from painterly panoramic scenes to gorgeous textured plains, all expressed in a new and useable language of colour. I adore the more structural Jourdain wallpaper design with its glamorous geometric trellising. It’s perfect for modern living.

Check out Designers Guild collections at Romanez, 9 Muthuraman Chetty, tel: 6463-9330.