First look: clay meets paper and textiles in Henry Holland's new collection for Harlequin

You’d be forgiven for thinking that ceramics have little in common with wallpaper and textiles. However there’s a shared alchemy at play in the processes that bring these practices to life. They all deal with organic matter – earth, wood pulp, fibres – each material undergoes a process of transformation via mind, hand and machine, to produce the layers and objects that soften the edges of our interior lives and worlds. We are living in times of experimental creative commingling, on a quest to discover what we might learn from introducing the skills and insights of people with different sectoral and cultural experiences into traditionally siloed practices. And the results can be surprising, innovative and joyful, as ceramicist Henry Holland’s range of wallpaper and textile collections for Harlequin (launching 6 August) bears testament.

Holland closed his riotous and irreverent London-based fashion label House of Holland in 2020. He hung up his scissors and turned his attention to clay, subsequently and quickly forging a cult following for his ceramics practice at Henry Holland Studio, based in Hackney. It was during the pandemic, with his local pottery studio shuttered, that Holland began experimenting with the Japanese technique of Nerikomi – folding and slicing clay, which is then built by hand into objects that take on a distinct marbling effect. Holland’s Nerikomi-inspired signature has in turn translated into a textural motif that lends itself with beauty and intrigue to the papers and textiles in his Harlequin collaboration.

Beyond the more explicit derivation, Holland’s Harlequin ranges are a masterclass in mood texture and mood. Harlequin is a Sanderson house that celebrates colour and pattern with a contemporary zing, and Holland has both softened and augmented these tenets in various techniques. There is a richness here for the eyes and hands, thanks to a playful approach to combining printing and weaving techniques within a distinctly earthy, tonal palette. The results are evocative and accessible, expressive without being overbearing. They cater for and reflect the current penchant for patterned interiors that feel crafted and integrated, neither superficial nor superimposed. We’ve come to think of this as a Millennial x Bloomsbury revival.

The papers and textiles are on sale from today, and their beauty speaks for itself. That said, we wanted to find out more about Holland’s involvement, so we put a few questions to him, which he gamely answers below...

Henry Holland on the making of his collection for Harlequin

W*: Swapping clay for wallpaper and textiles must have been an interesting challenge – how has your process as a potter informed your design process here?

Henry Holland: Working on the wallpaper and textile collection with Harlequin was a fascinating departure from working in clay as we had so many more options available. While our ceramics are really tactile and have a texture of their own, it's still very uniform across our portfolio and the pattern is all created below the glaze.

W*: Did your fashion industry background help with the process of textile manufacture?

HH: For this collection I drew from my background in fashion, especially when working with the textiles, but also a lot of the wall coverings have a fabric texture created using an embossing technique. I had some knowledge from my years working with fabric mills, creating my own custom cloths, but this collection presented a whole new challenge, working into two categories for both upholstery and drapery, which meant learning the qualities that the different collections needed to encompass – not to mention learning about the all-important fabric rub count for upholstery. I was really engaged and fascinated by the whole process and when it came to working with the wallpapers, the team at Harlequin were able to guide me through and execute my ideas of adding textures through different printing and embossing techniques.

W*: How do you describe the different moods of the collections?

HH: The colour palette is intentionally really tight within the collection, which allows it to be used in myriad combinations. We used really neutral bases of oatmeal and off-white – never stark white – with a ‘Chocolate Black’ brown – never the stark coldness of a true black. I think this creates a very calming mood throughout the collection and the tactility of the texture within it – both for the walls and the fabrics – creates a cocooning feeling of sanctuary when they’re used in the home. I've recently renovated my own house using a lot of the collection and it has really created a much-needed safe sense of calm for me and my husband.

W*: What is your most significant discovery or learning from the collaboration?

HH: The constant learning is the best thing about my job, whether it's learning about new printing and embossing techniques for the wallpapers, or different weaving techniques like crewel, appliqué and boucle for the fabrics. I'm self-taught in everything I've ever done, which definitely has its drawbacks, but one of the positives is that with every new project comes a process of learning and discovery and I love that – it's what gets me going!

Harelquin.sandersongroupdesign.com