An Interview with Vanessa Konig
Colour consultant, interior designer and illustrator, Vanessa Konig has many incredible achievements under her belt including creating her own design studio, Konig Designs, working with some the UK’s most influential retail suppliers and, more recently, collaborating with the team here at Gingerlily to produce the Gingerlily X Vanessa Konig collection.
This beautiful collection, which consists of an array of decorative cushions, limited-edition silk eiderdowns and luxurious silk bedding in complementary colours, features the timeless Coral Fern design. Reminiscent of the elegant heritage designs we’ve come to associate with our grandmothers, with all the trimmings of frills and ruffles completing the look, this collection draws on the old-world grandeur that has been lost to modern simplicity and clean edges.
Working with us in the role of colour consultant, Vanessa was able to help create the three beautiful colourways that feature in the collection; soft heritage blues, greens and pinks. The tones are stunning and completely capture the era the Coral Fern design reimagines, bringing the past back to life with a little contemporary inspiration.
Working with Vanessa to create these stunning designs in equally beautiful colours has been a pleasure, and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to ask her about the collection.
We chat with Vanessa in an exclusive interview to find out all about the inspiration behind the designs in the beautiful vintage-style collection, hear about her experience working with silk and the colour creation process.
Q. How have you found working with silk?
A. It has been incredibly enlightening learning about the nature of silk and especially when trialling colour and pattern combinations in the printing and dyeing processes.
Q. Did you learn anything interesting during these colour trials?
A. The brilliance and gloss of silk makes colour pop, so it’s been a wonderfully evolving process to find the best way to recreate the pattern and colours with subtlety.
Q. How did you reach your decisions for the final colours used in the Gingerlily X Vanessa Konig collection? What trends influenced you?
A. We ended up weaving the pattern as a jacquard which turned out to be the gentlest way to create the more faded grandeur, vintage style. But contrasting with brilliant jewel colours lifts them to have a more modern vibe.
Q. Would you be able to choose a personal favourite colour from the collection?
A. We had such fun trying to find the perfect pink for the plain bedding, due to the nature of silk and vibrancy of colour. I wanted to find that beautiful shade that encapsulated the pink of old Hollywood, more shell or peach in colour. I’m so happy we found it.
Q. A beautiful choice! What led you towards that colour?
A. It’s the kind of colour that makes you want to live your life from your boudoir! Calling friends, eating chocolate and reading beautiful novels.... my idea of heaven.
The Gingerlily X Vanessa Konig Collection
It has been an honour working with Vanessa Konig to create the beautiful Coral Fern collection, her expert eye and incredible colour insight has proved invaluable throughout the design process and the results speak for themselves.
Every item in this collection, from the luxuriously soft and intricately designed Coral Fern Blue Eiderdown to the Silk Bolster Cushion in Pink is an exhibition of the incredible talent of both Vanessa Konig and our own team of silk artisans at Gingerlily. The delicate frills on the Silk Round Cushion in Pink and the beautiful shine on the Rose Pink Silk Duvet Cover show the immeasurable care and attention that has gone into every element and seeing the finished products - well, it’s safe to say it was all worth it.
The 100% jacquard woven silk design, with its silk/cotton reverse, is truly stunning in its elegance and brings an air of refined grandeur to any interior. For those that are embarking on a fuller interior design makeover, this Coral Fern jacquard silk is also available to buy by the metre, allowing incorporation into grand design schemes.
Seeking to bring a little old-world elegance and silken luxury to your own bedroom? Take a look through the Gingerlily X Vanessa Konig Collection and rest in spectacular opulence.