Clarissa freely acknowledges the debt she owes to the natural world: wherever she goes, she takes inspiration from plants, flowers and landscapes, a throw-back to her nomadic childhood and her half-Greek heritage. She has her trusty camera with her at all times, and never misses an opportunity to snap something that appeals to her designer's eye – however mundane it might appear to the casual observer!

Reeds, weeds, seeds: they all have their special place in Clarissa's encyclopaedia of designs! According to Clarissa: “I acknowledged last spring that working with Harlequin was one of the most rewarding collaborations of my career, so the opportunity to work with the company on a third collection, and to continue to explore and expand on the themes in Callista, is absolute nirvana for me! Once again I have been given free rein with both colour and scale, and for Lilaea I have pushed the boundaries of innovative effects and textures even further – all made possible through Harlequin's unrivalled access to such advanced printing technology.'

The mouth-watering fabrics include silk dupion prints, linen cotton mixes and diaphanous voiles, as well as upholstery-weight velvets embellished with foil. Several designs are printed on natural scoured or bleached grounds, using matt lacquer, paste white and mono‑printing. There is a mix of digital and screen prints, some enhanced with metallics and neon brights: others feature ombré or have lurex in the weave.

Lilaea includes Filix – tessellating lady ferns, pressed whilst on holiday in Grenada; Espinillo - acacia leaves found on Highbury Fields; Meadow Grass - layers of swaying Wiltshire meadow grasses; Heart Vine – originally discovered trailing through the arid deserts of South Africa, this succulent vine has sweet, heart‑shaped leaves; Kismet – inspired by the serendipitous designs that build up over the calico backing cloth on the print table in Clarissa's studio.

After hours and hours of screen‑printing by hand, botanical designs of all colours and scale overlap and layer to provide kaleidoscopic patterns, which have been recreated on this eye-catching Kismet fabric: Seriphium – organic flora mono-printed against a range of dyed, bleached or
natural grounds. Espinillo Velvet – acacia foiled leaves printed on to a sumptuous, bold upholstery‑weight velvet. Clarissa embraces colour with a fervour: she rejoices in both pared back, quietly confident neutral shades as well as self‑assured, vivacious hues. This abiding passion is reflected in Lilaea, where colour combinations include 2017's on-trend forest and emerald, as well as denim and indigo, fire and watermelon, cadmium and ochre, ocean and teal, gilver and frost, sepia, citrus and ocean, accented with fabulous pops of neon!

Clarissa Hulse Biography

Clarissa Hulse was born in Prague and has lived in a number of countries around the world, including Thailand, Spain, Italy and Greece. Undoubtedly her peripatetic childhood has had a huge influence on her uninhibited approach to both colour and design. After graduating in textiles from Brighton Art College in 1992, she moved to London to work as a freelance textile designer before starting up her own studio and establishing a successful scarf business.

This evolved into designs for home accessories, and over the last fifteen years she has built up one of the most innovative and exciting textile brands in the UK. Clarissa Hulse is a bright star in the British textile world, uncompromising in her passion to deliver the ultimate combination of colour, print and texture. Her name has become synonymous with beautiful and luxurious home accessories, wallpapers and fabrics. Clarissa confesses to having an obsession with colour, which can probably be traced right back to her childhood: “Colour is definitely the hallmark of my work. Also the beauty of nature completely fascinates me - I draw most of my inspiration from the countryside, where I walk, take photographs and collect interesting items.”

Clarissa lives in north London with her husband and two children.

-ENDS-