Earlier this year I had the pleasure of visiting Kettle's Yard for a behind the scenes tour before the house opened to the public, to learn about the seasonal arrangements and colour palletes used throughout the house and garden.
The card designs have been inspired by the flowers arranged in the house at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge. The former home of Jim & Helen Ede, the house displays the couple's collection of modern and contemporary art alongside ceramics, plants and objects from nature in a unique domestic setting. The new card collection coincides with their new 'Handpicked' exhibition that starts this weekend.
I wanted to include the different seasons and a lovely varied colour palette, so I focused on one that is more springlike, another highlighting summer with its multicolours, and finally a card that covers all seasons - which are the dried flowers.
I met with Sabrina, a long‑standing member of the Visitor Services team and one of several staff who arrange flowers for the house and galleries. She mentioned that the flowers used are typically quite wild looking and not formal, so we focused on plants that have this more organic feel to them.
This was a dream project for me and I cannot wait to go and see the exhibition and see the cards on the shelves in the shop. (By the way, for those who have not been to Kettle's Yard before it's a real treat - not only is the museum house and exhibition space but the café and the shop are wonderful too).
These cards are available to buy in the shop at Kettle's Yard and on their website - as well as my own website. Hopefully soon they will also be available in small independent shops up and down the country.
