Katharine Pole

Katherine Pole specialises in French antique textiles. "As a child, my family moved from New York City to northern Nigeria where my father had a post at the university. At dusk, the Tuaregs, known as the blue men because of their indigo-dyed robes and turbans, would come with their horses to guard the compound and drink mint tea. And so began my fascination for indigo textiles and the qualities that they have. As a student of textile design at the Central School of Art and Design in London, I spent hours at the V&A museum textile archives, and then started designing prints for fashion companies and set up my own textile printing studio. While raising three children, I started buying and selling French antique textiles, discovering how much joy they can bring to a room and how wonderful they are to live with. I travel regularly to France to source 18th and 19th Century indigo textiles, Provençal quilts, Indiennes, French farmers' indigo smocks and workwear, rustic linens and glorious toiles. These wonderful textiles give depth to a room and delight the eye while reflecting the passage of life and time and I love to use them in the cushions that I design".