Green-fingered King Charles III has personally laid paving stones and rooted up weeds in the gardens of Highgrove, his much-loved Gloucestershire estate. Now he has taken a similarly hands-on approach in the creation of a new collection of wallpapers and fabrics celebrating his country oasis.
‘We were really surprised by how closely the King and Queen were involved,’ says Rebecca Craig, lead designer at Sanderson, the celebrated British design house that was entrusted with the project. ‘We were given guidance as to the kind of things that His Majesty would like. We were told, for example, that he would love a fern design, or something around the Stumpery.’
The Stumpery is one of a series of interconnected gardens – affectionately known as ‘rooms’ – that have been lovingly restored and transformed by the King in the 45 years since he purchased Highgrove as a family home. The 18th-century house remains a private residence for Their Majesties, but the sustainable and organic gardens, which span an arboretum, wildflower meadow and kitchen garden, are open to the public and attract 30,000 visitors a year.
‘It is really diverse,’ explains Craig, who was given a tour of the sustainably managed grounds early in the design process. ‘Each “room” is really quite different, but they flow seamlessly from one to the other. Each tells its own story, has its own mood, even its own temperature.’
The Sanderson team was tasked with reflecting this diversity in a series of designs based on existing layouts from the brand’s 165-year-old archive. The company was well-placed: it has held a Royal Warrant for providing paints, fabrics and wallcoverings to the Royal Family for more than a century, and is a supporter of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, which champions British craft professionals.
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‘Highgrove by Sanderson’ is launched in partnership with the King’s Foundation, His Majesty’s charity that acts as custodian of Highgrove Gardens.
Specific references to the estate’s flora and fauna were added, alongside physical landmarks such as the thatched treehouse and Italianate fountains.
‘I wanted to make it feel like that fabric always looked like it does now; that we hadn’t really done anything to it,’ says Craig, who worked alongside a highly skilled team. The ornate Carpet Garden, wild and lush Stumpery and fragrant Thyme Walk – a herb-lined pathway entirely planted by the King – all feature in the final collection of 108 wallpapers, fabrics, weaves and tapestries. Craig adds: ‘It was also important for the fabrics or the wallpapers to work even for someone who didn’t know anything about the garden or the King’s Foundation; it needed to be a beautiful collection in its own right.’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Highgrove by Sanderson has proved a hit with the King and Queen. ‘Parts of the collection have already been used in some of the Royal residences,’ adds Craig, with no small amount of pride. ‘They loved it.’
This article first appeared in Spear’s Magazine Issue 96. Click here to subscribe
