Introducing Molly Mahon, British Textile Designer
Meet Molly Mahon, British textile designer. Molly designs and creates beautiful original fabrics, wallpapers and functional art pieces to enhance the home.
“I’m a British block printer and textile designer who blends the traditional craft of Indian block printing with a modern English aesthetic. My business began, in 2012, as a passion project, but is today a global lifestyle brand whose mission is to keep the art of block printing alive. Molly Mahon Studio is still very much a family-run business and holds traditional values to the fore. To me, there is something special about block printing that has stood the test of time. It brings the fabric alive and this is exactly what it does to our homes.”
Tell us about your design ethos?
I love that block printing has such a rich history, it truly has passed the test of time. A great deal of my enjoyment comes from giving this ancient craft a contemporary slant for today's homes. I can express myself using pattern and colour much more easily than I can with words and I apply my cheerful, uplifting designs to wallpapers and fabrics so that I can always see joy around me in my home. It’s crucial that our surroundings make us feel happy and I’m on a mission to enable others to have fun and experiment with pattern and colour in their own way.
What were the key steps to starting and growing your business?
I attended a block printing course run by a wonderful woman and was immediately smitten. I rushed home after that course to carve my own blocks and experiment. Block printing was purely a hobby to begin with before a girlfriend commissioned me to print her some wallpaper. It was this that sparked the idea of something commercial. From there, the growth of the business was all very timely with Rollo and I buying our first house - Deerhyrst - in the countryside with two children in tow. It was a passion project and provided the perfect blank canvas. What better place to experiment than at home? Deerhyrst Cottage became my muse, a cacophony of colour and pattern as I produced new colours, new designs and poured out my creative desires.
What do you wish you had known before you started?
I never really started! What I did was pursue a passion from my kitchen table which has taken me on this amazing journey thus far. Perhaps this organic growth without any prior planning has been my blessing?
What is it about making with your hands that is so rewarding?
As I quietly print away, I find the rhythm and the process of printing just takes your mind off everything else. This is called ‘flow’ - when you are completely engaged with something creatively with both your head and your hands - you can switch your mind off to other things, which is really rather good for us.
I have always loved creative activities. My mother and grandmother were artists and both had studios. It felt very natural to me to be making things with my hands but I somehow found myself following a much more academic route at school and was always disappointed that I was encouraged away from art. It took me years to find my way back to that path but I got there in the end!
You have collaborated with some brilliant brands, are there any projects that you are particularly fond of?
I really loved collaborating with Boden, we did a small capsule collection for spring using my print designs on Boden’s lovely clothes for both women and children. It turned out so beautifully and both Johnnie Boden and I felt aligned even before beginning the project. Together we merged our British sensibility and love for bold aesthetics.
Who are your typical clients?
We work with many Interior designers through the trade service we offer. We also offer a bespoke service making products to clients needs because everything we make is done in small batches, allowing us to focus on the details and create higher quality products with no waste.
We also sell to the public via our website. We cater for home decor enthusiasts looking for bright and joyful homewares. As well as fabric, loving hand-block-printed in India, and wallpapers we also stock a wide variety of homewares from cushions and lampshades to stationery and kitchen items.
For those who want to have a go at home, we sell everything needed to get started. Our kits contain eco water based paints, hand carved blocks, a stippler and something to print, including cushion covers, cards, wrapping paper, tea towels, tote bags, bunting… the list goes on. You could even have a go at printing your own lampshade or cushion…. just clear down the kitchen table and give it a go!
In addition to products, we offer a growing schedule of workshops which we hold in beautiful, inspirational places across the country - they have become ever more popular in recent years. Many of us leave crafts behind at an early age, but I think creativity is an integral part of being human and I firmly believe we are all creative.
In the USA we are thrilled to be distributed by Schumacher, one of the most prestigious design companies in America.
How did you attract your first customers?
Having started out by making a few simple items for my own sitting room, a small wallpaper order for a friend’s shepherd’s hut accidentally kick-started my block printing business. Soon the demand for my colorful patterned prints went beyond my family and friends and the light bulb moment occurred in 2014 - this creative outpouring could actually become a career!
I now run my business from a studio in Sussex with my husband Rollo, who joined me full-time 6 years ago. My three children are pretty involved too - block printing has become rather a way of life for the whole family.
What are your top 5 tips for someone starting their own business?
When I started out, I wanted it all and was terribly impatient, pushing beyond what was reasonable and achievable. Now I would say, take a deep breath, do one thing really well first and then the next.
2. Having a mentor is great. I’ve never been afraid of asking for help from people I admire along the way, such as Cath Kidston, who has been an enormous support & mentor over the years.
3. Do your research - fuelled by the early demand (and on a bit of a whim), I took myself to Jaipur to further my education in the craft of block printing. Blown away by the sheer joy of the incredible craftsmanship I found there, I connected and started to work with block printers who have been passing down their artisanal skills for generations. To me they were, and still are, the real deal when it comes to pattern making. Today my life and work feels intertwined with Jaipur - both in a commercial and creative sense - its energy has got under my skin and into my designs. My trips have been a creative awakening for me.
4. Don’t be afraid to start something new - I'm completely self taught!
5. Be bold and stay strong - most growth journeys for a business have their ups and downs, one has to ride the rough with the smooth, so buckle in and be prepared to ride the rollercoaster. The adrenaline from the ups and downs is what makes me feel switched on, challenged, wholesome and alive!
WEALTH
Describe your relationship with money and personal finance in three words?
Controlled, cautious and always a worry!
How do you define wealth?
A plentiful supply of something… be it knowledge, money or good work!
What is the best financial decision you have ever made?
To self-finance our business and always work within the realms of what we can afford. It may mean a slower growth path, but I feel in control at the end of the day.
What did you learn about finance and money when you were growing up?
I remember my Father opening a Lloyds bank account for me when I was 10 and I was given a folder with my account details and a calculator in it and a black horse head money box. This felt very grown up and started the concept of saving! Before that I had spent all my pocket money on sweets.
What is the best piece of financial advice you've ever received?
Never borrow!
What tools or systems do you use to manage and organise your personal finances?
Online banking app.
Who manages the finances in your household?
Rollo (my husband) and I share them, we have a joint account.
How often do you talk about money with your friends?
Often!
What is your most valuable possession?
My health.
Which area of finance do you wish you knew more about?
Pensions.
WELLNESS
Do you have a mentor or inspirational figure that has guided or influenced you?
I love talking to people who have had experience in business, especially in my industry. I have been lucky to meet some real gems, Cath Kidston, Johnnie Boden, Emma Bridgewater, Helen McCormack, all my British design heroes - if I get any time with them I hang on to every word!
What was your first job?
In my early twenties I ran a successful events business with a friend while living in London. It was perfect as it gave us access to interesting venues, beautiful floristry and great cuisine.
What do you do to relax?
Print! I never tire of lifting the block and seeing the impression that has been left. The perfect imperfections created during the printing process steep the fabric or paper in charm and interest. The odd movement between each placed block is what brings the piece to life and gives it an energy - something that simply cannot be achieved by the ‘exactness’ of machine printing. This ‘by hand’ approach allows the cloth to breathe a life lasting quality with a strong personality to be cherished and adored for years to come. There is a great connectedness between human and product that feels incredibly wholesome and vital to me.
What are your top tips for someone wanting to use bold prints in their home?
I am a big believer in mixing up scales… if you have a large scale pattern on the walls, then it’s a good idea to choose a small scale pattern for the curtains and vice versa. The same goes for texture, varying the textures of curtains, rugs and soft furnishings helps to keep a room scheme visually interesting.
I’m not a huge fan of direct matching. I find instead little triangles of connection are often key when matching and mixing bold prints. It could be a small detail picked out from a larger print, or simply one colour that runs through both designs. I have learnt over the years that, for instance, if you have a floral curtain then a geometric or stripe on the walls really helps balance the florals. Something solid and bold grounds the more free pattern of a floral repeat. I am not one for following the rules either when it comes to interior design, I tend to follow my gut, if it doesn’t make my heart sing I don’t use it.
What’s next for you?
We are looking forward to growing Molly Mahon Studio and taking it to the next level. We have some exciting collaborations coming up in 2024, that’s all I can say on those for now but watch this space!
What are you currently reading and listening to?
Reading: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray about a quirky Irish family during the 2009 financial crisis who are all dealing with the collapse of the family business in their own ways!
Listening: Titting About - French & Saunders - makes me roar with laughter!
Top 5 Instagram accounts to follow?
Juliusroberts
Sezane
Mestizmx
Inigo.house
Carlosgarciainteriors
