{"id":75,"date":"2021-11-09T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=22772"},"modified":"2021-11-09T11:40:15","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T10:40:15","slug":"behind-the-brand-watts-of-westminster","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/behind-the-brand-watts-of-westminster\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the brand: Watts of Westminster"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Molly Malsom\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 09 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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I<\/span>n 1874, architects George Frederick Bodley and Thomas Garner won a commission to design the new headquarters of the London School Board. When the Board asked them to also supply interior furnishings for the offices and boardroom, they joined forces with George Gilbert Scott the Younger to set up a commercial decorating business producing elegant block-printed wallpapers and sumptuous silks and damasks. As \u2018gentlemen\u2019 architects, it didn\u2019t do to be seen indulging in the \u2018trades\u2019, so they called their company Watts and Co<\/a>, taking the name from Scott\u2019s landlord at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The three men had met in the 1850s, as Bodley and Garner had both been pupils of Sir George Gilbert Scott, the famous architect who designed the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras and the Prince Albert Memorial, amongst other London landmarks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Initially, Watts and Co embraced the Gothic Revival style associated with their mentor, but later they became one of the key proponents of what became known as Queen Anne style \u2013 an eclectic look that encompassed Tudor, Palladian and Arts and Crafts elements, among several other references. These wide-ranging influences are what gave Watts and Co its edge; that and the fact it grew out of both the secular and ecclesiastical branches of its parent architectural practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Watts\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Daphnis and Chloe linen tableau sc\u00e9nique based on a suite of six Aubusson tapestries<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Although the founders parted ways during their lifetimes, their company went from strength to strength and, happily, is still a family enterprise. Company director Marie-S\u00e9verine de Caraman Chimay, better known as MS, is George Gilbert Scott the Younger\u2019s great great-granddaughter and the fifth generation to be involved in the business. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whilst there was an understandable dip in popularity for luxury furnishings in the inter and post-war years \u2013 which hastened the demise of contemporaries such as Morris & Co \u2013 the company stayed afloat thanks to the ecclesiastical side of the business. \u2018When my grandmother took over after the war, the economy was really horrible and she always said, \u201cGod Save the Queen\u201d, because the coronation saved the company,\u2019 says MS. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, from its original HQ based in Baker Street, the company designed and made vestments for three coronations. In 1986 Watts was presented with a royal warrant, appointing the firm as an ecclesiastical furnisher to the Queen.<\/span><\/p>\n

The decorative venture really took off again in the late 1980s under the aegis of respected creative director Fiona Flint. Its designs have been used in countless prestigious projects, from the Houses of Parliament and the Bodleian Library in the past, to Chatsworth and the glamorous revamp of private members\u2019 club Annabel\u2019s more recently; as well as by many high-profile designers, such as Joanna Wood and Martin Brudnizki.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Watts\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Watts\u2019 Walzin Chinoiserie wallpaper in the breakfast room of The Mynde Park Estate in Herefordshire.<\/span><\/figcaption> Photography by Christopher Horwood<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u2018We\u2019re extremely lucky to work on top projects with amazing decorators,\u2019 says MS. \u2018Watts is an immensely creative company and that\u2019s always been a part of its DNA as a design house. I really care for that and hope my ancestors would be proud of what we do today.\u2019 While embracing the company\u2019s USP, MS is the first to admit it\u2019s not for everyone: \u2018The end client needs to be bold. They need to embrace pattern and colour<\/a> \u2013 we don\u2019t do boring!\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Interior designer Alidad is one such visionary client and explains the appeal of using Watts in his projects: \u2018There is a richness in its designs and a unique understanding of the history of textiles<\/a>, which for me is incredibly important,\u2019 he says. \u2018I imagine this comes from the fact that the company was started by practising designers and architects.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

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