Davina - a divine collaboration
Tired little dresser
I was given this gorgeous little kidney shaped dressing table by a lady in Cotham who no longer wanted the tired and washed out piece of old furniture.
The three fold mirrors were pristine and had high quality bevelled edges. The reflection is true and three way mirrors give a lovely depth and natural fullness to your reflection.
I could immediately see the quality and potential for this 1960’s vintage piece and I was determined to give her something dramatic!
Several incarnations were imagined over a couple of months. Some were a little weird and gothic, some safe and sweet depending upon different fabrics that charmed me.
A fortuitous meeting
A few different friends of mine kept mentioning that I must meet Helen Rosenthal, a wonderful fabric designer who also lives in Bishopston, because I would love her work. And I certainly do…. just look at the beautiful patterns made with flowers, insects and birds in the images herewith. At the same time Helen was being told that she should meet me too! So Helen came to see me with some samples and a collaboration between Rosenthal Designs and Former Glory Bristol was born.
As soon as I saw her designs I could see the potential for working together. One sample in particular stood out and I knew that with some tweaks it would be just right for my vintage dressing table.
Gothic and sweet!
The beauty of working with Helen is that she can create bespoke designs for specific projects whether one-offs or for larger orders.
I briefed Helen with my vision for the little dressing table and we spoke about the sample that had caught my eye and the creative opportunities available.
I couldn’t have been more happy. I’d found a textile designer that understood my vision for Davina and whose design was both gothic, sweet and slightly oriental all at the same time.
The design Helen has created is individual to this piece and has been digitally generated to fit Davina’s style and dimensions. The cascading little flowers are weighted to the bottom of the skirt and the green band at the top accentuates the darker tone beneath.
The surface design is digitally printed on to heavy, sumptuous velvet which gives Davena a luxurious demeanour.
It’s all in the preparation.……
Davina has been undressed, sanded, primed, inside and out, top and bottom, back and front and painted with 2 top coats. This means that she can stand proud in the centre of a room and not have to sit shyly against a wall. I used a mixture of 3/4 Little Greene Lamp Black eggshell with a 1/4 part Farrow & Ball Pitch Black gloss. This has given Davina’s body an unusual sheen that is quite becoming.
The finishing touches…
No glamorous dressing table is complete without a genuine gold foil top and Davina is no exception. The wafer thin gold foil has been meticulously applied. The gold shines especially brightly through the glass table top and compliments the luxurious velvet completely.
The little wooden drawer knobs have been finished with gold wax to add a little shimmer and the drawers and under-shelf are lined with gold.
All made up and ready to go…
Making up the curtains and dressing Davina was an utter delight as she transformed into a sumptuous and sophisticated dressing table fit for a queen.
Davina looks equally divine with her skirts open or closed and the back has been finished so that she doesn’t have to sit against a wall.
If you’d like to meet Davina in person please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you:
Shona Kitson, Former Glory, Bristol: 07738 008776 shona.kitson@gmail.com
Helen Rosenthal, Rosenthal Design: 07976 350661 create@rosenthal-design.co.uk www.rosenthal-design.co.uk
