Words By Emily Martin
Who Meet Charlotte Gaisford, a British fabric and wallpaper designer and MD of the eponymously named company. She designs fabric and wallpaper collections for the interior industry with a global reach, but with success in the US. Prior to starting this company, Gaisford owned another business called Crafty Computer Paper, and in 2005 was given the Woman in Business award for the north-east of England. She opted for a career change: ‘I went to Newcastle College as a mature student and achieved a first-class honours degree in Textile Design,’ explains Gaisford. ‘[It] was very hands-on and centred on constructed textiles. I graduated in 2015 at the age of 50.’
Why ‘My original plan was to sell my designs at a show in NYC twice a year,’ explains Gaisford. ‘I visited this show and realised people were selling the copyright of their designs for very little. I decided to carry out plan B and that was to produce my own fabric and wallpaper designs… I employed a top interiors photographer and stylist from London. They took some very professional magazine-ready photos… and the photos were snapped up by about ten magazines.’ It propelled her into the market where she has produced regular collections since and attend trade shows including Decorex, in 2024, where she presented her latest collection, the Madonna collection. This year will see Gaisford focus on designing and developing new fabrics and wallpapers. ‘I don’t create a strict timetable or put undue pressure on myself with deadlines,’ she adds. ‘I really enjoy what I do, and am very industrious, so projects always get finished in good time.’
Where www.charlottegaisford.co.uk
1 Fabric collections: Since setting up her business, Gaisford has created 14 fabric collections. ‘All my fabrics are inspired by historical references,’ she says. ‘Research is the first step in the design process followed by extensive sketching and painting. I don’t think of colours at this stage – it is mainly the shape and the block colour. When I have a solid body of work, I scan all of my images into my Mac at a high resolution, digitise them and then start to work on repeat patterns and altering the scale.’
2 Wallpaper: Alongside some of her fabric designs, Gaisford offers a selection of wallpaper. She notes an increase in demand for wallpaper, which she designs using the same methods as fabric, but says she doesn’t produce matching fabric and wallpaper owing to scale. ‘The printers I use are different,’ she explains – they have the same colours. However, the fabric looks different to the wallpaper. Some designs look better on fabric than wallpaper and vice versa.’
3 Tablecloth and napkin range: ‘I have never sold products made from my fabrics before,’ says Gaisford. This March 2025, I am going to be launching a tablecloth and napkin range. I wanted to create a totally British product. The base cloth was sourced from the UK and was designed and printed here too. I wanted the product to be 100% linen and washable. Instead of competing with international imports, I am hoping that customers will recognise the benefits of purchasing UK-made goods.’
