Holt Harrison Blog

Aristotle said “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” – never is this more apt than when we’re talking about accessories or sculptural pieces.

At Holt Harrison the foundation of our Accessories and Sculpture Collections starts with the sourcing of interesting core raw materials such as horn, coral or bonsai. The inherent beauty of these raw materials could easily form the entirety of the items we produce BUT what makes for truly memorable pieces is the use of complimentary and sympathetic adornments that create depth and character.

Bonsai Sculpture:

A rescued mature Bonsai accommodating ‘Victorian preserved songbirds’ set with antique crystal droplets and reclaimed silk flowers makes this a unique and inspiring piece that will create a focal point for a variety of interior spaces.

Seascape Dome:

Carefully sourced crustaceans set amongst reclaimed shells and complimentary beach features, these domes celebrate more than just the objects within; they provide an indulgence of the senses. Beautiful colouration, dimensions and texture provide an inspiring canvas of natural beauty – perfect for a bathroom.

Dog Whistles:

Created from horn and miniature antlers these lifestyle accessories are more than just practical recall instruments. Secured with a leather necklace and adorned with a variety of metals, stones, tassles and interesting objects sourced from our travels around the globe – these are fashion accessories; a true reflection of the wearer.

Isn’t it just delightful when you bump into a likeminded creative soul. Even better when it happens at just the right moment.

I first met Jesse Wild when he visited my gallery in Frome last summer. We spent some time discussing the Holt Harrison Collection and it was clear that he not only got what the Collection is all about, but could also visually interpret it in a context that really resonated with me.

I’ve recently been working with my team to update my website and other marketing materials, and it has been challenging to say the least. Finding a balance between making our website as accessible as possible (to a wider audience – accessible across multiple devices – in keeping with the market in general) whilst maintaining our distinctive style, is not that easy.

Do we showcase the Collection against a plain white background so that customers such as Interior Designers can instil their own interpretations? Or do we show it in the context in which the pieces were created (see my blog: A unique style that underpins the Holt Harrison Collection)

Well they say you can’t please all the people, all the time!

So I’m going to go with my gut and underpin the new website with some great images captured by Jesse at Egford earlier this month. So, to whet your appetite, I thought I’d give you a preview of some of his great work that really captures the essence of the Holt Harrison Collection ….. enjoy xx

Butterfly Dome & Seascape Dome

Wooden Candlesticks

Texas Longhorn Lamp

I’m often asked “Where do you get your inspiration” for the pieces featured in the Holt Harrison Collection!

The answer is a great deal simpler than you might think – if I’d be happy to live with it at Egford House then I’m happy to create it. Unfortunately, this often means that many of my creations never leave the confines of my home when they should be sold to paying customers!!

You’ll know from the website that the the Holt Harrison Collection draws inspiration from nature, but its inimitable style is firmly rooted in my passion for bringing new life to discarded and antique materials.

Whilst I have been looking to secure new premises for Holt Harrison, Egford House has served as the ideal canvas for presenting my work. This is something that has been reflected in print over the last few years.

Last summer (July 2012) Egford was profiled in the Telegraph Magazine, showcasing amongst other pieces, our antler candelabras and wall sculptures.

The Telegraph Magazine July 2012

The Telegraph Magazine July 2012

(Click images to enlarge)

If you are particularly interested in Interiors you may have seen our work featured in books by Geraldine James and Martyn Thompson:

Creative Walls - Geraldine James

Alongside featuring much of Egford’s wall space in her book, Geraldine was instrumental in placing selected pieces from our Collection in Selfridges in 2011/2012, for which I was very grateful. You can read reviews and buy Creative Walls online, including various blogs such as The Woman’s Room.

As an Internationally renowned photographer Martyn Thompson’s book Interiors was well received by the Interiors community and it was really great to see Egford profiled alongside a wealth of great properties.

Interiors by Martyn Thompson

Interiors got rave reviews on publication and has regularly featured in industry blogs, including the Trendland blog last summer.

A huge Thank You to the team at The Telegraph, Geraldine and Martyn.

Great photography, copy and presentation of the Holt Harrison Collection through the canvas of Egford House.

We’ve just finished some new photography with Jesse Wild for our new website and you can grab a sneak preview on my A meeting of minds posting.

Thanks for stopping by,

Liddie x

Captured for posterity in a dome!

When you’re looking for something truly unique for your home, there’s really nothing more fitting that a Memorabilia Dome.

If you’re anything like me you’ll have lots of different trinkets dotted around your home relating to special memories and events in your life. It could be things from your wedding day, the birth of your children, a treasured pet or a landmark anniversary.

We’ve recently completed several special commissions for Memorabilia Domes on behalf of customers across the globe and despite each being completely unique, they all share the styling and characteristics of the Holt Harrison design aesthetic.

Personal items collaborate with natural adornments such as minature bonsai, taxidermy, vintage silk flowers, reclaimed adornments, butterflies and more; all housed within antique glass domes of varying sizes.

Due to the highly personal nature of each commission, we are not able to showcase these pieces here, but I was recently inspired to create one for Egford House (**this will link to Telegraph piece in separate blog**) celebrating my marriage to Harry 6 years ago.

At last, I could rescue and re-invigorate a tier from our wedding cake that had been stored in the attic alongside various trinkets from our special day.

My Wedding Memorabilia Dome:

Incorporated within an antique French glass dome, the tier from our wedding cake forms the central focus of the piece sitting within a birds nest, held atop a bonsai covered with moss gathered from our local wood.

Two beautiful song birds and a selection of antique butterflies signified the natural beauty of our wedding venue in the heart of Somerset, and act as a constant reminder of the sounds and colour that surrounded us on the day.

The Wedding Dome

Roedeer skulls surround a further birds nest featuring eggs, reflecting our lifelong commitment to each other, and porcelain seed pods are scattered alongside confetti and ribbons from our big day.

The porcelain seeds pods were selected to highlight the fragile nature of life and how love can grow from the smallest of seeds into something spectacular.

A gold ring, silver bell and crucifix relate to items given to us by friends on the day and have been strategically placed to catch the eye and draw you in, ensuring a new discovery every time visitors to the house look upon the dome.

Of course, everyone has a different story to tell. We’ll create a Holt Harrison Memorabilia Dome that will inspire, captivate and celebrate special moments in your life.

Even if you don’t want a personalised dome, you can select one of our pieces from our Dome Collection where each creation is unique; featuring anything from seascapes to vintage dolls eyes!

It’s our first show of 2013 and we’re looking forward to showcasing selected pieces from the Holt Harrison Collection at The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair  in London.

This 5 day event held in leafy Battersea Park draws collectors and interior designers looking for interesting British and European pieces. It’s great to be involved and between the 22nd and 27th of January visitors can come and acquire some of our unique creations, including:

Sculptural Domes

‘One Off’ statement pieces created from a mixture of natural raw materials, embellished with antique and contemporary items, presented in Victorian glass domes.

Visitors will have the chance to acquire creations such as our:

• Roe Deer Dome
• Beetle Dome
• Birds Nest Dome
• Hermit Crab Dome
• Tarantula Dome

Bird Wing Wall Art

Stunning framed wall art featuring selected bird wing feathers, vintage silk flowers and reclaimed antique butterflies set against a beautiful silk background. Deep set within their frames, these create a real focal point in any room.

Feathers include:

• Cock Pheasant
• Magpie
• Teal
• Jay
• Crew
• Mallard

Antler Candelabras

Ideal for creating a talking point around the dining table, these beautiful candelabras  made from responsibly sourced deer antlers from the West Country.

Finished with brass candle holders they really light up an interior.

So come along to stand no.15 and snap up a unique piece from the Holt Harrison Collection. We’re next to the bar so you’ll also be able to celebrate your acquisition with some liquid refreshment.

Liddie xx

Liddie Holt-Harrison

Whilst it seems like only yesterday I shut the doors to my Frome gallery with a view to opening up in Bath, I realise that it has now been 6 months since we had a retail venue.

I’ve had so many kind enquiries from customers and friends, asking when they can come and view our Collection in person again. So I thought I’d provide an explanation for our longer than anticipated absence, and why we are not yet up and running in Bath.

As you’ll be aware many of our pieces are either very fragile or, in the case of our furniture, rather large & heavy. As a result finding the perfect venue has not proved easy and I’ve also been looking at revamping aspects of the Holt Harrison brand, including a new look website that will help all you wonderful tablet users etc.

With my New Year inspiration Tour just around the corner, I’ve decided to hold fire on new premises until the Spring.

I’m off to India after Christmas and have many ideas of how I’d like my Collection to evolve in 2013. I’ll no doubt come back with way too much stuff, but I’m looking forward to wowing you ahead of the summer.

You can of course still get in touch if there are items on the website you’d like to buy or to arrange special commissions.

In the meantime, thanks for all the kind comments and interest in visiting Holt Harrison again. It won’t be long I assure you and I’ll make it worth the wait.

Enjoy your Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Best wishes,

Liddie xx

Taking our inspiration from nature, we aim to celebrate the textures, grains, colours and shapes of a wide variety of wood cuts across our Furniture Collection.

It’s inherent characteristics make wood a versatile medium to work with, but ultimately, we prefer to minimise our tampering; preferring to let the raw materials speak for themselves . From Burl Oak to French Walnut, we create tables, desks, benches and stools that compliment a wide variety of interior tastes.

Black American Walnut Bench

Of course, wood with wood can make for stunning pieces. But what happens when you want to compliment a stunning cut of wood with man-made materials such as steel or chrome?

Burl Oak Coffee Table with Square Steel Legs

Utilising wooden legs in the creation of our Burl Oak Coffee Table just didn’t seem to work practically or aesthetically. We had to find something that would take the weight whilst complimenting, rather than overwhelming the natural characteristics of the table top.

We also had to consider the practical necessities of the function of such a piece of furniture. A client may wish to move the table from time to time, thus supporting the weight of the table top with 3 single legs would potentially weaken the structure over time.

Fused into a specially manufactured square frame cut into the underside of the table top, a tripod leg design gave the piece the necessary strength whilst complimenting the colour, grain and bark structure of the Burl Oak.

Burl Oak Coffee Table with Steel Ribbon Legs

Utilising a similar cut of Burl Oak for another client looking for a more ornate finish to the base of the table, we came up with a ribbon leg design. The waves of the ribboned steel were devised to compliment the circular structure of the Burl Oak grain above. The strength of the steel was ideal as it was spread across a greater area of the heavy table top thus ensuring aesthetic considerations matched the practicalities of the piece.

Forging, tempering and oxidising metals such as steel can produce a variety of beautiful finishes and structural strength that will compliment dark and light wood furnishings.

We are constantly looking at innovative ways to bend metals to our way of thinking and we hope you’ll agree that the results are inspiring:

The Bleacher Bench with Polished Chrome Staple Legs

Burl Oak Coffee Table with Tripod Steel Legs

French Walnut Pebble Stools with Chrome Pin Legs

Perhaps these three terms are familiar to you. But if you thought they referred to ‘a book of maps’, ‘hitting the road as a band’ or ‘a means of binding pages together’, then think again.

These are in fact terms used to when working with textiles:

Atlas – A Warp Knit Fabric In Which A Set Of Yarns Shifts Diagonally One Wale Per Course For Several Courses , Then Returns To The Original Position.

Gigging – The Process Of Raising A Nap On Fabrics By Means Of A Teazle Machine.

Staple – A Lock Or Tuft Of Fibres Of Uniform Properties And Hence A Lock Of Tuft Prepared To Demonstrate Fibre Length.

Working with a wide variety of textiles, from rare breed wools to leather in the creation of our individual furnishings, sculpture and accessories involves an intimate knowledge of the properties, restrictions and opportunities they offer in the design and manufacturing process.

For example, when we were producing our Rare Breed Sheepskin Cushions, the quality of the staple was an essential element in the ‘look’ and ultimately ‘feel’ of the finished pieces.

These are the qualities that separate artisan creations from the ‘High Street’ and it’s this attention to detail that we hope our customers enjoy in their homes. We pride ourselves on celebrating the natural beauty of the raw materials we use and it’s this that forms the basis of every piece that bares the Holt Harrison name.

It doesn’t seem possible that a whole month has shot past since the St.John Autumn/Winter 2012-13 Collection graced the New York runways. Featuring our Conch and Hobble Bags husband and I set off for the show full of excitement and were not to be disappointed. It was a stunning collection featuring great quality fabrics including; mink, satin, silk and wool.

With something chic for all ages the girls showed off the designer’s sumptuous combinations of reds, blacks, camel and browns. Summing it up, I’d simply say ‘elegance at it’s best’ – a Collection to make you feel a million dollars.

Of our bags, the Fashion Week Daily had this to say:

“Oh and let’s talk about those incredible fur cross-body bags that are so large you could fit a bottle of Veuve inside but maintain a cool vibe with the Navajo brass buckles adorning the chocolate leather strap.”

Sadly, our time at New York fashion week was cut short as my husband took a tumble down a flight of stairs resulting in broken ribs, a trip to the emergency room and our swift departure back to the UK.

Thankfully before that hideousness, we were able to attend the after show party hosted by Cornelia Guest  where we mingled with the great and good of the New York party scene.

I’m pleased to say that the show has had a real impact on demand for the bags. No wonder the month has flown by; nursing my husband back to health, finishing furniture commissions and of course stitching bags to grace the shoulders of the followers of St.John.

A big thank you to this inspiring designer.