The journey to our Provence collection is one that has deep connections to my own creative journey, my childhood memories, and the artistic spirit of this very special place. Since my first summers spent here as a little girl, painting in my mum’s garden - I was captivated by the golden landscapes, the rolling hills, and shimmering azure coastlines. It’s been an inspiration ever since.
As we celebrate 10 years of Elizabeth Scarlett, this collection is my heartfelt love letter to this region. Brought to life with golden touches and painterly details, each motif is a memory. Come with me to discover the design story behind these pieces, in the place that first sparked my creative journey…
A lucky find in the beautiful village of Lourmarin led me to one of my favourite designs, the Provençal Bee - inspired by an old plate that I stumbled on in the brocante (flea market). I was captivated by the way the blue and gold tones had patinated over time and the loosely-scattered bees - with this design I wanted to evoke the spirit of a well-loved heirloom, passed down from hand to hand.
Doves are a recurring motif that hold a very special meaning in this region. You’ll find them adorning unexpected corners, and famously the iconic Colombe d’Or hotel (which translates to ‘golden dove’) - where I was lucky enough to stay this summer.
Steeped in history and art, this iconic hotel played host to many great artists over the centuries, who often bestowed an artwork in return for their stay - its story captivated me, and inspired me to create my own version of the dove for this collection. With gold touches and soft, sun-washed, frescoed shades, this design is my way of adding my own brushstroke to all the artists who came before.
From the first moodboards to sketches, swatches and final design - this collection was truly a collaboration with the beauty and artistic energy of this region.
We gathered vintage postcards, scraps of intricately-patterned fabrics, antiqued textures, old photographs and delicate paintings of wildflowers. Bringing together influences of painters past with the present, I wanted every detail to tell a story - layering the artistic heritage of the region against our own story to create something new and beautiful. The final collection brings together grapevines, honeybees, vines and olives with a provençal take on our iconic Sun Goddess - surrounded by an abundance of wildflowers.
It was such a joy to create this collection, revisiting one of the places that first inspired our story - and the process has been one of my most personal journeys yet. Wherever you’re headed this summer, I hope these pieces transport you to somewhere beautiful.
