Why Sussex textile designer and decorative artist, Ellen Merchant, is Absolutely’s one to watch for 2025
You can’t get more idyllic than Ellen Merchant’s beautiful barn workshop space at her home in Winchelsea – but is also home to something you don’t want to be transporting down from London. “My husband and I visited Rye for a weekend away from London last March and we just fell in love with the character of the area. We were jaded by renting and running a business in London and feeling the call of the countryside. When this building became available in Winchelsea it seemed too good to be true, so we dropped everything and moved quite impulsively. However,” she smiles, “I have my vintage offset litho press in the studio, which is huge and was a real nightmare to move! I use it to create all my paper prints and trial wallpaper designs.”
A Move to the Countryside
Lucky, then, that Ellen clearly loves living in Sussex, so another move doesn’t seem very likely, especially with a new shop recently opening on the high street (more of that later). It’s the latest chapter in what has been a fascinating career for the design who champions traditional methods, combining craftsmanship with contemporary design.
Discovering a Passion for Textiles
“I always knew that I wanted to be an artist of some kind, but actually didn’t really know about the world of textiles until after I left art school,” Ellen looks back to how it all started. “I studied illustration at Camberwell where I learnt printmaking, and then did some freelance design work before I got a job designing prints for womenswear. I felt all my interests align when designing patterns, and I found it was something I had a natural affinity for. I had always been interested in interiors and knew that was the area of design that I was most passionate about pursuing in my own business.
“I started by creating linocut patterns and using them to block print fabrics on my kitchen floor. They were cheerful, unique, full of character and made using traditional methods on beautiful linen – all sentiments that have remained as the business has grown. All of my prints are my original designs, printed using traditional methods in England. It has always been important to me to support British craft and keep all my production as local as possible.”
Has she evolved much over the years? “Yes, in many ways,” she exclaims. “I am constantly pivoting and learning. There was a point when I realised it wasn’t feasible to be printing every roll of wallpaper and metre of fabric myself. Running a creative business is especially tricky, because you end up no longer having enough time to be creative! Learning when to outsource and manage my own time has been the biggest challenge.”
It’s a challenge she has clearly overcome. With designs in the Firmdale Hotel group, an ongoing partnership with Decorex, a second successful partnership with Anthropologie and collaborations with Pooky Lighting and Studio Atkinson to name a few, Ellen is a hugely respected textile designer amongst industry peers.
Talking about inspiration, Ellen doesn’t need to look far. “I can’t help but be inspired by nature with the countryside around me, so ideas for certain plants or colours always start there,” she explains. “I also pick up ideas from looking at antiques or art, but usually develop something from a mix of ideas in my head by doing lots of sketching.
“I often then trace my drawing onto a lino tile and carve it by hand, creating a different tile for each colour of the design,” she continues. “I love creating prints this way because of the unique texture you can achieve. I work in a similar way when screen printing, using crayons and inks to create interesting effects when layered up. I do lots of experimenting at this stage with different colour combinations. My fabrics are screen printed by hand in small runs in West London using water-based inks. The wallpapers are printed in Lancashire using engraved rollers, which pass continuously over the ink and onto the paper. It is very close in technique to the way I trial my designs on my printing press, achieving the same character and tactile feel but on a larger, more consistent scale.”
Craftsmanship and Collaboration
Ellen has become well-known, too, for working with local craftsmen. “It is wonderful to be able to collaborate with other makers and actually meet them face to face,” she smiles. “We already have an incredible network of craftspeople in the area that are helping me to create exciting new ideas and products.”
With her shop opening late last year, more will soon be exposed to her wonderful decorative arts. “The shop is open Friday-Sunday and showcases my full collection of wallpapers and fabrics, as well as cushions, lampshades, vintage homeware and one-off pieces of upholstered furniture,” Ellen says. “It is a shop, showroom and open studio all in one, as you may find me there working on a new design, or the latest upholstery project going on in the back room. We welcome anyone who would like to browse, or just have a look around the studio.”
Life by the Sea
There’s no doubting Ellen is extremely content right now and Absolutely is certainly envious when discussing her day to day life. “We have a little puppy who likes to get us up early for a walk, so after that I usually spend the morning packing orders and answering emails. Every day is different, sometimes I might be travelling to London to print fabrics, or I might be spending the afternoon in the barn mixing colours, otherwise I might be glued to a laptop doing all the boring jobs! We love taking the puppy to the beach so we try to do that as much as possible. At the weekend I open the shop up and I get to meet lots of lovely people and show them around, which has been a really wonderful experience. I hope to continue enjoying life by the sea creating lovely things!”
