Spring is the time for linen, right? And one of GT‘s favourite textile designers, Shilo Engelbrecht, will have all your garden-party needs covered when she pops up as part of the InDesign Festival in Sydney’s Darlinghurst for a fortnight on August 3.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing Engelbrecht’s work – upholstered in the elevators at Kit Kemp’s Ham Yard Hotel in London, or more recently in the lounge at the Alex Hotel in Perth, perhaps – her textiles begin life as oil paintings before being digitally printed on European linens and silk.
“I’m interested in exploring abstract painting that doesn’t form traditional repeating patterns,” says Engelbrecht. “It all starts with the oil painting.”
The August pop-up will launch the designer’s homewares range, Älv, and also feature a number of Engelbrecht’s larger-scale wall panels on display. The Älv collection includes napkins, bedding and cushions, aglow with burgundy, midnight blue and apricot, perhaps – as well as larger table-runners that would be equally at home thrown over the bed or couch as they would at your next spring feast in the garden.
The pop-up will also be the first opportunity to see Engelbrecht’s range of wearable linens (relaxed unisex shirting, matching lounge suits and beach hats) before the collection becomes available online.
“I based the range on my studio workwear so the motivation was functionality and comfort,” she says. “Like the homewares, it’s perfect for the Australian climate and for travelling.”
Engelbrecht, who was born in Cape Town, now divides her time between Stockholm, London and her parents’ lychee farm in northern New South Wales. The Sydney pop-up comes shortly after her return from Sicily, where she had plenty of time to perfect al fresco dining. “It was a true reminder of how central the table is to life’s memorable moments.”
The Älv by Shilo Engelbrecht pop-up is open from 3 August to 16 August at 72 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW.
-(10).png?ssl=1&w=380&crop=0,0,100,304px)
