Timorous Beasties

I first came across Timorous Beasties in a book called Stitch It! that I received as a gift years and years ago. Then I started noticing them in British Elle Decor and other British decorating mags. They caught my eye every time and now I always try to catch up with their newest work on their website.

Timorous Beasties was founded in 1990 by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons while going to school in Glasgow for textile design. At first glance their textiles are an updated version of traditional patterns and textiles. Toile, flocking, velvets, etc. But take a second look and you see the lush Victorian-style pattern on their flocked wallpaper is really the face of the Devil sneering back at you. A closer look at the toile reveals not a picturesque pastoral scene, but a dark world of prostitutes and crack addicts.

The surreal nature of the Timorous Beasties designs does nothing to detract from the overall beauty of their patterns, which are available in fabrics and wallpaper. In my head for some reason I envision a lush dining room papered and upholstered in Beasties patterns. If only!