Cabbage and Curtainrail is a British textile design company, creating innovative, geometric formalised designs, inspired by the natural world. Reflecting their ‘nature-inspired’ style, designs are printed on soft natural linens and printed using conventional and modern printing methods.  Their cushions are all handmade in-house using their own range of fabrics. 

ABOUT THE DESIGNER 

Whilst her love of drawing started in school, creativity was already in her blood.  Her mother, Lesley, was taught needlework from a young age, by Michaela’s grandmother, Marjorie. Marjorie worked as a court dressmaker in Buckingham Gate in London, famously working on dresses for the ladies in the Buckingham Palace court (including the wedding dress of Mrs ‘Wallis’ Simpson, now archived in the Met Art Museum in central New York).   Michaela’s father, Peter, an eccentric mathematician, was a very clever inspector of engineering.  Inheriting her father’s analytical discipline, Michaela’s artistic style embraces her inborn desire for creating beauty combined with her meticulous precision.

Following the very good advice of a career guidance teacher to “do something you love”, Michaela’s first job out of school was at her uncle’s printing firm. Maximising on her skills for design, she self-taught Photoshop, Illustrator,  Quark Express and later Adobe InDesign, the industry standard design software, using one of the first Apple Mac computers to hit the UK market.

During her years there, her love for all things design, print, art and colour deepened even further.

In 2005, she launched her own graphic design business, working for prestigious clients such as The National Trust and the UK’s leading brewing & pub business, Marston’s. Whilst running that business for 15 years, getting married and having two children in the process, Michaela crossed over into the world of fabric design.  By transferring her background in graphic design, governed by key principles and form, Michaela’s first collection of fabric was created and Cabbage and Curtainrail was launched, offering an informed approach to textile design.

The designer’s style embraces traditional pattern and shape from ancient cultures with a love of colour and texture. Her passion for true quality, perfection and attention to detail, shines through in her elegant, intelligent, geometry-dominated designs. 

“I take inspiration from the balance and contrast governing the laws of nature; the underlying geometry found in leaves and flowers. I love the way lines grow out equally from a stem or branch. I suppose my logical mind lends itself to designing orderly, repeat patterns which sit well with me.  My favourite quote from William Morris is "Remember that a pattern is either right or wrong.  It cannot be forgiven for blundering, as a picture may be which has otherwise great qualities in it.  It is with a pattern as with a fortress, it is no stronger than its weakest point."  

It is her instinctive graphic discipline to create orderly repeat constructions and geometric patterns that give her fabric patterns a contemporary, charming and instantly recognisable quirky quality.

Although born in London, she lives in North West England, not far from the The Lake District which is famous for its lakes, forests and mountains and its associations with William Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter and John Ruskin. She lives with her husband and two daughters.

 ABOUT THE NAME

Why “Cabbage and Curtainrail”?  Founder and designer, Michaela Corrie explains: "To be honest, our business couldn’t have been called anything else. Family means everything to us; each of us with our own unique characters and ways. My father certainly ticked the ‘character’ box, with his dry humour and eccentric nature. Each night, as small children, he would think up a different adventure that our two imaginary pet donkeys ‘Cabbage’ and his brother ‘Curtainrail’ had enjoyed that day.  Each story came to an end with a gentle kiss on our forehead, knowing Cabbage and Curtainrail were tucked up nice and warm in our airing cupboard. Sadly, just as our business was getting off the ground, my precious father lost his battle with chronic asthma, and he fell asleep in death. Our business name serves as a wonderful reminder of his quirky and fun nature, which we hope is reflected in our rather eccentric designs."