Hampshire wallpaper designer Juliet Travers shares how growing up surrounded by artistic inspiration still plays a huge part her work today.
From a young age, it was clear that life, for Juliet Travers, was always going to be about art.
One of her earliest memories is the Disney characters covering the walls of her and her five siblings' bedrooms – all hand-painted by her self-taught, artistic mum.
'Lots of them are still there,' she smiles. 'I painted a Winnie the Pooh mural with her on the wall when I was about 11. She's so naturally talented.'
'I was meant to be doing algebra,' she laughs. 'I was just into art from day one. I really wanted to be an illustrator to start with. I would copy all the Disney characters and try and create my own. I would get these books on how to draw trains and planes. I was always just doodling.'
Somewhat inevitably, Juliet ended up at Edinburgh College of Art, with dreams of becoming a printed textiles designer for the fashion industry. But a comment from a tutor sparked the idea that her detailed designs may work well on wallpaper.
'I hadn't even considered it,' she says. 'I suppose it was my age, but I wasn't into interiors at all. But I did a bit of research and designed a range of wallpapers for my final project. I sold one to the tech company LG. They weren't allowed to tell me what it was used for so I've no idea where that is. That was the degree show so that was the first exposure to the real world.
Having worked through school and university holidays for renowned fabric and wallpaper company Colefax and Fowler, Juliet got a job working in sales at de Gournay in London after finishing her degree course, overseeing the Middle East, part of America and parts of Europe.
'I got the understanding of the States, in southern America loving the pastels and beige but cities like Chicago or anywhere in the north liked darker colours,' she explains. 'In the Middle East they liked golds, reds and rich colours.
'I thought I was going to stay there forever, because I loved it. But after a few years I missed the design side. I started doing research and, in 2013 I thought "let's go for it".
'It was when I got married, so it was a big year for us,' she says. 'But my husband is such an amazing support.'
Much of Juliet's signature style is, in fact, inspired by her husband's background, growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe, which is still owned and run by his uncle.
'Chris grew up there but, because of the politics with Robert Mugabe they had to leave,' explains Juliet. 'They lost everything because of Mugabe. Before farming, Chris's father was an architect and, over 20 years, they've rebuilt their life and he's built this house in Tanzania overlooking Kilimanjaro.
'My waterhole wallpaper is pretty much what you see from Chris's parents' balcony. A lot of my designs are mainly Tanzanian influence. They haven't been back to Zimbabwe as much, but we went to Tanzania for a month over Christmas last year, so I came back full of ideas.
'I'm at this point now where, do I carry on with safari or start something else?'
Much of Juliet's work is inspired by her own experiences – but she has begun to realise that her designs are also reminiscent for her buyers.
'What I didn't realise at the time was how much people will buy it to remind them of a time in their life. People say the squirrels are so enchanting or the swans are very regal.
'It's quite whimsical but not as bold as my zebras. It's a bit more enchanting.'
The family moved to Chawton in 2018, when their son was two-and-a-half, with that bringing new surroundings and new inspirations.
'Since taking on a garden and I live next to a forest, I find in the last couple of years I've becoming really intrigued about flowers. I've just done a series of birthstone colours and birth flowers. A series of prints. I'm selling them as art and hopefully going to launch prints and greetings cards in a pack of 12.
'But I'm always inspired. Every day I go for a walks — dahlias are just enchanting.'
Next up for Juliet is a series focusing on underwater life – another area close to her heart after learning about the practice of dynamite fishing in Tanzania.
'That's what I find fascinating. They're conserving the coastline, working really hard to protect the coral. We were snorkelling in among the coral that had all been dynamited and you can see how the life is all coming back,'
Despite her wealth of ideas, and hunger to begin new projects and designs, Juliet says she is changing her approach to her work.
'The main thing lots of people ask me is "when is your next collection coming out?" The last few years I've really slowed things down and spent some time with my children,' she says.
'I want people to have a drawing on the wall.
'I'm sticking to what I'm passionate about and I'm going to take that time to work on a new collection again and get it right. I like to think it's really curated.'
juliettravers.com
