After a corporate career, Simon Middleton taught himself to weave as a way to relax, inspired by his wife, long-time crafter Maryanne Corringham. Now they’ve embarked on a new creative venture together from their home in Beccles.
When it comes to buying items for your home there's nothing more satisfying than coming across something original and handmade that's practically on your doorstep. Meet Woven Home, husband and wife team Simon Middleton and Maryanne Corrigan, designer-makers specialising in handweaving unique luxury items for the home - and to wear - from their home and studio in Beccles.
Maryanne, makes beautiful handwoven wall hangings and scarves, while Simon is producing high quality handwoven throws, scarves and wall hangings, which they sell at fairs and shows, as well as via their website. They also each have a shop on the craft site Folksy.
Theirs is a recent collaboration. Simon's career has been as a brand strategist, business adviser and entrepreneur. A strong believer and supporter of British manufacturing, he is the original creator of two high-end clothing brands, Blackshore Coastal Clothing, menswear handmade in Southwold, and Shackleton, which makes premium outdoor apparel. He has also been a brand adviser for Harris Tweed. Since 2021, he's followed a new path as head of communications for humanitarian charity Talk To Loop, which he thoroughly enjoys, but needed something to fulfil his creative urge.
Inspired by Maryanne Corringham, a long time craftswoman skilled in weaving, embroidery, decoupage and applique, Simon decided to teach himself how to weave. Despite having created two clothing brands, he says he had no skills in actually making clothes, but there was something that appealed to him. 'It started as therapy, a lovely stress-free thing to do,'he says. 'It's quite physical and there's something about wool, the smell - weaving engages all your senses.'
Their venture was created out of a craft fair at The Cut arts centre in Halesworth. 'Maryanne had a stall, I went along, and as she had some space I decided to do a demonstration of weaving. It felt like we had a little team so we did it again and it was clear we ought to do something together with textiles.' Woven Home was born.
Maryanne works in her own space in the house, a tidy, well organised studio, where colourful, textured tapestries line the walls, and new work is in progress on the loom. She sees her work as decorative art. Her designs are both figurative and abstract, inspired by her everyday surroundings, nature and the countryside. She works on various sized looms, and likes to experiment with yarns and techniques to create different effects.
Simon has built a studio in the garden where he now spins yarn as well as weaving it. His throws and scarves are soft to the touch, and woven in a colour palette drawn from the Suffolk coast and countryside; cerulean and cobalt blues, sandy yellows, the rusts, browns and olives of reeds and marshes. He weaves in wool, as well as a wool and acrylic blend, and while he predominantly creates beautiful things for people to wear, he's exploring the artistic aspect of weaving and has produced some wall hangings.
The couple are finding customers for their one-off handmade designs, nationally and internationally. They're already selling as far away as Australia and US. 'Handmade things have a price,' says Simon, 'but there's certainly a market for things that are unique, with a provenance.'
Simon and Maryanne have no ambition to go into mass production with Woven Home, although Simon may collaborate with small British mills on small production runs of some of his designs for blankets and throws.
'This is a creative enterprise, a paying hobby if you like,' says Simon. 'It's a lovely thing to do and it's very satisfying when somebody buys something from you simply because they want it.'
wovenhome.co.uk
