Natasha Marshall lives and breathes design in her award winning home in Scotland. She spoke to wallpaperdirect about architecture, sailing, cooking – and wallpaper.
Natasha Marshall
Designs on life
Natasha Marshall lives and breathes design from her award-winning home in Glasgow’s West End. She spoke to wallpaperdirect about architecture, sailing, cooking – and wallpaper.
WD Tell us a bit about yourself
NM I moved to Glasgow in 1992 to study at The Glasgow School Of Art. I had done my art foundation year in London at Middlesex University and visited my best friend from play-school at Glasgow who was studying Architecture. I loved the city immediately and the textiles course looked fantastic so I applied and when accepted went straight into 2nd year in the Scottish University system. It was here that I also met Neil my husband and business partner who was studying Graphics.
I graduated in 1996 with BA Honours in Printed and Knitted Textiles. I loved living in Glasgow and had always talked of setting up in business, so with a loan from the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust (Now Princes Trust), Craft Council & Glasgow City Council grants this became a reality in 1997. Within six months Neil joined the business and we have worked as a team ever since creating our fabric and wallpaper designs.
In the early years we hand printed all our orders before subcontracting this part of the business to other mills and printers in the UK. The business has evolved over the years and we work with mills all over the world for our design studio clients but still showcase the Best of British Design and manufacturing under the Natasha Marshall brand.
In Scotland we have a great network of friends and spend a lot of the summers sailing competing in race weekends. I get to travel a lot for work so also spend a lot of weekends away seeing my family and friends.
Neil and I also both have a passion for Architecture and have loved the challenges of finding and building our own offices and home in quirky areas of Glasgow’s West End. The architects who worked with us on these projects and share the office with us were Miranda who I went to play-school with and her husband Stuart – the duo behind Cameron Webster architects. We were all the GSA together. Our home will feature in Grand Designs February 2016 issue and we have won many awards for these buildings.
Eventually I was asked to join the board for PSYBT and when they merged became a council member for the Princes Trust. I also sit on the board for the Scottish Leather and Textiles Association (STLA).
WD Favourite room in your house to decorate and why?
NM Bedrooms as I love creating a calm haven of patterns, colours and textures. This Christmas holiday I will plan changes for our bedroom as I love the idea of adding one of our Tandem wallpapers to the room. We currently have our Drift, Sand curtains and blinds so this is a great simple design that works with many other patterns – thinking Flip or Pompom lemon slice wallpaper behind the bed but lets see what looks best from the collection when we pin up samples in the room. Once I have decided the wallpaper I will then add cushions in various pattern to the bed and chair.
WD What are you design inspirations?
NM Travelling to new cities, the next place I would love to visit is Berlin – I can’t wait to see Chipperfields Neues Museum after seeing an exhibition on this project in Madrid at Museo ICO. I take photos most days though of patterns I see around me in nature, pavements or architectural shapes etc though so always feel inspired creatively. We work on such a wide variety of projects for clients in the Design Studio so are very lucky.
WD Favourite films of the moment?
NM Cliche but I loved the new James Bond, Spectre & gutted to have missed seeing The Lady In the Van in the cinema as I love Alan Bennett’s work. It has been a very busy year launching our new fabric and wallpaper ranges so the months do seem to have just flown by!
WD What do you like doing when not at work?
NM Meeting with friends, sailing, running especially near the sea, visiting new cities and art galleries.
WD How will you be decorating your christmas tree this year?
NM Mainly red and white with quirky hand-made decorations collected over the years plus lot of white lights. I buy a few decorations every year and this year’s are from Fine Cell – a hand-made Turkey, Mushroom and Christmas Pudding. I also got gorgeous cross-stitched Christmas Cards from here this year as well.
WD Favourite working lunch
NM Edamame beans with sushi or lentil soup with cheese pickle roll!
WD 3 things you love…
NM I love my house and having our fabrics throughout but if I was to choose three items it would be:
My Wooden Bird by Kristian Vedel from Neil last Christmas. Made in Denmark.
My Engagement ring Neil designed with Sarah at Brazen.
My antique Wegner Rocking Chair – J16 by Hans Wegner
WD What would you do if not a designer?
NM I would be a chef. I love cooking for friends and family trying new recipes. We also cook most nights of the week however late we leave the studio.
WD Any resolutions yet for 2016?
NM To go on a pottery course after feeling inspired by the Great Pottery Throw Down!
Keeping up my running as I have been doing marcothon this month which means you run 25 minutes a day, which will include Christmas Day!
Do more Yoga.