Never have garden trends been of more importance with growing emphasis on turning your outdoor spaces into year-round havens with East London Parasol Company’s new collection, which launches in January 2023 and is bursting with bold colours and natural tones, rich patterns, floral motifs and a new take on chintz.

Inspired

Her best collection yet, founder and designer, Lucy Ferguson, has expanded her whimsical world of beautiful parasols, frilled cushions and hand carved parasol bases, with a splendid array of new designs inspired by both the natural world and ancient civilisations.

The 2023 collection references Lucy’s past two years spent learning about plants, foraging and increasing time spent in the Norfolk countryside. The new colours include darker blues, greens and teals, and floral prints. The enchanting grey and pink design (Maya) was inspired by misty mornings. Spending more time in Norfolk with its red clay brickwork and roof tiles has inspired the terracotta shades used in the new collection. The Athena Octagonal Parasol pillar print is based on a sketch Lucy did in the covered atrium of the British Museum, while the new carved sandstone palm tree base is inspired by the bas-reliefs of ancient Assyria.

Craftsmanship

Lucy is committed to working with the most talented craftsmen in the UK, India and Indonesia to create parasols of ultimate quality. The parasol frames are all made from sustainable woods with unique parts engineered and designed specifically for East London Parasol Company. The Octagonal Parasol frames are made by carpenters in Hampshire from Forestry Steward Council certified sustainable ash wood, and the Round Bamboo Parasols are made from bamboo and durian wood in Indonesia. East London Parasol Company partners with One Tree Planted to plant a tree for every parasol sold. The Round Bamboo parasols are made by skilled artisans in over 20 separate stages. The Octagonal Parasol canopies are made by screen-printers in Rajasthan. The cushions and napkins are made by hand using traditional block printing techniques in India, each colour is printed separately.

The process

After two years of sampling remotely Lucy was finally, post-pandemic, able to return to India to work with the artisan fabric printers and stone carvers to create this collection. It has reaffirmed her love for her business after a challenging time. Countless sketches, hours, ink and have been poured into the new patterns. One of the hero items, the Rose Octagonal Parasol, has a jazzed up fuschia and scarlet chintz and chartreuse tassels. The range of cushions have a cottage feel with striped frilled edges and floral patterns.

There are two new stone bases, carved from sandstone by seventh generation stone carvers in Rajasthan. These are influenced by the bas-relief carvings of ancient Assyria and the marigolds of India.