Rebecca's Love of Blue & White And The Willow Pattern

I think there’s something in our DNA that makes us love blue and white china. It’s been around for so many centuries that it’s highly likely you’re very familiar with that timeless combination of colours.

Image from @handsomehome which shows our octopus dinner plate sitting amongst an eclectic mix of contemporary & vintage pieces

What I love about blue and white china dinnerware is how easy it is to mix it up with modern pieces to create a contemporary setting. Our china is quite a show stopper and looks great with a pop of colour, maybe in a napkin, some flowers, glasses or other china. Try mixing it with a pattern and as your collection grows you can create a different look.

My Grandmother embroidered a willow pattern panel in 1963 and I must have been about nine years old when I went to visit and she had just had it framed. I was mesmerised.

She told me the story of the eloping lovers who were transformed into a pair of doves. The main elements of the ornate pattern all had a meaning which seemed very romantic to a young girl.

When my Grandmother died, I took it back to Australia with me and as I had just been home in Cornwall for a few weeks, it made me think about a Cornish version of the traditional design. What if the doves were sea gulls, the Chinese junk was a fishing boat, the temple the house at Trelissick and so on.

I made some notes and they sat there for years until I came back to live and started Cream Cornwall with Allison.

As we talked about ideas for our first range, I told her about the Willow pattern idea and as a big lover of blue and white herself, we started work.

The fun bit was deciding what to include, what we both loved about Cornwall and what was important to us.

Have a look at this beautiful design closely and you see so many of the iconic things that makes Cornwall such a special place.

The embroidery now sits in my dining room and is a constant reminder of a very influential woman in my life and those happy days.

Rebecca x