Photograph of Tulsa Tartan, 1978, book chapter “Other District Tartans”, photographer unknown.

A variety of Tartan in the home showing floor, chairs and wall coverings. Photographer unknown.

Primary source found on an interiors website.

Kelly Nichols | Snuggle Up With Plaid in Your Home

Livinator https://livinator.com/snuggle-up-with-plaid-in-your-home/

Vivienne Westwood Tartan Wallpaper, 2009, From archives of the V&A, photographer unknown.

I knew that the V&A would have an archive of various designers using tartan so I made a search on their collections, I was aware that Vivienne Westwood used a lot of tartans in her clothing design work in the punk era. “Tartan” was my keyword and I was not surprised to find Vivienne Westwood at the top of the list, however I was surprised to see how much tartan was used in upholstery and interior design – even wallpaper.

Tartan | Vivienne Westwood | V&A Search the Collections

Collections.vam.ac.uk

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1242318/tartan-wallpaper-vivienne-westwood/

 

I initially chose the Tartan image from the book as I really liked the contrast between the muted colours around the exterior and the bold red in the middle. I am really interested in weave and feel that this particular image gives an almost three-dimensional effect through the use of shades.

After choosing the image I initially thought about where tartan was used in fashion and clothing, for example the famous Burberry checks used in their classic raincoat linings and scarves and of course the Punk era use of tartan. However, whilst researching the subject the thing that really stood out for me was the use of tartan in interior design, with a large number of interior designers having used tartan to good effect.

I came across Livinator’s website which showed a variety of ways tartan could be used in interior design. It was surprising to see how tartan was combined with other very strong patterns – you would think that tartan would have to be paired with plain or complimentary colours. The images above show that most of the interiors have one or more tartan or other bold and strong patterns that are used to build layers of colour and texture in the room, for example the pairing of a tartan upholstered sofa with highly patterned curtains in the image above.

It was interesting to see Tartan used in both formal and informal settings and as both a wall and floor covering. This has made me think more about pairing and combining strong patterns, I would have previously thought that they would compete for attention and/or clash but having seen that with careful consideration it is possible to put strong patterns together.

I found using the V&A online resource extremely useful as it showed me designers work across different disciplines.

This exercise has helped me to think beyond the initial image and to research an idea or subject to see how it links to other areas beyond all my normal thought processes.