#OhSoNatalie
Our monthly newsletter sharing Natalie’s favourite brands, the people behind them, and ideas about how we can go that little bit further with our creativity.
Credit: Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid (Quadrille, £30), Photography © Sarah Hogan
Melodi Horne is #OhSoNatalie
Melina Blaxland-Horne is the visionary behind Melodi Horne, a distinguished brand renowned for its bespoke home décor, particularly its exquisite fabric lampshades. I admire her masterful use of colour and choice of large scale ikat fabrics, making each shade a harmonious blend of ‘oldie worldie’ charm and modern twist.
What a wonderful question considering that my work is all about the use of colour which I find very therapeutic. I am especially attracted to green, with pink being a close second! Green is an elegant colour, positive and uplifting, stemming from nature whilst producing the most incredible hues ranging from vibrant emerald to earthy khaki. It’s a colour that I love to see in the home. Pink I find calming, youthful, reminiscent of innocence and love. Soft pink pairs beautifully with all the other colours. Both of these hues tend to feature in my work! Orange is a close third! (But I know I’m pushing it now 😂).
QUESTION 1
What is your favourite colour & why?
We are currently engaged in producing lighting and cushions for an established group of private London clubs. I am particularly excited to be exploring the commercial design sector in my line of work and to be collaborating with an exceptional body of interior designers. You come into contact with large teams of suppliers and manufacturers, you exchange ideas and pick up information along the way, you work with each-other. I particularly enjoy the faster pace of work, the volume and the intensity of it. It is an environment that pushes you to excel, meet tight deadlines, and to quickly adapt to changes along the way. Our top priorities have always been client satisfaction and the quality of our work.
QUESTION 2
What are you working on at the moment that you find exciting?
QUESTION 3
In addition to the beautiful lampshades you are known for, is there anything exciting we should look out for? What lead you to create this?
Additionally, I am developing a new range of dinner table lamps. We have recently also begun offering plain silk lampshades in a stunning array of vibrant colours, alongside our signature collection of Ikat and linen lampshades. I have been designing a fabric collection aimed at producing a new line of table linens and a small furniture collection which is still a work in progress.
I launched Melodi Horne with the intention and a promise to myself that we were going to create pieces we would love to have in our own home, inspired by items that have always brought me joy. I started off producing cushions, designing lighting and lampshades, especially as I have always been fascinated with how lighting and colour affect the mood in a given space. However, in the foreseeable future we are aiming to broaden our range of products to include a carefully curated selection of items for the home.
I’m a dreamer who visualises. I see an object that inspires me and my mind transforms it into so many different possibilities, I have been doing this since childhood. I have always enjoyed analyzing the detail that goes into objects of art and antiques and have been fascinated with form, textures, fabrics and colours ever since I can remember.
Further inspiration comes from travel, visiting manufacturing studios, looking at old textiles, Georgian architecture, the glorious 1970’s period, descriptive literature, nature, visits to historical sites and museums.
QUESTION 4
Where do you go for / what do you do for inspiration?
My ever expanding volume of sketchbooks which serve as a collection of my ideas and designs throughout the different phases of my life. They are the perfect archive filled with colours, visuals and comments. I treasure them because they function as a kind of concept diary and as a positive manifestor. I recall jotting down my company name in my original sketch book long before I realized I would create Melodi Horne!
QUESTION 5
Do you have a cherished object you would never part with? What is it & why?
Follow Melodi Horne on Instagram @MelodiHorne