Wool House at Somerset House

Wool House at Somerset House is full of innovative textiles, garments and furniture and is a showcase for all the different uses, textures and colours of wool. Organised by the Campaign for Wool and curated by Arabella McNie, Wool House is supported by many well known designers and companies.

Yarns for weaving.
Photo by Emma Vining

Mood board by Damson and Slate
Photo by Emma Vining

The Saville Row room came complete with a pinstripe upholstered chair, a cupboard full of paper garment blocks and fabric samples and fabulous examples of what can be made with the wonderful wool fabrics.

Pinstripe Chair
Photo by Emma Vining

Paper garment blocks and wool fabrics
Photo by Emma Vining

Photo by Emma Vining

Featured fashion designers included Mark Fast, with a stunning wool dress and Vivienne Westwood with eye catching platform shoes.

Dress by Mark Fast
Photo by Emma Vining

Shoes by Vivienne Westwood
Photo by Emma Vining

Tapestry work by Claudy Jongstra was set in a big space where there was room to appreciate the scale of the pieces. A nearby table had samples of the yarns used that could be touched and handled to feel the quality of the wool.

Tapestry - Composition Blue and Composition Yellow by Claudy Jongstra
Photo by Emma Vining

Yarns used by Claudy Jongstra
Photo by Emma Vining

The Classic Drawing Room designed by Fox Linton Associates contained a stunning array of features, including beautiful winged pendants by Kate Ramsey and the amazing dress by Kong Fanfan made from recycled DVDs that I had seen in a Selfridges window display a few week earlier.

Classic Drawing Room by Fox Linton Associates
Photo by Emma Vining

Winged Pendants by Kate Ramsey
Photo by Emma Vining

Dress by Kong Fanfan
Photo by Emma Vining

The Modern Room was created by Anne Kyyro-Quinn. Working with felted wool, she has explored cutting and folding to create visually stunning effects. The curved wall with three dimensional felted wool stripes has acoustic sound absorbing properties.

Manipulated felt cushions by Anne Kyyro-Quinn
Photo by Emma Vining

Curved wall with 3D felted panels by Anne Kyyro-Quinn
Photo by Emma Vining

In complete contrast to the bright modern room, Josephine Ryan created the Natural Room, full of fabulous cables on garments and furniture!

The Natural Room by Josephne Ryan
Photo by Emma Vining

Cables in the Natural Room
Photo by Emma Vining

Other rooms featured include the Nursery by Donna Wilson, the Snug by Arabella McNie, the Study by Ashley Hicks, the Bedroom by Kit Kemp and the Entrance Lobby. The Hallways display had incredibly long wool runners which fitted perfectly into the elegant corridors of Somerset House.

Masai Indigo Runner by Roger Oats.
Photo by Emma Vining 

Infinity by Cristian Zuzunaga
Photo by Emma Vining

The Campaign for Wool was launched in 2010 by it's patron, HRH The Prince of Wales. It is a way of uniting farmers, leading brands, retailers and the international wool textile industry to promote real wool as a sustainable fibre for fashion, interiors and the built environment. Wool House at Somerset House has certainly covered all of this in a unique and inspiring way.

Image from the Campaign for Wool website