Scottish design studio Timorous Beasties is to open a brand new Edinburgh showroom alongside the bold new Stucco Collection
When we spoke to Timorous Beasties co-founders Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons in August 2023, they told us that despite having opened a showroom in London (launched during Clerkenwell Design Week) and taking on work with some of the world’s biggest brands and artists from Nike to Kate Bush, that they were still “hungry for more”.
Now, nearly one year after our interview, Alistair and Paul certainly have delivered more.
Timorous Beasties comes to Edinburgh
You will find a brand new Timorous Beasties showroom sitting proudly on the corner where two of Edinburgh’s most notable New Town streets meet, Northumberland Street and Dundas Street.
Surrounded by art galleries, boutiques and design studios, the exterior boasts a subtle grandeur; sleek, contemporary and totally at home amongst the period buildings in Edinburgh’s bustling new town.
The interior, you’ll be glad to know, is expected to be bold and theatrical – and completely true to the self-described “savagely beautiful” style that the Timorous Beasties brand is celebrated for.
Edinburgh and the New Town in particular has very spacious homes with period detailing that can really showcase our designs at scale
The 2,500 sq ft space covers ground and lower level floors that will house the entire Timorous Beasties collection. Tall windows flood the ground floor space with natural light, highlighting every detail of Timorous Beasties’ tasteful maximalist wallpapers, fabrics and accessories.
On the low-level floor is a series of lifestyle room sets that allow customers to see design concepts in context whilst browsing through sample books and seeking advice from the Timorous Beasties team.
To celebrate the launch, there will be new urban toile ceramic designs exclusive to Edinburgh as well as a number of limited edition cushions.
Timorous Beasties co-founder Alistair McAuley says that Edinburgh’s New Town is a natural habitat for the brand. “Edinburgh and the New Town in particular has very spacious homes with period detailing that can really showcase our designs at scale. This destination space will allow us to showcase the full breadth of our wallpaper and fabric collections.
“In addition to selecting unique products for their home interiors and receive one-to-one design and colour advice from our team, we want our customers to enjoy an immersive experience and gain a better understanding of over 30 years of Timorous Beasties pattern and print heritage.”
Introducing the Stucco Collection
Timorous Beasties has also released its Stucco Collection, a distinctive new collection of fabrics and wallpapers, featuring unexpected colour palettes printed on natural and woven fabrics.
Inspired by Victorian textile design and more modern spiritual art, Stucco’s initial design story was a tongue in cheek take on Le Corbusier’s declaration on ‘The Law of Ripolin’ in which the famous architect declared that whitewashed walls had a spiritual and moral cleansing power.
Not in this collection.
The Stucco designs are not merely prints for drapes and wallpaper, they are works of art. The collection is true to the bold and brilliant Timorous Beasties style, using multimedia printing techniques and deep colours to bring true power to any room.
Co-founder Paul paints the picture, “We imagined a new beginning, where all around us, pattern on pattern clutters our minds to the point where the oversaturation becomes overwhelming.
“We envisioned moving into a new house and painting and decorating everything in white, but this time – to Le Corbusier’s horror – we would use ornate plasterwork and damasks as a reference and paint and print over everything with thick opaque ink.”
To Le Corbusier’s horror, we would use ornate plasterwork and damasks as a reference and paint and print over everything with thick opaque ink
Paul continues, “Wallpapers become covered, only leaving parts of patterns seen, the paint begins to crack and split, so that only sections manage to peek through.”
The Stucco collection will be expanded throughout 2024 with a range of complimentary accessories to be exhibited in their Edinburgh New Town showroom.
Be sure to catch the Timorous Beasties team at Dundee Design Festival from 23rd-29th September – the perfect place to see designs up close and speak to the creative minds behind the brand.
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