Laura Ashley comforters bring a special ambiance and a touch of nostalgia to any bedroom.
History Behind the Bedding Designs
You probably know the name Laura Ashley, but may not know the story behind the name. Laura Ashley, a Welsh designer, is known for her outstanding floral designs used in fashions and home furnishings. Born Laura Mountney, she married Bernard Albert Ashley who was later dubbed Sir Bernard in 1949.
First Fabric Designs
Laura Ashley first began designing headscarves, placemats, napkins, and tea-towels. Her husband took these designs and printed them onto fabrics by using a machine he created in their attic.
Audrey Hepburn's Laura Ashley Scarf
In 1953, the couple began printing Victorian patterned headscarves and that same year, Audrey Hepburn wore one of Laura Ashley's scarves in the movie, Roman Holiday. Hepburn had a large fan base that followed her fashion style and her fans were eager to buy Laura Ashley scarves. This fashion craze made Laura Ashley very popular.
Growing the Market
Over the years, the company grew and expanded into an international business. Laura and Sir Bernard added to their company to include signature designs for home furnishings.
Shopping for Laura Ashley Comforters
When you decide to purchase a Laura Ashley comforter, you know that it will be made of the highest quality fabric. A comforter by Laura Ashley has a distinct look that is immediately recognized for style and design. It's very difficult to find just a comforter since most of the comforters come as a set and a few are even available as a bed-in-a-bag ensemble.
Laura Ashley Floral Bouquet Comforters
Laura Ashley is famous for the stylish and chic floral designs that are so reminiscent of the Victorian era. You can find comforters that reflect the wonderful spring colors of yellow and blue combination. This type of design allows you to use the comforter either in a bedroom painted yellow or blue. It also gives you the option to change the wall colors later on if you decide you wish to give your bedroom a new facelift, but still use your favorite comforter. Other floral designs come in soft pinks, purples and yellows.
- Caroline Comforter
- Amberly Quilt
Reversible Comforters
One way to stretch your decorating dollars is to select a comforter that's reversible and have two Laura Ashley looks for the price of one. A floral comforter may have a stripe or different floral on the reversible side.
Patchwork Quilted Comforter Set
A signature style of Laura Ashley designs is the quilted patchwork look. Laura Ashley employs several quilting techniques. One sophisticated quilting form is the use of large square fabric pieces bound together by strips of matching or solid colored fabric. This creates a frame for the blocks of fabrics for a unique patchwork effect. The choices of fabrics range from tiny flowers to large floral prints to stripes.
Mix of Stripes and Floral Designs
Another favorite color combination you'll find in Laura Ashley designs is green. The colors of nature are always prominent in Laura Ashley designs, especially green. You may want to use a floral print that has a green floral background with a stripe border. This combination makes a striking comforter with a crisp Victorian feel.
Country Flair
Laura Ashley is renowned for capturing the feel of a cozy country cottage in fabric designs. You can see this expertise in some of the bedding floral designs that can bring an air of nostalgia to your bedroom. Pale blues and pinks often mingle with soft yellows and whites to remind you of a simpler time when people literally made time to smell the roses. The Sophia Collection exemplifies the country cottage flair signature style that only Laura Ashley can create.
Laura Ashley Design Details
Laura Ashley creations are known for attention to details. There are certain distinguishing design features that quickly identifying a product as bearing the Laura Ashley signature.
Pin-Tucked Pleats
Pin-tucked pleats are a sophisticated sewing technique that gives an air of elegance to a comforter. This construction feature can be added to a patchwork quilted comforter or applied to a simple floral design comforter as a solid-colored border for a very tailored look.
Shirting Fabrics
A shirting fabric is a historical representation of how old shirts were recycled into quilts. Most of the shirting fabrics used in Laura Ashley designs are stripes; however, you may also find plaid, check, seersucker, flannel, or chambray patterns and fabrics. Shirting is used for comforter borders as well as bedskirts.
Ticking Fabric
Ticking fabric was originally used mattresses and pillow coverings. The fabric was about the same weight as denim fabric. The traditional colors were black or blue, but in today's market, it comes in all colors. Laura Ashley incorporates ticking fabrics in some comforters used in patchwork quilted comforters as borders to contrast floral designs.
Lace Embellishments
Lace can turn up in almost any Laura Ashley design but is often a subtle use that may be overlooked at first glance. A good example of this style of lace is the Caitlyn collection. You must look closer to see the unexpected narrow lace accent trim that outlines the seams between the white border and floral panel of the comforter.
Choosing Your Comforter
You can take advantage of some of the clearance items for Laura Ashley designs such as the Josette Collection and realize a significant savings in your comforter purchase.
