Introducing Curate

Curate is Warwick’s new partnership with printed pattern where artists, styles and emerging technologies will be explored, producing fabric designs that embrace past and present, showcasing styles, trends and artists with a blend of traditional techniques and digital innovation.

“We believe the paradigm is beginning to change across all market segments, and we are seeing far more interest in pattern, if you look at the historical cycles in design, whenever pattern becomes more prevalent it always begins with print, which offers dimension, flexibility, diversity, and excitement. Curate will be our opportunity to inject these elements into the changing market expectation offering high performance, beautiful design, and colour at exceptional value”. - Cameron Warwick

How Did Patterns Start? A Simple Look at Pattern Design History

Patterns have been a part of human culture for thousands of years, with origins tracing back to ancient civilisations. Geometric designs were used by the Mesopotamians where repetition of shapes such as triangles, squares and circles decorated objects like pottery. Ancient Egypt used pattern extensively in their art and architecture and Ancient Greece produced intricate mosaics on floors and buildings, and more infamously the Greek key, a border designed with a continuous, maze-like style that was both decorative and symbolic representing the eternal flow of things.

The Baroque period introduced a dramatic and opulent style of floral design. Grand scale, asymmetry with rich, deep colours. Borchelli is a modernised example of this where its velvet-like texture creates a lush, theatrical effect reflecting the period’s extravagance, and its oversized floral elements coordinated with an authentic take on the periods’ palette where deep reds, golds, dark greens and purples symbolise the era.

In the 19th century, the Arts and Crafts movement emerged, advocating for a return to traditional craftsmanship and the beauty of simplicity following the Industrial Revolution. This movement has continued to influence design styles where the value of creativity, individuality and the connection between uniqueness and functionality has created its legacy. Inspired by nature using stylised flowers, leaves and birds, the pattern influence of this era is based on repetition and harmonious compositions.

Healesville is one of Warwick’s newest additions to the Curate portfolio with an Arts and Crafts Australiana theme embracing the exquisite hand-painted floral style of Jayne Branchflower. Inspired by her upbringing in the Yara Valley, Jayne’s personalised interpretation showcases the beauty of the Australian landscape with an artistic sincerity.

Modernism burst into the 20th century, revolutionizing design with the introduction of bold, geometric patterns heavily influenced by Art Deco. This movement embraced sleek, streamlined aesthetics that mirrored the industrial advancements of the machine age, bringing together luxury and progress. Chevron, zigzag motifs, stylized florals, and abstract forms became defining features of the era, creating a visual language that was both sophisticated and forward-thinking. Art Deco's impact extended beyond mere decoration, shaping interiors, fashion, and architecture with a blend of opulence and modernity that still resonates today.

Making designs stand out

In contemporary design, patterns are continuing their transformation, especially where digital technology has opened-up accessibility to allow for greater customisation, flexibility and responsiveness to market trends. The curate portfolio will celebrate pattern design from all eras, while using technology to push the boundaries of conventional fabric design, where innovative creativity, texture and imagination can showcase artists, colours and influences from around the world that can then be easily incorporated into the home and throughout commercial spaces.

Sheffield is another one of Curate’s first collections, hand-drawn exclusively in the Warwick Melbourne Design Studio. A collection that is as romantic as it is fun where paisley, damask, stripes, ditsy and large-scale floral produce a contemporary sophistication with a 19th century twist.  

“We can look to the past or future and instantly change the mood of a space by telling stories through the pattern choices that we make. We can be measured, safe and traditional, or bold bright, and exuberant. The beauty of pattern is that it is for everyone, it’s just a matter of what choices we make, and what story we are trying to tell” - Luciana Wallis, Head of the Melbourne Design studio.

Pattern design is not just decorative art, but a mirror of cultural evolution where its roots remain deeply connected to the stories and traditions of the past, while capturing the expressions of a creative, and contemporary society. Curate will bridge these worlds with a dynamic portfolio that will inspire designers, makers, and end-users with its limitless possibilities.

Explore our Curate Portfolio and uncover a curated selection of patterned fabric designs.