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When our co-founder Caroline visited Guatemala for the first time, she instantly felt inspired by the people, colours, architecture and craftsmanship of this wonderful country. This trip, alongside her great great grandmother Lilly De Jongh Osborne's collection of rare Mesoamerican textiles, arts and crafts, set the foundation for Wicklewood’s 'Originals' collection. On our first anniversary, we want to look back and reminisce about how it all started and where we found the inspiration to launch Wicklewood. Discover the history behind four of our most iconic cushions on today’s blog post. Antigua Antigua was the very first place that Caroline visited in Guatemala and she was instantly mesmerised by this fascinating place. A hub of highly skilled artisans and craftsmanship, Antigua served as a constant inspiration for Wicklewood’s first collection in general and for our eponymous cushion. |
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| Our Antigua oblong cushion in dark pink and two photographs that our founder took during her travels. |
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Palopo On the edge of Lake Atitlán sits Casa Palopó, an intimate escape steeped in Guatemalan design details. The amazing view of the Lake, the mountains in the backdrop and the colourful architecture and interiors of this hotel were the starting point for our Palopo design, a multicoloured zigzag inspired by original Guatemalan weaving motifs. |
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| Our pink multicoloured Palopo cushion and two images from the colourful Casa Palop ó hotel. |
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Laguna It was the stunning colours of the Lake Atitlán’s view from Casa Palopó and the surrounding villages that inspired the design of this handwoven ikat cushion. ‘I remember vividly the bright and cheerful colours of the buildings in villages like San Juan and San Pedro La Laguna as well as the clothes that everyone was wearing- so intricately woven and colourful that was hard not to feel inspired.’ |
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| Wicklewood's Laguna cushion and images taken from Caroline's travels |
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Caballo The design of the Caballo cushion, a Wicklewood favourite, was inspired by designs found in Lilly De Jongh Osborne’s collection as well as the traditional celebration of All Saints in Todos Santos Cuchumantanes in Huehuetenango known as Carrera de las Animas. Every November 1st, this village celebrates a horse race where the riders dress in elaborate costumes boasting feathers in their hats and special jackets. The riders try to stay on their horse all day, doing rounds on the 328-foot track while drinking agua ardiente (booze) all day long. |
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| Our iconic oversized square Caballo cushion, a horse sculpture that caught Caroline's eye during her trip and an image from the horse race in Huehuetenango (Credit: Byron Villatoro) |
