Laura Ashley tiles
19/05/2011
Laura Ashley tiles are a distinct range of tiles that are designed to complement the ranges of furniture and fabrics available on the High Street.
The Laura Ashley brand name is well known for fashion and home furnishings. The company was started in the 1953 by Laura and Bernard Ashley as a home business printing patterns onto fabric. The story goes that Laura wanted to make her own patchwork quilts but could not find any suitable fabrics so decided to produce her own.
The first business venture was in headscarves, popular at the time and sufficiently small for them to produce at home, and the business changed name to Laura Ashley in 1954. By 1928 they had expanded sufficiently to open a showroom in London. They started producing dresses after a company move to Wales and then a London shop in 1968 and in the next 10 years expanded greatly in ladies fashion.
The shift to home furnishings started in the 1980’s with a full home furnishings catalogue in 1981. The business was floated after Laura’s unexpected death in 1985 and continued with the same deign ethos to build up a range of shops and ranges for home furnishings. Today the business has a strong brand name which symbolises a characteristic design and they have loyal followers in both fashion and home furnishings.
Although the home furnishings started with fabrics, the range now encompasses other decorations such as tiles. There are now several ranges of Laura Ashley tiles which include Isadore tiles, Highgate tiles, plus ranges under the names of Canterbury, Malvern and Cambridge. These are available from online stores such as Walls and Floors or Webtiles.
