Flare Street Blog

19th century inspo

From shag carpets to conversation pits, vintage design and architecture at it's finest!

February 19, 2024 10:00

Join us on this little voyage into the living spaces of the past, where fashion and architecture dance together in perfect harmony.
Tags: 1960s fashion, 1970s, 1970sarchitecture, 19th century inspo, 60s, 70s, 70s design, 70s music, bellbottoms, design, mcm, sunken couches, sunken living rooms, vintage fashion

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Step back in time with artist Nolan Pelletier

October 2, 2018 13:42

Early this year, Nolan’s beautiful artwork caught our eye as the backdrop to an Anna Sui runway show. We fell in love, reposting the wonderful colours and motifs on our Instagram story for days... We couldn’t get it out of our head, and so we trawled through Nolan’s Instagram page, falling in love with his delicately hand drawn pieces and ability to draw on 1960’s inspirations, whilst creating a whole new world from them!

We couldn’t wait to have our own Flare Street exclusive by him! Chatting about the main 60’s influences, art styles and favourite vintage fabrics we love, it didn’t take long to start creating the magic!

Below is our latest interview with Nolan, chatting all about his influences, inspirations, things he loves as well as some of our favourite images by him...

What is your favourite music genre?

C-86 and other jangly guitar pop. I love all the 80s UK bands from that era (Orange Juice, the Pastels, the Brilliant Corners) and also listen to a lot of New Zealand and Australian pop from the 80s and 90s (Flying Nun Records, the Cannanes, the Church). Australia has done a great job of carrying that flame, and a lot of my favorite modern bands are Australian: Tam Vantage, The Stevens, Chook Race and a long list of others.

Where did you get the inspiration for this print from?

I collect a lot of inspiration images from auction listings, antique catalogues, and antique textiles. This print for Flare Street is based on a 19th century stained glass window. I love taking old elements and giving them new life.

What is your routine as an artist?

I like digging around my library of books, and online inspiration from various auction sites and archive.org. I usually start with an older piece of art for inspiration, and start drawing, all the while refining, adding designs, patterns, and other elements until the original source material is unrecognisable. Once the basic layout is complete, I go in and add detail, then more detail, and then even more detail until the whole picture is vibrating with pattern and colour.

What is your favourite style - personal as well as artistic?

I love what I call "Psychedelic Victorian"—art and design from the 50s, 60s, and 70s that takes inspiration from Victorian designs but modernises it with electric colours and a clean design. My wife and I live in a Victorian row house covered in shag carpets, plants, spaghetti lamps, and antique books. My personal style is a lot of patterns, golds, mustards, and oranges—corduroy jackets, and vintage western wear.

If you could describe your first impression of our flares in one word, what would it be?

Luxe!

You can find more of Nolan's work on his website here and Instagram here!

And if you haven't already checked them out, the designs on our Chiara Flares by Nolan can be found here in our latest Tuscan Dreams release.

Tags: 1960 flares, 19th century inspo, antique, flare street, flares, hand drawn design, illustration, John Alcorn, Nolan Pelletier designs, velvet flares, vintage

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