Elegant Design
At Decorex last month, we excitingly launched our Blossom Tree Wallpaper in line with our Regency furniture collection. The style that would define this nursery furniture range is elegant with a french ornate feel, oozing femininity. When Lucinda Croft, Managing Director of Dragons was initially searching for a new cot bed and changing unit, she was looking for a beautifully hand crafted cot with panels that would lend itself to being painted, but this wasn't easy to find.
"I visited multiple trade shows and the cot beds, changers and chest of drawers I saw were either not crafted well or you could't order them in the desired quantity and I especially couldn't find one that suited my brief of elegant nursery furniture"
~ Lucinda Croft, Managing Director
Starting the Process
We approached a supplier who we only recently started work with to improve one of our wardrobe designs. Our request of getting them to craft a cot-bed then led on to collaborating with our interior designer, Prima, who prepared sketches and visuals.
Everything was underway with designs translating from paper to craft but there were very many variations since our first prototype didn’t align to the stringent British standards. Health and safety is an obvious concern when it comes to children’s furniture which is why we don’t take-on projects to create bespoke cots.
Between us and the supplier conversations started in October 2015 and the first test happened in January 2017. Having had lots of meetings, amending details like the curves at the headboard and footboard plus technically re-drawing the feet, we nervously sent the cot to be tested. In the summer of that year, the Dragons team were delighted with a pass and finally begin to build some for the showroom floor!
Religiously Hand Crafted
During the process, our supplier worked in a beautiful converted chapel from which they wanted to move. They extended their time there to hand craft our Regency cots...how lucky we felt to have such a brilliant business relationship!
We received our first quantity of stock at Christmas - the same time we made the first sale. It was like a big present for Dragons (except it didn’t come under a tree - but we’re not complaining!)
"I am incredibly happy with the Regency furniture collection; each piece can be repainted in the future and it would be treasured as an heirloom piece"
~ Lucinda Croft, Managing Director
Nursery Furniture Through the Lens
The first photoshoot we did for the collection was in November last year, but the best shoot was this August when the Regency was photographed with our Blossom Tree wallpaper because everything came together as a complete interior - the furniture brush finished in colours from the Dragons soft pastel palette and hand painted falling petals adorned the foot of the cot and drawers of the changer unit.
"Seeing the furniture underneath the mural wallpaper was a brilliant moment for Lucinda and I as it was a goal realised and we love the look!"
~ Prima Patel, Interior Designer
From idea, to sketch, to prototype to FIRA approved and then to shop floor has been a long and thorough process, but it is certainly a collection we are proud of.
View our short film behind the scenes of the Blossom Tree wallpaper photoshoot where our Regency Nursery Furniture collection features.