Interior fashion from Laura Ashley

Feature

Laura Ashley is a lifestyle brand that inspires individuality. It offers a versatile range of home furnishings, including wall coverings, lighting, gifts, bed linen, furniture and made-to-measure curtains and blinds.

The Laura Ashley Home Collection of high quality interior products embodies the Laura Ashley trademarks: feminine, romantic, English and with distinctive colours and patterns. Here's a brief guide to what's in store this summer.

Petersham: This fresh country garden theme captures a sense of spring and nature with the trailing Thea floral design. Texture plays a key part in upholstery, with woven checks such as Clifford and Hamble, while pierced paper shades add a delicate but contemporary touch.

Colours are kept fresh and contrast well with warm neutrals. In the bedroom, the new Mallow design features a delicate butterfly print, creating a bright summery feel. The woven Sutton Stripe and appliquéd Olivia bed linen work well with this relaxed look.

Sunday Best: Bold florals appear in the Cecilia and Constance print, faded tones of chalk pink and neutrals work in harmony with leather or painted furniture. All the ingredients are there to capture the quintessential English look.

Vintage floral postcards are reproduced on the wallpaper and lampshade, adding a sense of nostalgia to the living room. The story continues into the dining room, where beautifully drawn botanical Camille prints and Edwardian-inspired Calista lace provide the perfect setting for a traditional English teatime.

Evocative of times past, table linen, fine etched glassware and rose strewn china bring back memories of Brideshead Revisited. A subtle colour palette of mauve and eau-de-Nil, combined with warm ivory, provides a backdrop to the 1930s-inspired bedroom. Glamorous silks, luxurious jacquard bed linens, glass lighting and mirrored furniture create a modern day boudoir with the Cecilia floral print. The new Rosso lace effect wallpaper adds a delicate touch to bedrooms.

Travel: Travel Living has a more masculine mood with a neutral and charcoal colour palette. Black and cream leather furniture blends with awning stripes and the stunning new Hemingway lacquard, which is also available as a wallpaper. This creates a fantastic backdrop for the dark chestnut Garrat furniture, giving a faded colonial style. Echos of the exotic - a hot climate or a beachside cabin - prevail in the travel bedroom. Thea wallpaper and fabric are re-coloured with accents of turquoise and apple green, also reflected in the Bellamar stripe. Crisp white Hemingway jacquard bed linen is layered with a luxurious Lola silk quilt with stitch and pompom detail.

Casual Dining: Casual Dining continues to be a key collection for Laura Ashley. New for spring and summer 2006 is the Strawberry look. Back from the archive, this design captures the essence of an English summer. It looks terrific mixed with gingham, ticking stripe table linen and hand painted stripe enamelware.

Rosie and polka dot china are carried over to satisfy all those keen to make the kitchen the heart of the home. A sense of wit captures the essential British spirit. Union Jack mugs, teapot clocks, vintage postcard canvases, fabric letters, milk bottle vases and jelly mould bowls all contribute towards this feel.

Children's: All things buccaneer are incorporated into a little boy's bedroom: the new Pirate range features swashbuckling appliqués, stripes and spots with a full range of co-ordinating accessories - everything for the budding Captain Hook and his crew.

For little girls, pink never goes out of fashion, so this season sees the introduction of Bella Butterfly and Josie Bedlinens. Combining pretty crisp whites and cotton vintage prints with smocking detail it's a fairytale hideaway. The new Ballet range provides pink ginghams combined with embroideries of pirouetting dancers and ballet shoes. Finally the Flowers range brings a delicate option into any girl's bedroom.

Picture caption: Come into the garden - the Petersham range captures a sense of spring and nature.