Flax Flower

9 × 9 cm

A little flower made from the very plant it celebrates. Our Flax Flower has become one of our most popular pieces, with five softly rounded petals, delicate metallic embroidery and a sparkling centre. Little faux pearls and curling gold lines bring our own decorative touches to this stylised bloom.

It’s based on the flower of flax, the plant from which linen is made. Its five delicately thin petals, in soft blue or white, are a beautiful sight in the fields in July. Although it has this particular connection to our cloth, it could simply be a favourite flower to anyone—a little bloom to enjoy for its shape, colour and detail.

It holds a particularly special place in our collection, too. The flax flower also features in the Northern Ireland Assembly’s logo, making it a fitting choice for the corporate gifts they’ve commissioned from us at Stormont for several years now. There’s a beautiful connection to the fabric inside Parliament Buildings, too, where sumptuous, silky blue vintage Irish Linen damask adorns the walls. Who knows which visiting dignitaries, members of royalty or celebrated guests might have taken one of our flowers home over the years? It’s a lovely thought that these little linen flowers may have travelled far beyond our studio, carrying a small piece of our heritage with them.

Amongst our photographs, you’ll find one of me in a flax field just twenty minutes’ drive from home, taken in 2015. The field belongs to brothers Felix and Eugene, local farmers who grow flax more as a pastime than a commercial crop. Very little flax is grown for linen in Ireland today, which makes their field feel all the more special. I’ve visited a few times since and always enjoy chatting to them; they tell the most wonderful stories.

One that stayed with me was their description of swans coming down to land on the flowering field, mistaking that great expanse of blue bloom for a lake. What a sight that must have been.

They always send me home with a bundle of dried flax to use as a prop in my photoshoots, too. I’ve also included a photograph of some little flower heads I pressed and have used in my photography—a way of keeping those delicate blooms a little longer.

Our linen version can stay in flower all year round. Hang it amongst spring branches, add it to an Easter tree or let it sparkle on the Christmas tree. A thoughtful little gift for a flower lover, and a particularly fitting keepsake for anyone who shares our affection for Irish Linen.

If you like this little flower, you might also enjoy our Original Rose, Dewy Rose, Tulip, Sparkly Gold Tulip and Daffodil—a little linen garden to gather throughout the year.

Our Irish Linen

Our luxury artisan decorations are handcrafted from beautiful Irish Linen, thoughtfully sourced from a mixture of vintage fabrics, local mill deadstock, repurposed antique tablecloths and offcuts from our own cushion making. We also work with a small number of wonderful Irish linen mills, including one of the last remaining linen mills still active in Ireland today, carefully selecting fabrics for their colour, texture and character.