Roger Thomas Designs Needlepoint Pillows for Fromental 
Distinguished Designer Creates Four Pillow Concepts Inspired by Venetian Architecture

| London, UK - April 3, 2023 |  Roger Thomas, the former 40 year design lead of Wynn Resorts, has expanded his partnership with Fromental, the London-based design studio known for their lavishly handcrafted wallcoverings, to include four new needlepoint pillow designs as part of their new Objects Collection of cushions, wallhangings and decorative artworks.

“Needlepoint is seen as a very domestic craft, but I became obsessed with the idea of elevating it to something very special. I knew the time was right when two needlepoint furniture pieces by Pierre Chareau and Jean Lurçat fetched eye-watering prices at Christie’s. That was the green light to really go for it,” says Lizzie Deshayes, co-founder and Design Director of Fromental.

Both veterans of the needlepoint craft, Fromental co-founder Lizzie Deshayes, invited Thomas to join Fromental’s latest initiative of decorative objects, specifically needlepoint, a technique very close to Thomas’ heart. Designed to be arranged together, each one is created from sketches recorded in Thomas' sketchbook; mostly shapes seen in Venetian architecture. The cushions are embroidered by hand in Fromental’s Calcutta studio, using a stretcher-mounted linen canvas and a basketweave stitch, to create the diagonal grain seen in the tapestry finish.

“It’s important to know that each one of these pillows have been created by hand in exactly the same way I created the originals,” says designer Roger Thomas. He continues, “I believe that the more interaction there is with the hand and the object, the more soul a piece acquires.”

Belgrave
Inspired by swan neck molding, Belgrave incorporates the elegance of the style’s sinuous lines. The fallen string and checkerboard motifs are improvisations that came to Thomas while he was stitching the original pillow.

Bloomsbury
Inspired by the designer’s travels to London, Bloomsbury represents the silhouettes of various moldings from classic Georgian architecture. The background is an homage to the tweeds historically woven throughout the British isles that are part of Thomas’ personal heritage.

Hampstead + Soho
Hampstead and Soho are centered on a spiral motif, the first motif drawn by humans, with examples dating back to early prehistoric marks. The division of the background and the superimposed patterns were inspired by the cubist paintings of Picasso and Braque, representing the beginning of modern art. 

Handmade by Fromental’s extraordinary craftsmen, the pieces are available in limited numbers, exclusively at fromental.co.uk.

About the Roger Thomas Collection 
Renowned designer and Executive Vice President Emeritus of Design and Development at Wynn Hotels and Resorts, Roger Thomas, founded Roger Thomas Collection as a source for home, luxury, and outdoor design. The company has completed award-winning licensed designs with twenty-three esteemed brands, such as Quintus, Speakman, Fabric Innovations, Rocky Mountain Hardware, Samuel & Sons, Labrazel, Global Views, Boyd Lighting, Walters, and Koroseal. The Roger Thomas Collection features products that are hand-sketched and designed by Thomas, a member of the prestigious AD100, Interior Design Hall of Fame and Hospitality Design Platinum Circle, for residential and hospitality environments. For more information, visit https://therogerthomascollection.com/.

About Fromental
Fromental are makers of hand-painted, embroidered, and printed wallcoverings, framed artworks and objects. Founded by designer-makers Tim Butcher and Lizzie Deshayes in 2005, the business’s ethos is rooted in a deep love and respect for beauty. Beauty is fundamental to a good life, and Fromental's artists empower each customer and collaborator to welcome it generously into their every day.