Have you discovered the Black Parrots?

Whilst surfing the internet world wide web machine, I came across this company and OMG, what can I say!  They design and sell the most amazing wallpaper, fabrics, cushions and wall lights. So rather than keep this to myself, I had to share. I recently visited their offices in Brighton and I have to say, seriously these ladies have got it all. Not only are they super talented but their incredibly nice too. Honestly, you couldn’t dislike them if you wanted too.

So if you’ve not heard about Black Parrots and love interiors then your seriously missing out, so here’s a little bit about them.

Brief Biog (including background)

Sarah’s background has been in garden design and successfully ran an award-winning company, Sussex Garden, for 15 years, with clients all over the UK and Italy. In 2016, Sarah turned her passion onto interiors and won BBC 2’s Great Interior Design Challenge.

Alexa trained as a guilder with a background in furniture, lighting and jewellery design. She’s always had a passion for fashion and has successfully designed & launched her own jewellery range. In 2014, Alexa was named a Nex Gems in the Professional Jeweller Hot 100. Her ranges have been stocked in both Harrods and Selfridges and has regularly featured in the fashion press.

How did you guys meet?

Alexa:  We met about 15 years ago through a mutual friend. It was one of those things where a friend says ‘oh you would really get on with another friend’ and then we took years to actually finally meet! We’ve delved into various ideas as businesses over the years. We had been thinking about a lighting company. And with my history in lighting design and our shared passion for lighting it seemed like a natural choice. But it was only when Sarah was working on the Great Interior Design Challenge we started talking about the idea of setting up in the world of interiors. So that’s when the cheese plant light was born and was trailed in the final’s of GIDC.

So, for the first year we concentrated on our setting up an interior design business and our second year was about designing our own products.

Why the name Black Parrots?

Sarah: Coming up with a name for our company was harder than naming our kids! We both had to agree and we both had an opinion. We couldn’t use our surnames as it didn’t sound quite right (Mitchenall & De Castilho).

Alexa’s children’s middle names all have an association with colours. We like black, and for us it means the end, the full stop. Plus everything goes with black.

And as for parrots. We didn’t want to be too serious. We’ve always had birds in our business names, our first business was called Budgie! And Alexa’s childhood was spent in the tropics. So coupled with all this and being colourful women, we finally agreed with Black Parrots.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Sarah: Travel is key. We’re both keen travellers so we seek our inspiration from all the places we’ve visited and would love to visit. Hence, our tropical and animal themes.

Alexa: Fashion is also a key inspiration for us. Admittedly, I’m a little obsessed with fashion and follow Fashion Week religiously. I love to see what people are wearing and sharing and  fashion colour palette’s definitely inspire our interiors.

What’s your own personal interior style?

Sarah: I’d love to find another word that’s not eclectic, but I guess that’s what I am. I like my interiors to evolve. I love colourful floral patterns. I’m not at all classic.

Alexa: I’m more classic and love the 70’s. I’m the class and Sarah’s the kitch (smiling lots)! I love how a room makes you feel and I gravitate towards interiors that help enhance that feeling.

What’s the best project you’ve worked on and why?

Sarah & Alexa: It has to be the hotel in Mallorca. It has been the biggest and steepest learning curve for both of us. It was a beautiful brief for a boutique hotel. We designed everything from scratch and that’s when we started designing our own patterns. The project lasted about a year and during that time we learnt so much about what we liked and how we could incorporate our learning with our clients and product offering.

What’s next for you lovely ladies?

Alexa: We have a new collection coming out in Spring 2018 which we are currently working on and very excited about.

Sarah: A key driver for our business is to continue to make interiors more accessible. And by this I mean, giving people the confidence that they can have interiors that are aspirational. We are our target audience and we will continue to provide ideas & products that are both beautiful and affordable.

So now you’ve met them, check out some of their amazing products.

I love this jungle wallpaper it’s just amazing! Most certainly makes me feel like I’m on holiday.

Wall sconces (or scones as I like to call them) are definitely making a big come back. Love Monstera plants, but don’t have green fingers, then don’t worry grab yourself one of these. At least you won’t kill it.

And finally you can’t have too many cushions, so here are a few of my favourites.

 

 

And here’s a couple of cushions in my study, I absolutely love the different textures and colours. Amazing!

And let’s not forget their amazing fabrics.

Want to see more, then check out Black Parrots for their full range of products and interior design service.