2019-08-01_Country_Homes_&_Interiors.

shoppingatYorkracecoursecarbootsale
andspent£800onvintagefabric– Katy’s
aestheticis layeringandcombiningdifferent
stylesoffabric– butweweren’tusedto
spendingsucha largeamountofmoney.’
Thecouplehadtwomonthstogetthe
10 parasolscompleted.‘Weendedup
assemblingtheparasolframesthe night
beforeGlastonbury!’saysKaty.
MarkHomewood,thebuyerforDesigners
Guild,andJosiedaBank,thecreative
directorofBestival,thenspottedthe
parasols,too.‘WhenDesignersGuild
orderedourparasolstosellintheirshop
thatwasa greatsealofapproval,’saysKaty.
Havingmarriedandhadtheirson,Sylvester,
in 2011, Katy and Charlie decided to move

downtoCornwalltobeclosertofamily,

andgrowtheirparasolbusinessthere.

ThenameSunbeamJackiewaschosenas

it wasa nicknameofa friendoftheirs.‘It

wasn’tdescriptiveofanything– wedidn’t

wanttodescribewhatwedidina namein

casewedecidedtodosomethingdifferent

• it wasourfirstlessoninbranding,’says
  Charlie.Charlie’sfatherwrotethename
  outandthatbecamethelogodesign.
  Productionoftheparasolscontinued
  inNorthumberland.‘Wewererentingthe
  parasolsoutatfestivals,weddingsand
  seasonalevents,whilewefiguredoutwhatto
  do,’saysCharlie.Thecoupleneededtothink
  aboutgrowingthebusinessandchoosing
  theirmarket.‘Wedecidedtousespecialised
  no-expense-sparedashpoleswithstainless
  steelmadebylocalcraftsmeninCornwall
  andthatwoulddefineourmarket.Sowe
  redesignedtheparasolsandgotEuropean
  fundingtobuilda website,’saysCharlie.
  KatyandCharlieboughta farminWest
  Cornwallandsetupa workshopinthegrain
  storethere.TheywenttoseeLibertybuyer
  BruceLepereandheordered 12 onthespot.
  JudyHutson,ownerofThePigHotels,then
  orderedsomeparasolsandit wasthestart
  ofanotherworkingrelationship.Sunbeam
  Jackienowalsosuppliestolotsofhotels,
  includingSohoHouse,andinteriordesigners
  aroundtheworld.‘We’vealwaysknown
  wheretheproductneedstobeseen– these
  areourbullseyes,’saysCharlie.‘We’veslowly
  builtthoseconnections.Weknewthequality
  wasthereintermsofthemanufacture.
  ‘Parasolsina commercialenvironmentget
  alotofuseandwe’venowdesignedtextile
  printsonoutdoorfabricbasedonthevintage
  aesthetic,’saysCharlie.‘Thereare 35 nuts
  andboldsand 84 rivetsineveryparasol
  sotheylookquiteengineered.’
  ‘Welovewhatwedo,’saysKaty.’We’re
  workingforourselvesinbeautifulsurroundings.’
  SunbeamJackie,07590 019835,
  sunbeamjackie.com

❝

weappreciatethatthebusinessgives

usthe opportunitytomakeour living

asartistsandthe freedomof

working for ourselves

❞

Katylovestolayer

differentpatterns

and designs

What we love about our work...