PHOTOGRAPHS: ALAMY
IT HELPS TO START SMALL;
ONE SIMPLE IDEA CAN BE
EXPLORED AND EXPANDED
AND SOON TRANSLATED
INTO AN ENTIRE DESIGNSTEPHANIE COUTAS
FOR TAI PING“I wanted a design that could
work over a large scale,
something spectacular but
not too bold or obvious.
I started with the gardens
at Versailles and the pattern
formed by the layout of part
of the garden.
“It’s a motif that people
know well so I didn’t want to
replicate it exactly. The layout
is the same but I redesigned
some of the pieces. When
you look at the finished
design you don’t see the
garden exactly, but you know
the design references.”Swirls from the gardens at
Versailles (top) were adapted
for the pattern of a bespoke
rug. The designer’s sketches
informed a new collection73