Situated on the first floor of the historic Middleport Pottery, our best quality pottery shop has been run by Jemma Baskeyfield for the past two years. The widespread windows and glimpses of wood and deep green tones make this space bright and beautiful. A natural flair for creativity combined with an extensive knowledge of Burleigh gained over 15 years with the company, Jemma is passionate about creating impactful displays in the shop.
As we enter the vibrant season of autumn, Jemma embarks on updating the various displays in the Factory Shop. Below, Jemma takes us through the process of preparing and arranging the displays, giving us plenty of home inspiration for the autumn season:
This week in the Factory Shop, we are starting to move into autumn which is ironic as a heatwave hits the factory! I am in the process of updating the displays on the upstairs floor and to begin I have focused on the main dresser, theming it around our Flowers of Burleigh collection. In the centre of the room, I am planning a textured arrangement to signify autumn. Before I start any display, I always make a brief drawing to enable me to visualise what I am building. In addition, I make a list of the Burleigh ware that I will be using and any props that will help me to create my scenic display.
Flowers of Burleigh is now set-up on our statement 'Railings Grey' dresser. This dresser is perfect for any of our lighter patterns as it draws out the colour and pattern. I have used simple styling with the jugs displayed uniformly, alongside deep green ivy. I may add some flowers into the display in time, however I am keen to remain as seasonal as possible.
My inspiration for the large central display has been 'inside the Burleigh potting shed'. The important thing as with any of our displays is to show the very best of our pottery. With this in mind, I have worked with our four main 'all over' blue and white patterns: Burgess Chintz, Felicity, Arden, and of course Calico. These all beautifully mix together, plus they can sit well against bold autumnal colours.
In preparation for the display, I visited our florist supplier and was laden with everything I needed including deep red oak leaves, soft brown foliage, and vivid yellow sunflowers. As with many of our displays we try to present a seasonal look at the start of a season, which can be difficult when it comes to sourcing props – I would recommend shopping around and visiting craft and art stores, florists and markets. I was very pleased to locate the English grown sunflowers as they are very on-trend at the moment. I combined my purchases with wooden crates and sets of terracotta pots and even before they are in place, I can envisage the look and feel of the display, eye-catchingly depicting autumn.
Overall, I am very happy with the final look of this display. I always tend to make the final touches to the look over the first few days of setting it up as I become acquainted with the style of the display, and how it fits within the shop.
Top tip: mixing fresh flowers with some good quality silk flowers and foliage always helps keep everything looking great for a while. As each season changes you can keep everything in the cupboard ready to see what could be recycled the following year.