New design showroom opens in Edinburgh on Thursday

July 17, 2024 4:56 pm

Timorous Beasties, the internationally acclaimed and multi-award-winning studio renowned for its unique maximalist designs, star power brand collaborations, and global fan base, will open a major new retail showroom in Edinburgh on Thursday morning.

Located at 35 Northumberland Street in the New Town, the two-storey showroom, spanning 2,500 sq. ft. will open to the public at 10am on 18 July.

The entire Timorous Beasties collection will be on display – a portfolio of more than 500 original designs. The complete collection will include the luxury wallpapers, fabrics and home accessories that the firm is known for, as well as smaller gift items for the home – each distinctly edgy design embodying the covetable elegance, chic irreverence and cult status of Timorous Beasties.

These are some of the highlights of their collection so far:

THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND BANK NOTES

Illustrating new bank notes for Scotland was one of the biggest public design projects of its kind ever undertaken. ‘The People’s Money’ campaign by the Royal Bank of Scotland saw Timorous Beasties’ incredible illustrations roll out across the pioneering ‘Fabric of Nature’ series of bank notes. Considered to be pocket size works of art, the unique campaign sees notes that are full of meaning and part of a monetary family celebrating the people, achievements and nature of Scotland. In keeping with the unmistakable world of Timorous Beasties – where plants, animals and society are visually inextricable – the studio’s illustrative work can be seen across otters, mackerel, red squirrels, and of course, midges!

SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, is one of Edinburgh’s most outstanding buildings. And so, when in 2011 the gallery re-opened following a period of dramatic renovation, Timorous Beasties was commissioned to create a collection of home accessories inspired by some of the gallery’s most iconic portraits. To help mark the union of old and new, Timorous Beasties included Robert Burns, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Queen Anne, Mary Queen of Scots, and James VI across the studio’s striking project.
Timorous Beasties is counting down to the reveal of a new Panoramic Mural wallpaper at 35 Northumberland Street; a remarkable design which will scale out across future spaces and places to spectacular effect.

NETJETS

Timorous Beasties’ global presence went sky high – literally – when, in 2015, private aviation company, NetJets, commissioned the studio to create a tail-wrap for its signature Challenger 350 jet. Following NetJets’ red, white and blue signature stripe, Timorous Beasties replaced the stripes with a design championing the ‘unsung heroes’ of the insect world: moths. Applied in a striking geometric arrangement on the tail of the jet, a fleet of moths complemented the notion of air travel. The artful collaboration took two months to design, ten hours to apply, and made its debut at Art Basel, Switzerland – the world’s leading art fair – to significant acclaim.

The final touches are being added ahead of the Edinburgh showroom opening to the public on Thursday the 18th of July at 10am.

The showroom experiences’ visitors will enjoy as they journey throughout 35 Northumberland Street include a showcase of Timorous Beasties’ new Stucco collection of elegant wallcoverings and fabrics, and lifestyle vignettes guaranteed to excite and inspire. The Timorous Beasties team will be on hand to offer a Design Consultation service with sample books available to browse, as well as a dedicated meeting space for trade clients.

Alistair McAuley, co-founder of Timorous Beasties, said: “We are delighted to be opening this new showroom in Edinburgh, our second retail space in Scotland, and the home city of many of our loyal and longstanding customers. This destination two-storey space on Northumberland Street, in the vibrant and creative heart of the capital’s New Town neighbourhood, will allow us to showcase the full depth and breadth of Timorous Beasties’ collections.

“In addition to selecting our unique products for home interiors, and receiving personalised one-to-one design and colour advice from our expert and passionate team, we hope our customers will enjoy the experience the new showroom will offer. With over 30 years of Timorous Beasties’ pattern and print heritage on display, this is a wonderful and timely opportunity for the public to view the studio’s body of work in its entirety for the first time, and have the opportunity to purchase their favourite Timorous Beasties designs.”