Florence Broadhurst cushions from John Lewis

Hot to trot: stunning new Florence Broadhurst-designed cushions from John Lewis (the fabric's reversable - the other side is black with cream outlines). Fans of the designer include Stella McCartney.

John Lewis has just started selling these lovely Florence Broadhurst cushions. But who is Florence Broadhurst?

I first heard about the inspiring and glamorous Australian singer/dress designer/artist/ fabric designer (1899-1977) a couple of years ago, when my very stylish sister-in-law, Michelle, who lives in Sydney, sent a link to an Australian website, Signature Prints, which had exclusively begun reprinting Broadhurst's fabrics. 

She suggested I pick one out and she'd send it over as a birthday present, perhaps I could get some cushion covers made... Which I did (thanks to my very talented friend, Camilla). And the fabric I picked - from the fantastic array on SP's site - was this stunning double-sided horse print: Stampede. And clearly great minds think alike - as that's the one John Lewis picked for their Florence Broadhurst debut, too. But Broadhurst was prolific...

Signature Prints sells a vast array of Florence Broadhurst's fabric designs, some of which you can see above. The couple behind the website found all the prints in a storage space and now reproduce them all by hand, usingthe original screens. They do them as wallpapers too, and fans of the designer include Stella McCartney.