Next year, we will celebrate the 20th birthday of Gilly Nicolson.

It feels like a wonderful milestone, but rather than simply looking at where we are today, we have found ourselves looking back at where it all began.

And what a story it is.

^Wellington, NZ : Where it all began for Gilly.

Before Gilly Nicolson became a linen house, before the collections, colour cards, embroidery and beautiful homes, there was a trip to New Zealand.

While travelling, Gilly found herself working in a wonderful bespoke linen atelier called Kay & Tucker. It was there that she discovered her love for the craft of creating beautiful linen and began learning the skills that would eventually shape the business she would bring home to Edinburgh.

With Margaret’s permission, Gilly returned to Scotland with an idea, a love of linen and the beginnings of something that would become Gilly Nicolson.

^Our original branding and designs.

Twenty years later, that original idea has grown into a bespoke linen house, working with interior designers, international royalty and discerning private clients to create linens for some of the most beautiful homes around the world.

As we approach our 20th birthday, we are opening the archive...

^Braemar - Our very first design; featuring a bold ribbon colour of your choice.

^Harris - A later development of Braemar, with crossing ribbon detail on the corners.

 

Over the coming year, we will be sharing little pieces of our history: old branding and early sketches, colour cards, embroidery designs, photographs, first collections, favourite commissions and the people who have helped shape Gilly Nicolson along the way.

^Clare Gaskin Interiors - Featuring our Kinross Bed Linen.

^Hill House Interiors - A beautiful Easter table setting, featuring our Braemar Napkins.

 

^Sophie Paterson Interiors, The Peninsula Project - Featuring a bespoke design.

Some things have changed enormously.

Others haven’t changed at all.

Our love of beautiful linen.

Our belief in craftsmanship.

Our obsession with the smallest details.

And our desire to create something personal that will become part of a home for many years to come.

We would love you to join us as we look back at where it all began, celebrate the people and moments that have brought us here, and look towards the next chapter.

Because this isn’t the end of the story.

It is only the beginning of the next one.

With love,

Gilly & the team