The Waikiki Collection: By Bonnie and Neil
The highly anticipated Waikiki Collection from Bonnie and Neil has just blessed our shelves, and it's everything we could dream of and more!
An iconic sun-soaked destination, Waikiki is known for its sparkling turquoise waters, lush foliage amongst pristine rainforests, tropical fruits and heavenly hibiscus flowers. Add in flowing cocktails under the infamous golden sunsets and feel yourself relax into the sheer beauty of island life. 🌺
Join us as we sit down with Bonnie Ashley, Creative Director & Co-Founder of Bonnie and Neil to chat about the inspiration behind the new collection!
Q. Could you give us a quick run-down of how Bonnie and Neil came to be?
Neil and I launched the business in 2010 when we started creating products out of a desire to make beautiful pieces for our own home.
Since then, Bonnie and Neil has developed into a lifestyle studio with an extensive range of sought-after collectables for every room. We are known for collections that celebrate our surroundings through the use of colour and pattern.
Q. The Waikiki collection is a plethora of colours and bold use of patterns. Can you tell us a bit about where the inspiration came from for the Waikiki collection and what the design process looked like?
Waikiki takes its inspiration from islands found in the Hawaiian archipelago. A place I love to visit! Waikiki is known for its sparkling turquoise waters, lush foliage, tropical fruits and heavenly hibiscus flowers. We took our inspiration from this to create a vintage colour palette of tangerines, corals and leaf greens. The colours transport us to a 1970s summer in paradise where dazzling beachfronts set the scene amidst Waikiki’s iconic surf culture.
My design process starts with a mood or a location and a colour palette in mind. I start by hand painting design elements or patterns, which are then reworked with different applications in mind. Often the repeat patterns for our tablecloths are the first designs I work on with the rest of the collection evolving from there.
Q. If you had to describe the collection in 3 words, what would they be?
Paradise, vintage-inspired & evocative
Q. And if you had to pick a favourite piece from the collection, what would it be?
Anything in the new hibiscus print! This flower is synonymous with the Hawaiian region which makes it the hero for this collection. We’ve created the print in two vibrant colours and featured it across the entire range, from indoor and outdoor cushions and quilted throws and pillowcases, to tea towels, aprons, pot holders, tote bags, tablecloths and napkins. We also have it featured across new dinnerware, which will be launching later in the year.
Q. Is there anything new in this collection that we might not have seen before from Bonnie and Neil?
We are continually looking for different ways to expand our product range into other rooms of the home, so this season we’ve introduced some new categories including rugs, ceramics, embroidered linen tableware, decorative brassware and enamel serveware.
We also have the addition of striped boucle and patchwork finishes to our cushion offering.
Explore the Waikiki Collection here.
