Textiles

The Vallentine Project

Working out of her studio in Northcote, Bianca Vallentine creates one-of-a-kind bed linen under her label The Vallentine Project. Each doona cover and pillowcase is painted and embroidered by hand with simple precision.

We recently visited Bianca in her studio to learn a little more about her business.

 

Written
by
Lisa Marie Corso

The Vallentine Project bed linen at Pop & Scott showroom in Northcote. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

The Vallentine Project hand painted bed linen. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

The Vallentine Project bed linen at Pop & Scott showroom in Northcote. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Bianca Vallentine of The Vallentine Project. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

The Vallentine Project bed linen. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Bianca at work in her studio. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

The Vallentine Project studio at Pop & Scott in Northcote. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

The Vallentine Project studio at Pop & Scott in Northcote. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Bianca at work in her studio. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Writer
Lisa Marie Corso
2nd of June 2016

We spend a lot of time sleeping. Melbourne creative Bianca Vallentine understands this, and has designed a meticulously hand-detailed range of bed linen worthy of our Zzzzzz.

Originally from Perth, Bianca studied fashion and textile design, and started her label The Vallentine Project in 2004. Back then, the business was fashion orientated with seasonal collections, but there was something about the fast paced cycle of fashion that didn’t sit well with Bianca, she wanted to design things that lasted longer than a season.

In 2008, Bianca moved to Melbourne, and continued to work on in fashion, while also working in the film industry. After a trip to the US in 2012, where she spent time in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree national park in California,  the penny dropped for Bianca. She wanted to keep making tactile products, but on a larger scale. Inspired by the open plains of the desert, she designed her first doona cover.

‘After that trip, I was inspired to translate imagery onto textiles,’ explains Bianca. She found some old chenille that reminded her of a childhood beach house, then painted and added embroidery detailing to it. Soon, friends and family began to request their own personalised bedlinen from Bianca, and the business grew from there.

Working out of Pop & Scott studios in Northcote, Bianca creates all her bed linen by hand. Each doona cover and pillowcase is a one off, as Bianca personally paints and embroiders each piece. ‘I once read about a woman who stitched a quilt panel every year of her life to depict a major event in that year’ Bianca muses. ‘Something about that really appealed to me, I hope to infuse a little of this into my work.’

The Vallentine Project is available online here or at Pop & Scott showroom at 27 Hayes St, Northcote.

Bianca in her Northcote studio. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

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