Charles Rennie Mackintosh: After Hill House

After Hill House has been interpreted by Dovecot to celebrate notable Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Dovecot has chosen to interpret a Mackintosh stencil, originally created for The Hill House in Helensburgh, which combines geometric shapes with architectural motifs. Mackintosh’s modern designs are celebrated internationally, yet his appreciation for textile is less widely known. After Hill House references this appreciation for textile by interpreting this architectural stencil through tapestry.

Dovecot has chosen this design in particular because of its connection with the Hill House – the home Mackintosh designed for William Blackie in Helensburgh in 1904 – one of his most high profile architectural projects in Scotland. In its composition of squares and curving lines – almost completely divorced from organic forms – it remains one of Mackintosh’s most truly abstract compositions. The geometry of the design lends itself to creative interpretation through tapestry and the weavers have chosen a distinctive palette of amethyst, smoky soft purples and bright green that reference the Scottish landscape.