---

It may not be the catwalks of Milan or the fashion houses of Paris, but deep in the Northumberland countryside sits a design studio quietly creating some fabric masterpieces that are quickly becoming the talk of the interior design world.

---

Emma Middleton, lead designer at Cubbins, is a passionate and inspiring young businesswoman, and since 2007 she has been designing and making her trademark luxurious interior accessories for exclusive homes and hotels such as the Ritz and the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados. Emma and her team hand-make their specialised linen baskets, tissue boxes, coat hangers and other pieces in both contemporary and classic designs, with a focus on quality and craftsmanship. Emma has always had a love of fabrics, and she has successfully turned this passion into the driving force behind Cubbins. “Fabrics and furnishings work together to enhance each other – when you combine beautiful fabric covered accessories with well-designed furniture, you instantly create something much more fabulous.” With the company launched in 2007, Emma then worked to create a Signature range, and this has now expanded to an online shop, including the facility to choose your fabric and create bespoke items online. Using quality fabrics and local skilled craftsmen is of utmost importance to Emma and her team. “This is the essence of who we are”, she says. “We feel that if we keep manufacturing here in Northumberland we can keep a close eye on quality, and we like to support British fabric designers and work in partnership with them.” With Cubbins becoming an internationally known name due to their work with major hotel brands and top interior designers, Emma takes her hat off to the wealth of home-grown British talent taking the interior design world by storm. “There is some amazing British talent in fabric design at the moment”, she says, “I particularly love the work of Emily Bond and Vanessa Arbuthnott as their designs are simple and elegant and sum complement our own style perfectly.”