What happens when you crack open a 140-year-old vault? If it’s anything like the archive at British heritage textile house GP&J Baker, expect a treasure trove of ikat – and a ton of untapped potential. Thanks to a new collaboration with lighting brand Pooky, those long-forgotten patterns are being cast in a whole new light, reinterpreted through a lens of 21st-century whimsy.
At the center of the Archive Discoveries Collection is Bokhara Ikat – a large-scale motif that has resided in GP&J Baker’s archive since the early 1900s. Now rendered on 100% linen drum shades, its lighting trend rebirth reads less like a pattern, and more like a watercolor – just one of the many artful, textile-first details you'll find throughout the lineup.
‘Collaborating with Pooky has been an exciting opportunity to reimagine our classic archive designs with a fresh, modern sensibility,’ says Ann Grafton, Managing and Creative Director at GP&J Baker. ‘These lampshades beautifully combine our heritage prints – some of which have been beloved for over 100 years – with Pooky’s contemporary charm and flair. The result is a collection that honors the past while embracing the future of interior design.’
The ikat isn’t alone. Newly adapted Tuffley prints – cotton shades trimmed in silk–viscose – were designed to echo Bokhara’s deeper tones and moodier palette. The idea is to let Bokhara ground the room, then riff with Tuffley on smaller accents – a pattern drenching strategy that plays directly into Pooky’s irreverent, pattern-happy styling ethos.
‘It was a real privilege to visit GP&J Baker’s archive and be able to explore designs that had never seen the light of day,’ adds Jo Plant, Chief Creative Officer at Pooky. ‘This collection feels particularly special because it shines a light on the hidden gems of their heritage. Our team had so much fun bringing them to life the Pooky way – with joyful colors and bold trims.’
Explore the collection
At first glance, this Silk Road–inspired motif (circa 1906, if you’re wondering) doesn’t even read like an ikat – the scale tricks the eye. But it is, in fact, an ikat. And we do, in fact, need it on a pendant fitting immediately. Best styled with aged brass – ideally as living room lighting or bedroom lighting, floating over a side table or nightstand.
You can’t go wrong with an empire shade – especially when it’s wrapped in Zaraband. Inspired by a 19th-century Abra smock from Central Asia, this print scratches the same itch as decorating with vintage without feeling trad. The tonal transitions are so subtle, they mimic the sheen of silk.
A tapered drum shade like this plays well with contrast, just as striking atop a sculptural ceramic base as it is on something barely there and streamlined. Keep this vintage lighting idea breezy with woven textures in sandy neutrals, or go deeper with jewel tones – think burgundy, navy, or even forest green.
Originally designed for fashion textiles in the mid-1800s, this print’s sartorial roots still hold. The meandering, seaweed-like pattern nods to the era’s fixation with natural forms – a fixation that, 100 years later, still feels timely. Organic shapes are once again everywhere. Funny how that works.
Change the scale, shift the shape, swap the shade – suddenly, the Bokhara Ikat reads completely differently. It’s this kind of variation that makes the collection feel endlessly mixable. Go ikat-on-ikat without ever repeating yourself.
Wrapped around this airy, tiffany blue pendant is an ancient Indian motif once used in an 1810s vesting pattern – a nod to life, vitality, and prosperity. Even unlit, its dynamic radiance brings lift to a space.
It’s a collision of old-school craft and new-school play – a fitting evolution for GP&J Baker, a storied name in wallpaper and textiles since 1884, now reintroducing itself to a design-hungry generation. Ditto for Pooky, whose unorthodox palettes and maximalist sensibility have earned it a cult following of color-forward loyalists.
The temperature may be dropping, but there’s still time to take things outdoors before winter fully sets in. Stay ready – and cord-free – with another H&G favorite: Pooky’s outdoor lighting collaboration with the Novogratz.
