The Wilding collection: reimagining Delft

In celebration of Marlborough Tiles’ 85th anniversary, we are excited to introduce a very special commemorative collection: Wilding.

This new collection honours our heritage and encapsulates our values. Each tile is made by hand with care, artistry and the utmost attention to detail.

Wilding answers our craving to get back to nature. The collection features nine untamed and playful animals from British wildlife, individually painted by hand in the traditional Delft blue on our rustic biscuit. These charming creatures will bring delight and character to any living space, and we have no doubt will ignite the imagination of you and your little ones. In fact, we challenge you not to name them!

Our artists have been painting tiles in the Delft style since we were founded in 1936, and this new collection reimagines the classic. Kirsty has been with Marlborough Tiles for more than twenty years and is a true master in the traditional Majolica hand painting technique. Focussing on colour and form, she dove into our archives to find inspiration.

The brief was simple: to bring to life a troupe of animals from British wildlife that dance and play across the tiles, painted in the traditional Majolica style. Movement was a priority – images of pouncing foxes, baying wolves, strutting bustards and truffling boars were brought to life with as few brush strokes as possible. Long, curvaceous and flowing lines created a minimalistic yet effervescent collection of animals in nature.

The characters are depicted in a deep Delft blue, thickened slightly so that it bleeds just a little into the raw glaze, and with a touch of red pigment to create a bolder, more energetic tone.

The tiles are available with or without a charming take on the traditional Delft corners, and if you choose to use the tiles to create a panel, you might also decide to add a frame using the beautiful border pieces that our artists have created as part of this collection. As for us, we simply love to see the characters densely populated across a panel of tiles, as shown in this fabulous navy kitchen.