York based entrepreneur Leanne Pollard has demonstrated that creative talent, hard work and passion can turn a dream into reality.
Our team member Mandy was intrigued by her business journey after visiting her "Hattie Lloyd Home" website which tells the story of how Leanne has turned her travels and memories into an interiors business. With references to “Hattie Lloyd moments” which inspire Leanne to create a new design for her upmarket and incredible wallpaper range and her slogan “Wanderlust Wallpapers – bringing the world into your home” Mandy simply had to pick up the phone.
Mandy discovered that although Leanne now lives very happily in York, she originates from Corby in Northamptonshire and spent her youth there. “As a teenager, I thought it was a one-horse town and I was super independent. At the age of 19 I dropped out of doing my second year of A Level Art and headed to the bright lights of London” Leanne explained.
From working in the property department for the free classified ads newspaper Loot to joining the display and creative partnerships team at the BBC Good Food Magazine, Leanne’s experience in the advertising industry lasted 12 years however she decided it was time to reflect and consider her future “I needed to look to the future and do something I loved, and noted that some people had side-hustles, which interested me” she recalled.
Leanne started by selling homeware, always looking for unique items whilst out travelling, or on searches from home and enlisted the help of a friend to create a website – and so Hattie Lloyd was born.
“People often refer to me as Hattie” said Leanne “however Leanne Pollard does not have the same ring to it! Hattie is the name of a friends daughter and I stole it, with her blessing and although Lloyd has no personal link, it simply sounded right!”.
With her passion for art, over the passage of time Leanne had created a very unique collection of designs and in 2015 curiosity got the better of her. She visited a wallpaper manufacturer in Loughborough to discover if her work was compatible.
“I was blown away! The smell of the paints, the noise of the machines, the quieter room where people were hand printing wallpapers for stately homes – it was that very moment when I knew that I needed my designs to be sampled and that was my goal”.
Leanne has never looked back since, for this was the turning point from a hobby, to a business. Immediately "Wallpaper Direct" snapped up her designs (which total 9 to date however she aims to have a total of 15 by the end of the year). Last year she re-branded to "Hattie Lloyd Home" to embrace her vision for the addition of lamp shades, cushions and accessories.
“I am so lucky to have been able to merge my two favourite things into my business: interiors and travel. My experiences whilst travelling inspires Hattie Lloyd designs, from adventures overseas to exploring closer to home in and around the UK. When visiting places every now and then I get a "Hattie Lloyd moment". This moment is when I see something, and I know it has Hattie Lloyd wallpaper potential”.
Her first, incredibly popular design “ Tea at Hatties” has a vintage, shabby chic feel to it and was inspired by her childhood when she would visit the beautiful home of a relative. “It had a thatched roof, beautiful gardens next to a stream, Aga in the kitchen and epitomised a quintessentially English country cottage” reminisced Leanne.
A bee observed in a garden at Goddards House in York, the former home of the Terry family inspired her Bee Bloom range.
“It was last Spring, I was sipping a glass of Prosecco and admiring the tulips in the garden, the bees were diving in and out of the blooms, and I began to sketch” recalled Leanne “back home I worked on the sketch; turning the bees’ wings into flowers and turning the tulips into roses”.
Leanne explained “From the hustle of the streets of Hanoi or Puffins in Northumberland, a little voice whispers - that’s gorgeous, you have to do something with that, and the rest is history. This is why Hattie Lloyd designs are the Wanderlust of Wallpapers, my designs are bold, imaginative, most are super colourful, and perfect for those who want to make a statement”.
Buying a Hattie Lloyd design can be thought of as buying a unique piece of art – only 12 rolls of each design are printed at a time and Mandy has already requested some samples for her home!
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