Thistle Earth

Founded in Scotland in 1990 by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons, both textiles alumnae from Glasgow School of Art, Timorous Beasties rapidly won attention for its surreal, iconoclastic approach to wallpapers and printed fabric patterns. The studio began by designing searing satirical urban riffs on 19th-century Toiles De Jouy wallpapers, masking nightmarish scenes with a veneer of pastoral beauty. In the years since, the studio has expanded its scope to include collections to combine naturalistic imagery with a contemporary graphic aesthetic.