Jo Malone and Marthe Armitage Summer Afternoon Collection

Every year Jo Malone London collaborates with a creative, and produces a gorgeous limited edition home collection. This year, it’s octagenarian artist and wallpaper designer Marthe Armitage, who has been living and working in London for 60 years.

Marthe draws, cuts lino, mixes paint and prints herself to create her wallpaper entirely by hand. Her collaboration with Jo Malone London is inspired by the ingredients in the scents and Henry James’s belief that the two happiest words in the English language are ‘summer afternoon’.

“I wanted to capture a perfect English summer afternoon,” says Marthe. “It needed to feel alive and also weave in ingredients from the Jo Malone scents. This project has seen me exploring a world I’ve not experienced before and it’s been lovely.”

Marthe’s hand-printed Summer Afternoon design decorates the boxes and bottles in this collection. The design, say Jo Malone London, captures the entrancing haze of an English summer’s afternoon. This is a wee bit annoying, but we’ll just go with it. They are English, after all, and perhaps Scottish summer afternoons aren’t quite the same. (Although we do get the sun sometimes up here!).

What constitutes a classic English summer’s afternoon, then? Well, a green and fragrant garden, buzzing with bees. Dappled sunlight, ducks on the lawn, the tap of the croquet ball and the laughter of children. A gardener resting on the bench, his face to the warm sun. All surrounded by the scent of just ripe tomatoes in the hair, mingling with sweet blossom and romantic roses.

It sounds very idyllic, right? Like something out of and Enid Blyton tale. Anyway. Let’s look at the products.

There are Red Roses Scented Drawer Liners (£36), which have frolicking foxes, waddling ducks, the bee keeper, all surrounding a game of croquet. Each drawer liner is decorated with rambling Red Roses.

My favourite is the Green Tomato Leaf Home Candle (£44). Capturing the gorgeous scent of the tomato vines on glass I just adore this. The Nectarine Blossom & Honey Glass Decanter Bath Oil (£56) is in a decanter etched with honey bees and blossom.

Finally, there’s the Soap Collection (£30). There are four soaps in the collection, Blackberry & Bay, English Pear & Freesia, Lime Basil & Mandarin and Pomegranate Noir. The soaps are beautifully wrapped and presented in a decorated box.

The whole collection is available from Jo Malone stores and online from June. Follow on Facebook, Twitter,Pinterest and Instagram @JoMaloneLondon and use the hashtag #MartheArmitage