Pat Giddens
The Queen of Curtains
Curtains up on London's best kept secret
From the celebrity enclaves of Primrose Hill to the stately homes of Mayfair, the windows of London’s most fashionable residences are dressed to impress.
In this interview we draw back the curtains on one of the interior design world’s best kept secrets, leading curtain-maker Pat Giddens and the 150 year history of her family business.
The story of Pat Gidden’s drapery business is a fairytale in fabric. From rock stars to landed gentry, Pat is the last of five generations of drapers who have dressed the homes of the rich and famous creating beautiful interiors to match their celebrated owners.
Over a century on from the first Giddens drapery - established by her great grandfather in 1878 - Pat now sits at the head of the business, combining impeccable heritage with contemporary style and flair.
“I was weaned on a diet of curtains and upholstery” says Pat, whose father Maurice built up the business from his workshop in Lincoln, working for some of the finest houses in the county. As his reputation grew, so did demand among London’s rich and famous.
It was after a shooting party on a country estate where Maurice met celebrities, music producers, performers not to mention European royalty when the Giddens empire really took off.
“He had been commissioned to create a tented room with a copy of the Chinese Chippendale bed in the V&A complete with cast resin dragons on the canopy. From then on in it was one celebrity commission after another, from the palaces of the Sultan of Oman to David Bowie’s homes in London and Mustique. He even created The Bedroom Ensemble for Claes Oldenburg at the Hayward Gallery.”
Draper extraordinaire
Pat Giddens started her own journey in the renowned Gallery of Antique Textiles and Costumes where she developed a keen eye for design as well as a deep understanding of fabrics from around the globe.
From there she set up shop in the bohemian backstreets of Notting Hill Gate, teaming up with Turkish-Lebanese antique specialist Dyala Salam who dealt in ottoman textiles. Together they produced ottoman style dining rooms and seating areas, complete with abundant decadent ottoman cushions .
“We were very ahead of our time and captured the lust for the exotic among the glitterati of the era. My early clients were bohemians, rockstars , filmmakers , actors, authors , artists , fashion designers, great collectors and eccentrics, as was Notting hill at the time. I could do wild and crazy things with bohemian textiles, tent hangings and unconventional fabrics. We once spent a weekend cutting up Turkish carpets and covering the entire staircase, walls and ceiling of a mews house in W2 .”
Today, Pat employs at team of highly skilled drapers and upholsterers in her West London workshop with an equally impressive client list past and present. As well as private clients, she works with many of London’s leading interior designers and is the go to curtain maker and upholsterer for a host of national trust properties. Her most recent commission is at Chartwell where the team are bringing back to life Winston Churchill’s drawing room and dining room.
“Curtain making is an art form” says Pat. “It’s about really understanding fabric, having an eye for beautiful design and the skill to tackle the most challenging of spaces. Our heritage of bespoke drapery, both traditional and contemporary, is why clients come to us from all over the world, just as they go to Saville Row for the finest suits.”
Pat’s empire doesn’t stop there. In 2014 she set up a parallel business in East London called The Hackney Draper. The shop is a treasure trove of homewares, textiles, cushions and bespoke linens, curated from all over the world. The team here also makes curtains and upholstered furniture for both private clients as well as architects, interior designers and commercial businesses.