In Conversation | Bryony Sheridan
We hear time and time again how much you, our wonderful customers, enjoy hearing about the story behind the Coco & Wolf brand and it’s a story we are proud to tell. Following an incredibly successful Floribunda collection, curated by Liberty Buying Manager, Bryony Sheridan, last year Coco & Wolf proudly joined Liberty both in-store and online. Bryony has become such an important part of the Coco & Wolf story so today we’re helping you get better acquainted. A maximalist maven, Bryony celebrates the individual, bold and artistic design Liberty is synonymous with, whilst also creating the most exciting collaborations and championing emerging designers - we think you’re going to love her…
Tell us about career at Liberty and how you came to be where you are now.
My story at Liberty started when I was at university, a fashion student desperate for a Christmas job; I instantly fell in love with the magic. I was then lucky enough to work in the buying office during a placement year at University and after reluctantly leaving and finishing my final year (and a stint in New York), I returned… I have been working in the Home Buying team for 10 years since January this year. It’s flown by but I am very proud of the changes and accomplishments we have achieved. The last year has been both exhilarating and challenging in equal measures but I am so happy that Home & Interiors has flourished throughout; we all loves our homes a little bit more now.
Part of your Home & Interiors Buying Manager role is ensuring your department inspires customers and is filled with the perfect pieces for them. What inspires your own interior style?
Liberty is based on a foundation of discovery; both for the customer and for us as buyers. My aim is to always have a balance of commercial brands and be a launchpad for new and emerging brands and I am lucky that I am encouraged to take risks and push the boundaries of design and style. I have always been very decisive on what I like and how I imagine my interiors, even as a child I was constantly redecorating my bedroom; I think the acid green walls and matching toile canopy above the bed was a particular low. However, I have been renovating my house in Brixton for the past 2 years and it’s a feminist’s dream with all my own colours and choices, including a ballet slipper pink kitchen!
Which department in Liberty inspires you the most? Where’s your favourite place to be in-store.
It has to be the fabrics department – our team of designers are so clever. As a huge floral fan, I always get excited to see the new collections. They really are the epitome of Liberty and it’s such a privilege to be able to develop product with them. It’s also so interesting to see how other brands use the print; I get excited when I see the colours Coco & Wolf have developed exclusively in some of our classics.
I also love how so many customers have a nostalgic affiliation with Liberty Print, it’s almost like we are making future memories and works as this versatile language across a gift for a baby or on my tablescape. My niece has recently moved from cot to bed complete with a full floral foray, she doesn’t even know how lucky she is!
How did you discover Coco & Wolf?
Through Instagram… it’s such an amazing tool to seek out new products and brands and I have loved watching it evolve through the last year. Lots of new and emerging talent but those who are instinctively creative have flourished. It’s almost become a bit more real, especially in the Home & Interiors world.
I admired Coco & Wolf from afar until the time was right for us to do something and now we have seasonal collections, as well as continuity lines and lots of exclusives. It’s such a pleasure working with Amy and her team; all incredibly talented and sharing the same passion. I just loved when something is all hand-sewn in the UK, all the finishing details, down to the last button.
How did the relationship evolve from the Floribunda collection through to Coco & Wolf having a highly coveted place in Liberty.
Floribunda was such a special launch, a celebration of some of my favourite designers; 12 incredibly creative female-led brands all housed under a floral explosion and pushing the maximalist boundaries. I absolutely adored working with Amy and her passion and application to the print. Her eye and selection process was different to ours and Coco & Wolf is established as the best Liberty Print Bedding, it made sense for us to expand our offer. Once you sleep in the Tana Lawn bedding, there is no going back, believe me!
At Coco & Wolf we create heirloom products which become much loved pieces of carefully curated collections. Which Coco & Wolf product has captured your heart?
I purchased some cushions from the Floribunda range, they have very large scallops in contrasting prints and they scream Lady Chatterley’s Lover; coupled with my Swirling Petals sheets, they are for me, what Liberty print is all about; the philosophy of Print-Play that I live and breathe by. Alas, I am still waiting for my Prints Charming!
Finally, tell us about the last thing you bought and why.
I have formed an unhealthy obsession for the Art Candle; a term my assistant and I have coined. This covers any kind of waxed objet or candlestick and I now have a kaleidoscope across the house, in every room! Also, if you know me, you know that I can’t resist any form of painted or splattered ceramic (either bought at Liberty or spontaneously bought on one of my trips, British Airways will at some point ban me). However, simply perfect for the endless garden dinner parties I will be having this Summer.
Well, if there was ever a person who truly embodies all that Liberty stands for, we think you'll agree, it's Bryony! With her enviable confidence in print mixing, passion for all things interiors, and individual style Bryony is not only a trail blazer but a great source of inspiration for us here at Coco & Wolf. We're so pleased she's a part of the story. Follow her over on Instagram to be even more inspired.