Our aim has always been simple, to create things that feel considered, and to make them as well as we possibly can. Wherever possible, we keep that process close to home, here in Cornwall.
When we started Cream Cornwall in 2012, we didn’t have much to work with. Money was tight, but we had a lot of ideas, probably too many. We threw ourselves in and created a wide range of products without really thinking about what that might mean longer term.
At the time, it didn’t feel like a strategy, more a case of saying yes and working it out as we went. Looking back, it was ambitious, and slightly naive, but it pushed us to think differently and find our own way of doing things.
Without the budget to order in large quantities, we naturally began looking closer to home. We found small, local makers who were willing to work with us in lower volumes, many of whom we still work with today. At the same time, we started visiting workshops, asking questions, and slowly learning how to make certain products ourselves.
It wasn’t a grand plan, more a series of practical decisions, but it shaped the way we work to this day. We created a brand without really meaning to. Looking back, we probably would have specialised in one thing, but instead we did a bit of everything. Before we knew it, we had a wide range of products, and somehow that has become part of who we are.
Our lampshades have always been a big part of what we do.
They tend to anchor a room, grounding everything around them while still holding their own. They bring a scheme together, but also give it something to focus on. Bold, but never overbearing, and certainly never dull.
We actually started making them ourselves right at the beginning. Back in 2011, we went to a workshop to learn the basics of lampshade making. We’re both quite practical, so it didn’t take long before we began thinking about how we could refine the process and make it our own.
From there, it became something we really wanted to hold onto.
All of our lampshades are made by us in our Penryn studio
Each lampshade is still made to order in our studio in Penryn. We print the designs, cut and assemble them, and hand finish each one here in Cornwall. Because the range is so large, and with orders coming in both online and through our shops, it makes sense to make them as they’re needed rather than holding large amounts of stock.
It also means each one arrives in pristine condition, made especially for the person who has chosen it.
Our cushions take a slightly different journey.
The fabric is digitally printed for us in Lancashire, then sent down to our maker in Newquay, where each one is cut and sewn. It’s quite a hands-on process, more involved than you might expect, with each panel carefully placed before the cushions are made up.
We play with the construction depending on the design. Some are backed with velvet, which gives them a bit more weight and contrast, others are printed on both sides. For the Lobster House collection, we’ve also sourced a thick cotton trim, which adds another layer and changes the feel of the piece again.
It’s been lovely to keep this part of the making process in Cornwall. There’s something about being able to follow that journey more closely, from print to finished cushion, that feels important to us.
Putting the zips in our Whale Song cushions at our makers in Cornwall
They do sit at a higher price point than some of the pieces we have made in India. Not because the quality is any different, but simply because the cost of making them here is higher. Both have their place; it just depends on how and where they are made.
It’s a slower way of working, but it suits us, and it keeps that connection between the original drawing and the finished piece.
Our throws are made for us by Ian Mankin, one of the last textile mills still going in the UK, up in Burnley. We’ve used their fabric for years across our cushions and upholstery, so it felt like an obvious step to make throws with them too. Their cloth is woven rather than printed, which just gives it a different feel altogether.
They’ve actually been one of our best sellers for over five years now. We see them in our shops all the time, people pick them up, throw them over a shoulder, and you can tell they’re going to use them properly.
Our throws being woven at Ian Mankin
It felt like the right time to do some new designs and colourways, just to keep things moving a bit.
They’re made from recycled cotton, they wash well, and they’re easy to live with. The kind of thing that ends up on the back of a chair or the end of a bed and just stays there.
Fragrance has become a big part of our lives, not just something we make, but something we notice every day. I’ve always loved essential oils and will happily spend time mixing up different blends, seeing how they change and settle. It’s never just about a single note, it’s about how a fragrance develops, how it moves through a room and how it makes you feel over time.
We’re both quite particular about it. Neither of us likes anything too sweet or obvious. We’re drawn to scents that have a bit more depth, something that unfolds rather than hits you all at once, and that stays with you in a quieter way.
That’s very much how our own fragrances began. A lot of trial and error, mixing, melting and pouring, mostly in Allison’s kitchen at the start, until we found combinations that felt right to us. Not rushed, just slowly refined.
As things grew, we moved the making into our warehouse in Penryn, where Tracy now looks after it. She knows the fragrances inside out and is just as particular as we are, so it’s in very safe hands. We work with a perfume house in the UK to develop the scents, and we use a generous fragrance load so they properly fill a room. It’s important to us that they don’t sit in the background unnoticed, but also that they never feel overwhelming.
Alongside our candles, we now make wax melts, which have become a favourite, and more recently candles in tins, which are easy to take with you or move around the house.
All of our fragrance is made in-house
We also make our diffusers and room sprays in house, so we stay close to everything and can keep that same consistency across the range.
Prints have always felt like an easy way to bring something into a room.
They fill a wall without feeling heavy, and often end up being the thing you notice over time rather than all at once. A reminder of a place, a colour, or just something that feels familiar in a quieter way. Everyone needs a print somewhere, even if it’s just to make a space feel a bit more considered.
All of our art prints are digitally printed in house at our warehouse in Penryn. We do keep some stock, but wherever possible we print to order, so each one feels fresh and the quality is exactly as it should be.
Putting our prints with their mounts in our Penryn studio
We also offer a simple, white washed tulip wood frame, made locally here in Penryn by Kitty. We absolutely love her frames, each one is hand painted and finished, and they work beautifully with our prints.
That said, all of our prints come with a mount and are sized to fit standard frames, so you can easily use your own if you prefer.
They’re easy to place, but tend to stay, which is usually a good sign.
Our placemats and coasters are made for us in England by a family-run business we’ve worked with since the very beginning.
They use a traditional method of producing proper baked melamine, something that feels increasingly rare. We’ve been to visit them over the years and have always kept a close relationship, so we know exactly how they’re made and why they last so well.
Part of the process where we get our placemats & coasters made
The process itself is quite involved. The melamine is baked onto a thick cork base in an oven, rather than simply applied, which takes longer but makes a real difference. It means they can handle very hot dishes without marking and hold up well over time.
I remember being told that this method had been trialled overseas but abandoned because it was too slow. It’s not the quickest way of doing things, but it’s the right one.
They use good materials too, including a substantial cork backing, which you notice as soon as you pick them up. They have a weight to them and a durability that feels reassuring. They’re made to last, just don’t put them in the dishwasher. A simple wipe is all they need.
Our fabric sits at the centre of a lot of what we do.
It’s digitally printed for us here in the UK, and from that one starting point it moves into all sorts of different directions. We use it across our own products, and we also make curtains, blinds, headboards and other soft furnishings ourselves.
Alongside that, we sell it by the metre, so it can be used in whatever way suits. Some people come to us for a complete scheme, others just want the fabric to work with in their own way.
Our fabric being digitally printed
We also use it ourselves to reupholster chairs we’ve found at auctions, giving them a new lease of life. It’s something we really enjoy doing, taking something a little worn and bringing it back into use again with a different feel.
It keeps things moving and means the designs don’t sit still in one place for too long.
A lot of what we make still happens here in Cornwall, and across the UK. Not everything, but a good part of it. It keeps us close to the process, and to the people who help us make it.
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