Palm Charm

There is nothing more evocative than the shape of a palm tree – its silhouette is instantly identifiable and familiar, yet exotic and strange all at once.
 
Palms are part of the Arecaceae family of flowering plants of which around 2600 species have been identified. They grow mostly in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Many are incredibly hardy and can withstand heat, torrential rain and storms as well as dry desert conditions.
 
The Arecaceae family has been a consistent feature of the earth’s flora with fossil records of these plants dating back to as early as 80 million years ago. And palm use and cultivation is as old as human civilisation itself.  The date palm was cultivated by the Mesopotamians as early as 5000 years ago and was fundamental to the flourishing of civilisation in the Middle East. Palms are apparently mentioned 30 times in the Bible and at least 22 times in the Quran.
 
For the JOYIA LIVING team palms are the stuff of dream tropical holidays and childhood fantasy (Neverland from animated Peter Pan movies). And yet, we have a very tall palm growing in our garden right here in the UK – a Chusan or Windmill Palm it has withstood decades of freezing British winters, is almost 7 metres high and responds to the wind with a distinctive rustle.
 
Palms have been a recurrent theme in Western interiors since Victorian times.  In the Victorian era palms, ferns and other exotic plants made their way into homes along with highly ornamented furniture and rich exotic rugs. Victorian interiors were eclectic, and palms were living sculptural elements bringing drama to Parlour rooms. They were sought after for both their aesthetics and their resilience.
 
At JOYIA LIVING we take a lot of our inspiration from the natural world. We love being surrounded by plants and wanted to create a collection with a botanical theme – where to start? Such is the richness of our planet’s flora that one could easily give in to indecision for all the amazing options. We decided to start at the beginning with one of our planet’s more ancient species, Palms.
 
Palm trees and palm prints have had a renaissance in interiors over the last 10 years, part of a mega-trend towards bringing the natural world into our homes. Cue palm house plants by the boatload and palm prints adorning everything, from wallpaper to cushions and other homeware.
 
We’ve loved every part of it, from fresh simple green & white prints all the way to the kitsch and over the top ‘50’s Florida-inspired aesthetic.  Palms in design can be fun and maximalist. They can also be elegant and textural – it was this element that influenced our own take on palms – a more moody, pared back design angle with a close-up focus on the beautiful pattern of palm fronds.

We hope you love discovering our range of palm-inspired cushions.  We’ll continue to expand both our designs and the items that carry them and we’d love to hear what you think. Send us an e-mail at hello@joyialiving.co.uk.
 
With love
The JOYIA LIVING Team