Hannah found inspiration in the ‘Rosebay Willowherb’ flower, also known as ‘fireweed’ because it thrives after a fire. If this flower could do it, so could she!

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Designer Hannah Nunn comes back from the ashes of a devastating studio fire with a brand new wallpaper

After losing everything in a huge mill fire, wallpaper designer Hannah Nunn found strength in a local wildflower and managed to rebuild her business from scratch. Nearly two years on she now has a beautiful new studio and has launched a new wallpaper to celebrate.

In August 2022 Hebden Bridge artist and designer Hannah Nunn lost her studio, when a devastating fire started at 2am and raged through Burlees House, a listed mill building on Hangingroyd Lane in the centre of town. Many businesses were affected, and local residents evacuated and it was a devastating shock to the community. Nothing was saved.

Hannah Nunn is well known for her glowing paper cut lamps and wallpaper. Her precious studio held ten years worth of her nature inspired art and design work, including her lighting, window film, handmade nature decorations, books she had written and her vast wallpaper collection. 

 Having lost her stock and machinery and suddenly finding herself with nowhere to work Hannah felt lost but then she had a startling realisation!

 The lamp design that she had finished only the week before was Rosebay Willowherb, also known as ‘fireweed’ because of its ability to grow from the ashes. After world war two this plant grew profusely on bombsites and also has the nickname of ‘bomb weed’. This gave her so much strength. If the rosebay could grow back from the ashes, so could she! She would thrive again.

With this knowledge and with the support of her incredible community, local and worldwide Hannah raised enough money to reprint her wallpaper collection and slowly get back on her feet. For a while she was like a ‘rosebay willowherb seed on the wind’, trying to find suitable premises in which to put down roots again. After being on a business park way outside of town for a while, she has just found beautiful new premises back in the centre of Hebden Bridge again and loves being back among her community.

 Hannah just launched her Wild Edge wallpaper design which is a celebration of the fireweed and the other wild plants that often grow alongside it. 

It was the first thing to go up on her new studio walls.

Hannah Nunn's Wild Edge wallpaper in 'shadow'

samples of Wild Edge

Hannah Nunn's Wild Edge wallpaper in 'nettle'

Rosebay Willowherb or 'Fireweed' lamp, a flower that thrives after a fire

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