About Us

In the early 90's, Nicola Guinness was a young and successful restauranteur on Ponsonby Road in Auckland, New Zealand. Her restaurant, Oblios, was famous for its innovative food, edgy decor and vivacious parties. As a passionate creative, Nicola was set on unique and evolving designs for her restaurant. However, when it came to table linen, she was hard-pressed to find anything remotely interesting. 

Nicola was deeply inspired to design and create her own linen and thus, Front Room Fabrics was born in 1993. She sourced the finest fabrics, all natural and many organic, and put love and design into each piece she made in her new screen-printing studio. Nicola crafted an exquisite and avant guard range of handprinted textiles for fill her rooms with, from tablecloths to curtains. Soon, the restaurant became a second business to her designer handprinted fabrics that were highly sought after and demanded by those like herself who were tired of the status quo available. 

Some 20 years later, you will no longer find Nicola entertaining at Oblios. Rather, you will find her in the print studio, among dozens of silk screens and diaphanous wafts of sumptuous fabrics awaiting to be merged into beautiful soft furnishings. Nicola works closely with a small team of printers and designers, including her son, Morgan. Together, Front Room Fabrics creates its exclusive ranges of handprinted fabrics and soft furnishings including table linen, bed linen, cushions, curtains and clothing. 

Every piece by Front Room Fabrics is an original work of art. This has only been possible as it has resisted the so called benefits of more commercial endeavors that overwhelm the marketplace now, such as manufacturing overseas, mass production and planned obsolescence. Instead, total control and creative fluidity are in tact in Nicola's print studio and Front Room Fabrics remains as boutique and different as ever.  

Nicola's aesthetic is influenced by art, poetry & music through the ages.

"Finding rare pieces and reintroducing them in a contemporary setting to remember and incorporate the past in our every day lives is my passion"

The Print Studio and Showroom are located in downtown Auckland in the historic St. Kevin's Arcade at 183 Karangahape Rd.