Escapism - ‘The tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.’

Beth Taylor’s project ‘Escapism’ is a collection of designs for soft furnishings and hard materials for a retreat hotel. The project has been inspired by the importance put onto wellness and experience as well as the material when considering what makes a hotel ‘luxury’ in contemporary society. Individuality and innovation are what continue to make hotels stand out but creating designs that reflect the location and impact the guest is also of high importance. Within her work, she creates emotion and depth by gaining first hand research of a place that to her personally captures the essence of escapism. Regularly visiting the river Stour in Dorset where the landscape consists of spacious land, water, trees and hidden details she observes the colour, shape and textures. With the idea of escapism comes fantasy and in developing trends within interiors and visual merchandising, concepts are inspired by poetry and reality with designs playing on mystical and mythological. This is something she has captured within her collection through elements of distortion and combining materials and techniques within her work.