The patterns of fortyvenus have stories woven within their shapes. Inspired by magnificent architecture, evoking the luxury golden age of steam train travel, conjuring up lavish country house settings of an Agatha Christie murder mystery, Art Deco apartments, and the smoking jackets worn by Hercule Poirot and Noël Coward. They are patterns of stories and journeys from the past into your present; elegant prints featured on fabrics, wallpaper, accessories and stationery.

fortyvenus is the work of
Graphic Designer, Sam Merrill

My career as a graphic designer has spanned over twenty-five years in design agencies and freelancing across Bristol, Melbourne and London – working alongside many professional cats and tasting a lot of chocolate in the name of product research.

The name fortyvenus originates from an address in Melbourne, Australia.
It's where in 2011, amidst warbling magpies, fruit bats and banksias, I began working directly for clients. After three years in Australia, fortyvenus returned to the vibrant East London borough of Hackney.

In my formative years, I was a self-proclaimed Devon seafront candy-floss-making queen and supermarket shelf-stacking perfectionist. Who could have predicted, my favourite, the pet-food aisle with its perfectly aligned tins –cats, dogs and logos all facing exactly the same way– would go on to feature so prominently in my career as a graphic designer. The candy-floss skills however have lain dormant.