LARKSPUR LADY: Ruby Kean

With the hope of transforming our bespoke Illustrated wallpaper into miniature works of art, Emily turned to Ruby Kean, an interior designer for Firmdale Hotels and independent artist. Together, they chose four words to highlight in special collages — elegance, confidence, harmony, and honor — values to aspire to inside and outside of the Emily’s Garden menagerie. The end result: one-of-a-kind framed artworks, launching today, featuring a three-dimensional world of layered imagery set inside painterly canopies. We were keen to catch up with Ruby as she quarantines in Manhattan (so close, yet so far!) and couldn't help but wonder how her creative spirit spends newfound time at home. Needless to say, we are inspired. Read on to get to know this imaginative #larkspurlady….

How I stay sane during self-isolation…Lots of walks and cycles. I live near the East River, so running or walking there around sunset is a really meditative part of my day. 

I have found creativity in quarantine by doing…embroidery. Apart from my collage work, creating bespoke embroidered table linens and tapestries has been a really calming creative outlet.  

My quarantine pastimes are…cooking, researching, and long evening walks. 

My favorite resources for creativity…I have a miniature library of interiors and art books that are really precious to me. I return to them time and time again for inspiration. One of my favorites at the moment is ‘Primer’ by Matthew Craven.

One Instagram account I have been following recently is... @_basketclub_: Basket Club was born out of lockdown by founders Adrianus Kundert and Jamie Wolfland, who started it as a means to create human connection though craft in a time where physical connection has been lost. Each week, a group of designers is invited to create a basket with a specific brief. From baguette bread baskets to cat baskets, the innovative creations are modern and fresh takes on an age-old craft. Each basket is beautifully designed and seemingly effortless. So inspiring! 

My at-home playlist includes…‘The Flow’ by Erika de Casier, ‘Misty Blue’ by Dorothy Moore, and ‘It’s Over Now’ by Deborah Cox.

The future adventure that I am most looking forward to… A trip to Hawaii — it has been postponed for now, but I can’t wait to lie on black sand beaches and step into its raw beauty and nostalgia. 

To me, the connection between art, interiors and jewelry is… Evocative. And they all traverse between maker and receiver. Whether you step into a space or create it, admire an artwork or bring it to life, design a piece of jewelry or wear it, it’s speaking a language that communicates the creator’s identity but the recipients’ own voice, too. That’s quite magical. Invisible connections are being made, born out of individual experience.   

What I love about the Larkspur & Hawk “Emily's Garden” collages I created…They are born out of a beautiful creative world that already existed. It was wonderful to bring the beauty of wallpaper artist Melissa White’s outstanding work and Emily’s imagination and make it into something more physical. It’s a little exploration into the garden using texture, collected papers, and the rich imagery from the wallpaper itself. 

What drew me to the Larkspur & Hawk jewelry I am wearing…It’s really sculptural and elegant. It is something so special, but you can wear it every day and feel special.

What's next for me…We are building a new hotel in Tribeca so the Kit Kemp team is starting to conceptualize ideas, and I am continuing my collage work with an ongoing collection, although starting to work on a larger scale which is exciting.