The print began with my pencil drawing of peonies in bloom, the stems interconnecting so that a rectangular wooden block could repeat to create a full, floral print.

This drawing was then traced by a master artisan who carves the drawing into teak wood with a chisel. Depending on the number of colours in the print, various blocks will be created for each layer of colour.

For the colour, I sought a pale blue contrasted with white. My moodboard was filled with our photos of the blue room at Samode Palace with its white floral frescoes, Jasperware vases from Wedgwood and the forget-me-knots that fill the borders of a spring garden.

And then, time to sample the print. The honour and joy it brings me to work with these artisans in Jaipur is second to none. The pressure on the wooden block is an art: too much and it will smudge, too little and it will fail. But minor imperfections are the beauty of the craft; they signal a human hand and story, rather than the dull accuracy and symmetry pumped out on repeat by a machine. You can find out more about this heritage craft of block printing in my article for Cabana Magazine.