14–19 July 2027 · 6 days / 5 nights
This retreat is an invitation into Melissa White’s world of playful pattern, intuitive mark-making, and decorative storytelling.
from £3,250 · £500 deposit
Decorative Art Retreat
The retreat
This retreat is an invitation into Melissa White’s world of playful pattern, intuitive mark-making, and decorative storytelling. Over several gentle, joy-filled days at Court house Farm, you’ll explore Melissa’s signature approach to creating repeat patterns, mythical motifs, and expressive decorative designs—guided by an artist celebrated for her spirited adaptation of historical techniques. Working primarily on paper, with the option of small fabric pieces, you’ll build a body of exploratory studies and finished artworks that can be easily rolled, framed, or developed further at home. This is creative immersion at its most nourishing: spacious, hands-on, and rich with inspiration from place, history, and imagination.
What you’ll do
• Warm-up mark-making exercises inspired by Melissa’s practice
• Designing decorative surfaces on paper and optional small fabric pieces
• Creating repeat patterns suitable for future use as wallpaper or fabric designs
• we will be working from Mythical creatures & bestiary-inspired imagery, alongside more traditional decorative motifs
• Developing a personal scrapbook or sketchbook of trials, colour studies, motifs and patterns
• Optional painted mouldings so your finished pieces can be framed in your preferred style
• Working with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
• A local inspiration visit to inspired the studio work we will be developing
Booking options (all inc. VAT):
Own room with en suite – £3,900
Own room with shared bathroom (two bedrooms share) – £3,700
Shared room, both guests taking part – £3,250 per person (£500 deposit each)
Non-residential place – £1,500 (all six days, no accommodation)
Bringing a partner? Partners are very welcome to come along, even if they’re not taking part – please get in touch before booking and we’ll see if we can accommodate them.
Guests who have stayed with us before receive 10% off. A £500 non-refundable deposit secures your place; the balance is due three months before the retreat.
As a residential guest, expect delicious fresh food created by our wonderful chef Kirstie, as well as tea, coffee and more throughout the day, and the bar is open for you from 6pm.
Melissa White
Your tutor
Melissa White is a decorative artist best known for her contemporary interpretations of historical pattern, ornament, and mural traditions. Her work draws on everything from Elizabethan wall painting to the expressive freedom of the Bloomsbury Group, weaving together folklore, playful mark-making, and a keen eye for colour. Melissa collaborates widely—across interiors, design houses, and exhibitions—and her pieces are recognised for their warmth, wit, and unmistakable hand-painted character. A generous and highly intuitive teacher, she brings both deep craft knowledge and a spirit of curiosity to her workshops, creating spaces where participants feel supported to experiment, invent, and delight in the creative process.
In their own words
Booking
Hold your place with a deposit today. Once we’ve confirmed the retreat is going ahead, we invoice the remaining balance directly — there’s nothing else to pay online.
Balance due by 14 April 2027
Reserve your place
14–19 July 2027 · 6 days / 5 nights
from £3,250£500 depositinc. VAT · 10% off for returning guests
Secure checkout through our shop. The balance is invoiced once the retreat is confirmed.
A question before you book? Get in touch.
Life at Court House Farm
Characterful bedrooms in the medieval and Tudor manor houses, each furnished with vintage finds and rich fabrics.
Resident chef Kirstie cooks seasonal, generous meals to bring everyone together at the end of each studio day.
Walled gardens, the orchard and quiet corners for sketching, reading or doing nothing at all between sessions.
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