As a frequent traveler and fabric designer, I find inspiration everywhere. If you’ve been around a while, you know that when it comes to inspiration, my roots play as big a part as my wings. This story is about roots. (Literally). In winter, as friends and relatives begin to gather in family homes and relive cherished traditions, this story seems especially appropriate.

Some years ago, Mr. H and I traveled to Germany to see the small villages my ancestors emigrated from during the 1850s. Some of their stories are lost to time but pieces of their legacies live on.

In 1858, my great-great-grandmother Katherina and her daughter Elizabeth left Europe a few days after Christmas. Among their belongings? Iris bulbs, the roots of long branches that bloom yellow in the spring, and cuttings of delicate pink roses.

These flowers clearly held incredible significance to my great-great-grandmother. She carefully crossed the ocean with them and nurtured them back to health in an unknown world.

My mother and her mother kept the plants blooming and flourishing over the decades, and now I do as well. I’ve lived in many places, and wherever I roam, I bring my grandmother’s flowers with me. My sisters do the same.

Those delicate pink roses are really not so delicate, when you consider their journey. In my garden, they bloom once a year, for one heavenly-scented week, and then they’re gone. Blooming or not, they bring comfort and peace. I see them and I’m instantly connected to family both near and far.

It’s this feeling — and photographs of those very blooms — that inspired SmithHönig’s Ashes of Roses fabric.

I designed Ashes of Roses as a tribute to the strong women in my family who braved storms and started new ventures and managed to protect what mattered.

Ashes of Roses is, in fact, a floral. A bold and modern version that’s steeped in tradition.

This pattern is an abstraction – an explosion – of pink rose petals.

Ashes of Roses was also the name of my mother’s favorite color – a dusty pink.

Recently, we added a new color to the Ashes of Roses family. Flame packs a brighter punch.

Both color ways are perfect for dramatic placement on chairs, bedding or table linens.

Whichever you choose (might I recommend both?), this pattern is a sure way to add history to your decor while still staying thoroughly modern.

For pillows, furniture and custom drapes, let Ashes of Roses take you on a journey through time.