About Us

Sarah Johnston started her business under the name Digitata towards the end of 2004, when she returned to Orkney after studying textiles at Glasgow School of Art. With an interest in both printed and woven textiles, Sarah decided to initially focus on creating a collection of commission woven jacquard fabrics which are then made into her range of cushions and throws back up in Orkney. This initial collection was followed by her hand-printed collection which includes a wider range of products including fashion accessories, and kitchen & dining textiles as well as interior accessories. 

At the beginning of 2009 Sarah decided to rebrand the business at Marram Studio, named after the marram grass which grows on sandy shores in Orkney and has been one of her many sources of inspiration.

Inspiration

The inspiration for Sarah’s designs comes from the Orkney environment - the striking scenery, the varied forms and patterns in nature, and above all, the unique quality of island colour and light. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of our work is the expression of these natural elements, combined with a fascination for repeating patterns and manipulation of scale and colour, to create Sarah’s stylish contemporary designs.

The Studio

The business is based in a unit in the former Stromness Academy buildings, overlooking Stromness harbour and Scapa Flow. Here we have set up a print table and other equipment for silkscreen printing. Each design is hand-printed small limited runs in our studio workshop, using high quality natural materials such as silk, linen,cotton and wool.

In addition to working on Marram Studio, Sarah continues to offer various design services under her orginal name Digitata including web design, particularly specialising in providing web solutions for creative businesses.