Signature Prints is an Australian hand printing company specializing in high-end fabrics and wallpapers from the design libraries to which it owns the rights. Foremost among these is the Florence Broadhurst library of more than 500 designs, only a handful of which have so far been shown at large.

Signature Prints was bought by a syndicate including the current CEO of Signature Prints, David Lennie, in 1989. The jewel in the crown that David was after when he purchased the company was a dusty pile of wooden silk-printing screens and film positives. A later business partner thought he was mad and wanted to throw them out. But David, ever the visionary and spotter of artistic talent, knew that one day they would take the world by storm.

They were the Florence Broadhurst Library, originally purchased from the estate of the flamboyant and eccentric designer in 1978, one year after her death.

Archiving the library was a mammoth task. There had never been any attempt to procure visuals, so the first step was to print onto paper all the existing screens.

Piles of screens were matched with film positives, revealing 530 Florence Broadhurst designs. Screens that made no sense on their own came to life when their 'mates' were discovered, revealing two-colour and infill designs. This library of 1960s and 1970s artwork is now considered one of the best and most powerful in existence internationally.

Three things make the Florence Broadhurst collection special:

• the sheer range of the designs. They include powerful geometrics, large tapestries, large-scale florals and more;
• the scale of the designs. They are large-sized motifs synonymous of an era where high stud walls were the norm, giving an ideal palette for large designs; and
• the intricacies of handwork within the designs. This point is important, because usually with large scale comes a visual hardness. The textural effects, including large areas of hand-drawn hatching, soften these designs by allowing the base colour to infiltrate areas of the design, allowing each to merge with the other, thereby adding dimension.

Signature Prints took a major strategic decision early on, to promote the Florence Broadhurst designs abroad. This paid off, and they gained acceptance as to its excellence via editorial, firstly from the UK and then Europe . As this editorial filtered its way back to Australia , Signature Prints' creditability rose accordingly.

In 2002, David Lennie appointed the UK "establishment" furnishing company Borderline Fabrics (owned by Lady Sally Ashburton) as distributor for Florence Broadhurst fabrics. He then added handprinted wallpapers to the mix and exhibited at Decorex, the annual furnishing exhibition in London . At this show, the Florence Broadhurst wallpaper design "The Cranes" won a gold award for excellence. The international interest and subsequent love affair with all things Florence Broadhurst had begun.

In late 2003, Signature Prints appointed Classic Revivals, based in Boston , as its master distributor in the US .

Also in 2003, Signature Prints began printing Florence Broadhurst limited edition art.

In 2004 Classic Revivals sampled Florence Broadhurst fabrics and wallpapers into 17 major cities throughout the US .

Also in 2004, Signature Prints opened a combined showroom and gallery at its Rosebery factory and studio in inner-city Sydney . In August 2004 Signature Prints held the first art exhibition there, featuring original artworks and limited editions from Gav Barbey - an Australian artist with a huge future.

2005 marked the launch of Signature Prints first lifestyle, fashion and accessories collection - Divine Decadence. This collection continued to grow over the following years to include luggage, fashion accessories, doorstops, cushions and more. This launch was closely followed by the release of the Flora Wallpaper Collection, the first completely themed Florence Broadhurst range by Signature Prints.

As Signature Prints continues to release new collections, world-wide fascination with the woman behind the designs – Florence Broadhurst – has continued to grow. In 2006 the biography “ Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives” by Helen O'Neill, took Australia by storm, winning the Best Designed Book of the Year and Best Non-Fiction Book (illustrated) at the 55th Australian Publishers Association Book Design Awards (2007). The American release of the book in 2007 also saw it become a best seller on Amazon.com

In 2006 the documentary “Unfolding Florence” directed by Australian filmmaker Gillian Armstrong, was released to international acclaim. It was included in the official selection for the Sundance, Karlovy Vary and Montreal film festivals.

In 2007, upon the demise of Classic Revivals, Signature Prints made the decision to market and sell Florence Broadhurst fabrics and wallpapers into the U.S.A. directly from Sydney . This has led to significant growth in the U.S.A. , which has been assisted furthermore with this popular website.

Global recognition for the Florence Broadhurst collections by Signature Prints increased at a rapid pace from 2006 – 2007 with existing markets in the USA and UK becoming more Florence Broadhurst enthused than ever before! Distribution also escalated in Denmark , Sweden , France , Italy , Spain , Finland , Russia , Greece , Portugal , Turkey , Dubai , Japan , Philippines , Hong Kong , Singapore and China .

Signature Prints wallpapers and fabrics continue to be used in the most high profile installations across the globe. Recent projects include iconic night spot Madame JoJo's in London , luxury hotel Il Pelicano in Tuscany , the Brionvega re-launch in Milan Start and the Soho House in LA. (See the ‘Our Clients' and ‘Project Fact' sheets pages for further information).

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