This fall at Magnolia we’re exploring the theme of fortitude and how the beauty of its staying power shapes our lives and the world around us.
This video from Jo describes how our visual team chose to bring the theme of fortitude to life at the Market this season. Continue reading below to learn more about their process—from initial concept to final displays.
The Inspiration
We define fortitude as having courage of soul and a steady resolve to embrace what grows you. As our visual team took that definition and considered how fortitude reveals itself in the world around us, several images came to mind.
The first was that of a “spent” garden—one that has given the best of its flowers and fruits, but also contains a few plants that continue to stand gracefully, even as the season for blooming fades. The second image that came to mind was a tree with deep roots. Even when a storm comes and attempts to uproot it, a tree remains firmly grounded, displaying the fortitude that has been quietly growing beneath the surface.
Inspired by those images, the team is telling the story of fall with towering trees, hardy mushrooms, and layers of leaves and flowers all carved from wood.
The Vision
As inspiration turned into sketches, the team came up with four main installations to feature in the Market: a garden wall layered with wood-carved flowers, a towering wooden tree, clusters of hand-carved mushrooms, and a fabric leaf canopy display.
Here’s a look at how they imagined these installations coming to life:
The Final Displays
After three months of production to perfect the details of each piece, our team spent a weekend in the Market installing the final displays. Take a look at the stunning final results below:
Wall Garden
The first thing you’ll notice as you walk into Magnolia Market is a wall to your left covered with layers of wood-carved flowers. Inspired by the fortitude of trees, the words “deeply rooted” are carved into it—a reminder to tether ourselves to what we care about most. Each layer has been hand designed and drawn to capture the true nature of each flower variety, while various wood tones add depth and dimension to the display.
Towering Tree
Make your way further into the store and you’ll encounter a table surrounded by wood-carved yarrow, pye weed, and plume grasses, while lifelike coneflowers formed from wood sprout up from the floor. Towering above, a tree fashioned from dozens of multi-toned wood layers stands tall with a sprawling canopy.
Mushroom Patches
Over in the kitchen, you’ll find patches of oversized mushrooms sprouting on display tables. Each one began as a set of layered pine boards glued together and hand-turned on a lathe to create a domed top, then gently carved to create a soft, natural-looking stem.
Tree Canopy
A layered canopy of hand dyed and stiffened fabric cut in the form of leaves hangs at the back of the store. Look closely and you’ll notice that the delicate fabric is strung together with fishing wire.
Fall All Around
And that’s just the beginning! If you've been to the market before, you may notice that some things have changed. Good eye. We've done a little renovating recently and this fall season is the big reveal of a new interior design that includes updates to our in-store kitchen, a revamped floor plan, and the introduction of Found + Collected, which are antiques and one-of-a-kind finds from Jo's personal collection. Take a look at some of our other favorite scenes at the market this fall:
Experience the Market in Person
We can’t wait for you to share the beauty of this season with us. Plan a trip to Waco to see all the ways fall has taken root at Magnolia. Until then, shop our fall collection to welcome the season into your own home.
