Whether it’s a handcrafted leather credenza from BDDW or contemporary chaise longue from B&B Italia, the items you choose to have in your home speak volumes about your style – perhaps even more than what you wear. Today, the way to really show your colours in the world of interiors is statement-making wallpaper. Versatile, personal and powerful.
“Generating scenery within a space is so impactful and wallpaper is an easy way to achieve this. You can craft any environment or change the atmosphere instantly because its super immersive, even if you have a tiny room or small budget,” says renowned interior designer Joyce Wang, whose client list includes Mandarin Oriental, The Berkeley in London and The Magistracy restaurant in Hong Kong. Shiny Wallpaper
Wallpaper has fallen in and out of vogue over the years, but it’s been experiencing a renaissance as of late. Most high-profile design projects, from hip hotels to bars and restaurants, include an Instagram-worthy wall that highlights the transformative powers of beautiful wallpaper. Case in point: London’s members-only club Annabel’s, which is as known for its hand-painted De Gournay wallpapers almost as much as it is for its celebrity clientele. Tastemakers like Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow have also taken the cue and used bespoke wallpapers to create statement rooms in their own homes.
The market is heating up as brands outside the design world have jumped on the bandwagon including Gucci and fashion label La Double J, which debuted an eye-catching collection during this year’s Salone del Mobile furniture fair. The latter label went viral after decorating bathrooms all over Milan in its newest prints. Interior designer-led brands and collaborations from the likes of Kelly Wearstler and Katharine Pooley have also made wallpaper covetable among the masses.
“Twenty-five per cent of what we do is printed, but our hybrid styles are also popular because they start with hand-painting – which we capture digitally and then print – before returning to the hand-painted process,” says Tim Butcher, founder of UK-based Fromental, which produces hand-painted, embroidered and printed wallpapers.
“The evolution of production processes and growing accessibility have made wallpaper more visible in the marketplace. When we started out the only way you could make a bold pictorial scene was by hand painting it but the emergence of digital has meant anything became possible. Now you have names such as Designers Guild offering more choices,” he says.
Butcher started out as a textile weaver and previously worked at De Gournay hand painting fabrics for couturiers before founding Fromental with his wife Lizzie in 2005. Armed with a passion for the decorative arts and Chinese wallpapers dating back to the 18th century, their vision is to create wallpapers that push the envelope by honouring the tradition of hand craftsmanship while adding a fashionable mindset to the creative process. Today their products are crafted in studios in Wuxi, China and in the UK.
“Rather than sticking with a classic look from a specific period, we think about what’s relevant now. So for example, we take a traditional chinoiserie scene but embroider it with more vibrant colours to create a surprising reinvention within a classic form,” says Butcher.
“Another bestseller is the Travertine where we apply delicate loose, water brushstrokes in copper and pearl embroidered geometric forms into silk. We’ve realised that not everyone is a maximalist and not every space needs a bold look, so have a wide range of styles and aesthetics,” he says.
While Fromental prides itself on its more contemporary approach to wallpapers, other well-known brands are popular due to their instantly recognisable scenes and storied history. American brand Gracie, which dates as far back as 1898 and is currently run by the fifth generation of the same family, is known for its hand-painted chinoiserie-inspired wall coverings that decorate the homes of the American elite (the Obamas are fans). French brand Zuber is one of France’s oldest manufacturers and is still known for its stunning panoramic wallpapers.
De Gournay, which was founded in the late 1980s, has become a household name thanks to its exotic scenes based on historical wallpapers – in particular its 19th century French murals and chinoiserie collection featuring garden scenes. House of Hackney, another British studio, is known for its bold animal and floral prints which mix modern maximalism with quintessential English nostalgia.
“The maximalist trend is still going strong, with clients opting for layered styles and mixing multiple patterns such as stripes and florals. Heavy textured wallpapers are still popular in home interiors but many brands are getting exceptionally good at creating and interpreting textures via print rather than by hand painting. This is great for high trafficked areas like corridors,” says Wang.
Butcher says chinoiserie-style wallpaper is still in high demand, as it can suit any aesthetic – Fromental’s interpretations featuring blue denim and caramel ginger silk, and taupe and pearl tones, are especially popular. He’s also noticed customers repeating the same scenes in multiple rooms to create a thematic feel throughout the house.
Another trend sees bespoke wallpapers used in less obvious areas of the home.
“Instead of scenic backdrops, many of our clients are applying these wallpapers to cabinetry in the dining room, dressing room or even the bedroom. It is quite common to find wallpapers constructed into the architecture of hotels, but this has moved into home interiors,” says Butcher.
And while manufacturing and digital advancements have allowed couture or bespoke wallpapers to become more mainstream, Butcher feels that there is still huge potential for the market to grow.
Wallpaper Designs “It takes between 25 to 40 hours to hand-paint a classical chinoiserie panel, which means if you have a dining room with 18 panels, you’ve spent 700 plus hours of time on the wallpaper alone. The artisans are highly skilled and train for years. Each creation has undergone a laborious process of craft, making it bespoke, authentic and genuinely unique,” he concludes. “There’s no reason why a wallpaper shouldn’t be considered a luxury item.”