My love of wallpaper/wallcoverings is no secret, I enjoy incorporating wallpaper into my designs and have NEVER duplicated the same design for any projects - and this is because there is simply no excuse, there is SO much choice out there. We are all totally different and that's why our homes are an extension of our personality, not that of anyone else's! I remember when I was 11 I was already designing my bedroom and I insisted on having bold red and white striped wallpaper - my parents reluctantly acceded to this request - thankfully my taste has drastically evolved.
Investing in good quality wallpaper is key, so manage your budget accordingly; the cheaper the wallpaper, then less impressive the paper and therefore the final result can be hugely disappointing. There are many affordable brands out there, including removables for renters not wanting to make a large footprint, yet wishing to personalise their space and subsequently remove it with ease.
I wanted to share some papers I have used in some amazing projects and also present some of my favourite wallpaper designers. As mentioned before, contact me directly if you need help sourcing as I have accounts at US and UK companies. Wallpaper can really be revolutionary, so have fun with it!
I'll start with one of the most iconic wallpapers ever created - the original Beverly Hills Martinique Banana Leaf luxury wallpaper - the iconic original banana leaf which has been copied the world over - but the original is the way to go and is only manufactured by C W Stockwell #acceptnosubstitutes. It was Don Loper who adorned the walls of Martinique making it one of the most famous hotel interiors ever. The paper appeared in Golden Girls, Friends and my favourite NYC restaurant: Indochine.
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| "Martinique" in green by C W Stockwell |
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See where we did some creative cutting ...
the black paint is Railings by Farrow & Ball |
The story of the paper's creation is also magical: Upon returning from vacation in the South Seas, Remy & Lucile Chatain sought to recreate not just the sights they had witnessed in the tropics, but the sense of lushness and exuberance those sights had filled them with, too. Together with their friend, the illustrator and textile designer Albert Stockdale, they designed a large-scale botanical pattern to recapture and evoke those feelings, and mounted it in their showroom. Last year C W Stockwell (the sole producer of Martinique) introduced 14 new prints and colour ways, see below the new teal and navy colour way - would love to use that.
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"Martinique" in navy by C W Stockwell - how stunning is this?
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Woodchip & Magnolia, a UK wallpaper label, led by Nina and Paul, a husband and wife team who were both long-term Graham & Brown alumni. Check out their extensive range which is added to frequently, lots of flora and fauna, landscapes, geometrics, vintage designs and many other nuggets. They also provide a bespoke mural service, whereby it is even possible for all four walls to be wrapped in a unique design. Check out their www for more inspiration.
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| "Monstera" in Green/White by Woodchip & Magnolia in a Kenyan project |
One of my favourite papers of all time is sadly no longer available in the colour way I had installed, it was by the Beware the Moon father and daughter team: John and Louise Wakefield, and their hand-drawn exquisite designs still blow me away. I remember their heavily glittered and flocked creations back in 2009 and knew I had to have "She" in our boudoir! it was so damned sexy, sadly they don't do it in the same colourway as we had (which was a dark grey with the sketch in a chartreuse pop), and also discontinued a divine pale pink flocked version also. There are still innovative finishes though, a black and white hologrammed version and below this sunset golden beauty.
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"She" in dark grey and chartreuse - sadly so pixelated
- it looked incredible in my bedroom
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"She" by Beware the Moon - the one I used in bottom right is discontinued,
but the other three colour ways are still available ;) |
Although I haven't specified in any project yet, I'm totally mesmerised by the beyond clever creations of Tracy Kendall of Tracy Kendall Wallpaper. Be it sequins (singing to my magpie tendencies), fringing, 3D paper or her hand screen-printed lace panels, they are serious artwork additions to any wall (or ceiling!).
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| "Sequins" by Tracy Kendall Wallpapers |
Another design I'm dying to use is the Paul Smith concrete veneer wall covering, created by Space Innovation Ltd which comes in 1m x 3m panels - it can bend up to 90 degrees using heat, just imagine what can be created using this. Their name truly exemplifies what they do - they are innovative.
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| "Flexible real concrete veneer" by Space Innovation Ltd |
There is a Catalan company that I just can't get enough of - again a family-owned business, established in 1965, Tres Tintas is a true source of inspiration when it comes to wallpapers and murals- check out their www - you won't be disappointed.
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| "Dripping Ice Cream" by Tres Tintas |
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| "Irridescent Macro" by Tres Tintas |
I believe that today, more than anywhere, deserved value is put on artisanal products and crafted items. Historically, the word craft conjures up items that are perhaps not well made - sort of put together and not given the recognition they deserve. Nowadays, crafted items excite me and I recognise the high-level of skill and expertise and the time taken in producing crafted items, the emphasis on crafted items is special and gives people the joy they need in their lives. We don't want mass produced items, when it comes to our homes, they need to be a haven, elements of which can be curated, but it's a home, not a museum. Form, function and aesthetics again... and it's the same with wallcoverings as with other items.
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| "Cavalry" in carob, by CavernHome used in a Connecticut project back in 2007 |
Cavern Home is a wallpaper designer I discovered back in 2007, when I was looking for a geometric print with a twist for a horse lover. On first sight this looks like a brown and white repeated print, but on closer examination, Cavalry displays a horse silhouette reflected in four directions. All of their papers are hand-screened in the USA with eco-friendly, water-based inks. Rolls come untrimmed for precise matching, so I recommend using a professional wallpaper installer (see below).
Sooshichacha is an edgy, award-winning British design studio who create stunning contemporary designs. I installed their "Toucan" paper in a period property in Devon and the juxtaposition between contemporary and classical works beautifully. Their "Boobie heads" design would look incredible in a child's room.
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| "Toucan" by Sooshichatcha in a period property in Devon |
House of Hackney exemplifies British maximalism in the most lavish way possible, I headed to them to add some intrigue to a former Embassy residence in Kenya. In fact, I ultimately specified their Wild Cat - which since it is leopard-inspired is a neutral right? it looked incredible in the vintage bar and nook area, here is a corner of the bar and yes we created the lampshade in the same paper and had some custom glass made and waterproofed the edges for the base. Also for every order placed, House of Hackney will make a donation to Friends of the Earth's campaign to double the UK tree cover by 2045 - providing a natural defence against climate change as well as a home for wildlife. So it's a win-win for trees #MoreTreesPlease
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| "Wild Cat" by House of Hackney |
I still find it inconceivable why Cole & Sons discontinued their iconic Fornasetti Tema e Variazioni wallpaper, designed by Piero Fornasetti, the iconic Italian designer. It is just the most spectacular paper in my opinion and of course now it is a collector's item - so happy to have managed to track some down for a New York project - we sourced it from a Las Vegas casino who had specified too much - lucky us. This remains one of my favourite projects.
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"Fornasetti's Tema e Variazioni" by Cole & Son Wallpapers - used in a NYC bathroom
- sadly it was discontinued and is now a collector's item
- here looking splendid with Miu Miu posing next to it! |
Of course if you're a renter and don't want to invest in wallpaper, you can always go down the positionable wallpaper route - we move around all the time and have often used it in rentals. Here is Scout by Tempaper, which we used in the girls' room in Kenya - it was brilliant - wipeable, durable, didn't peel off at all and when we moved out we peeled it off all in one go - just amazing.
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| "Scout" by Tempaper |
I have so many papers, I think I will do another one, as this has only scraped the surface. I'll sign off with a few of my favourite Élitis papers though!
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"Opulence" "Chance" and "Éclat" by Élitis - a few of my favourites
- their textural sophisticated papers are always a joy to use
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#STAYSAFE. #STAYHOME
XO
* someone who is shy or introverted...
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