Ten years ago wallpaper was a thing of the past, yet today there seems to be a greater appeal for wallpaper been used to decorate the home. Having researched into the current wallpaper market, it would appear that there is a greater need and appreciation for wallpaper throughout the 21st century and also that there has also been a resurgence in craft despite the fact that traditional skills like hand spinning, tapestry, glass blowing, hand knitting are very rarely seen as they might once have been 100 years ago.
‘In recent years, a revived focus on craftsmanship in modern design has brought with it a new sense of belonging and an emotional attachment of the stories of our past. As designers revisit their cultural heritage and rediscover the pleasure of rural craft, designers are creating contemporary folkloric designs that nonetheless suggest an almost archaeological approach to preservation’. (Hancock, L 2010)
I have used this theory and continued to develop my ideas based on historic wallpaper from Temple Newsam and designs from William Morris. I have taken into consideration colour, repeat and scale used throughout historic design and used a combination of both historic and contemporary designs to create and develop my own wallpaper collections.
Having looked at historic and contemporary design, it appears that historic motifs tend to be rather small and contain a lot of detail and the colours used have tendency to be based around similar tones and shades. Yet contemporary wallpaper designs appear to contain larger motif’s, with less detail and predominately include brighter colour schemes. I will consider this factor when designing wallpaper to ensure there is a balance between motif sizes.
To say that wallpaper is making a comeback is an understatement. In the space of a few years, the era of white-washed minimalism of the 1980s and 1990s ‘is very much a thing of the past: the desire to customise space is making a comeback’. (Blackley 2006) Many home owners are using wallpaper in over half of the rooms in their homes. More costly than paint, but today society feels that it is worth is because of the overall improvement to the feel of the room and would rather redecorate their homes as a cheaper option to moving house, as expressed by Marianne Kushi in a report in 2009 suggesting that ‘people are redesigning their homes rather than selling in a down economy’. (Kushi 2009)
Today wallpaper is available from a wide variety of sources; they can be bought via the internet from a selection of online wallpaper companies, from specialist shops, from designers who create one of pieces and from high street shops. The cost of wallpaper varies in price, ranging from £6.49 from Wilkinson’s low end wallpaper range, NEXT from £12 a roll middle price range, Tangle Tree Interiors designer wallpaper available from £40 a roll, high end wallpaper available from designers such as Matthew Williamson from £50 a roll and Ralph Lauren £155 a roll.
Wilkinson wallpaper ..................... NEXT
Vivieene Westwood for Cole & Son
Matthew Williamson
Revival of Historic design throughout wallpaper
The use of historic archives appears to be on trend for the 21st century and with opulent style back in fashion, well known interior design companies are also looking back to the pattern archives for inspiration. Taking intricate designs steeped throughout history as their reference points, they are reworking, revitalizing and re-colouring ideas for a new contemporary elegance. Some of the most distinguished companies influenced by historic patterns are companies such as Zoffany, The Little Green Paint Company and Tricia Guild.
Zoffany patterns are ‘based on those found at the great Tudor-Jacobean country house Temple Newsam in Leeds’. (Whittaker 2005) Using historic references from Temple Newsam, Zoffany relates fabrics and rich colours with resources like 18th century silk waistcoats and scraps of early damask to work from. Rethinking the best of the past infuses the idea of historic pattern and design allows for the invention and rework of contemporary, bold and vibrant prints. They are successfully underpinning historical designs, ‘bringing another dimension to each season’s fabric and wallpaper collections’. (Whittaker 2005)
Zoffany damask wallpaper ............... Little Greene paint company
Tristan Butterfield the creative director of Zoffany states ‘There is such a huge interest in the great paper and fabric designs of the past’. (Whittaker 2005) Supported by the fact that this company has run successfully for over 25years, displaying that wallpaper is still in demand.
This shows that although it could be considered that wallpaper companies are struggling to be innovative there is still a huge customer demand for historic inspired designs.
Designers are finding that archival treasures are the ideal place in which to start their creative development and by combining both historic and contemporary elements into the design process allows for the innovation and progression of wallpaper. Another factor related to the idea of revitalising historic designs is largely linked with the colour scheme. Companies will take an historic design and make it adaptable to today’s market by using colour predictions, I will use this theory when designing my own wallpaper collections.
An example of how this technique is been used in wallpaper designs today, can be seen in the work of Allyson McDermott, she owns an historic restoration company and is responsible for restoring wallpaper throughout historic homes across the world. One of her most recognised projects can be seen at Temple Newsam, where she has restored a green flock wallpaper design back to its original state using traditional wallpaper methods. She then went on to create a series of colour ways of the design but used a much brighter colour scheme in order to appeal to a more contemporary market. A technique that seems to have inspired many wallpaper companies across the spectrum.
Zoffany patterns are ‘based on those found at the great Tudor-Jacobean country house Temple Newsam in Leeds’. (Whittaker 2005) Using historic references from Temple Newsam, Zoffany relates fabrics and rich colours with resources like 18th century silk waistcoats and scraps of early damask to work from. Rethinking the best of the past infuses the idea of historic pattern and design allows for the invention and rework of contemporary, bold and vibrant prints. They are successfully underpinning historical designs, ‘bringing another dimension to each season’s fabric and wallpaper collections’. (Whittaker 2005)
Zoffany damask wallpaper ............... Little Greene paint company
Tristan Butterfield the creative director of Zoffany states ‘There is such a huge interest in the great paper and fabric designs of the past’. (Whittaker 2005) Supported by the fact that this company has run successfully for over 25years, displaying that wallpaper is still in demand.
This shows that although it could be considered that wallpaper companies are struggling to be innovative there is still a huge customer demand for historic inspired designs.
Designers are finding that archival treasures are the ideal place in which to start their creative development and by combining both historic and contemporary elements into the design process allows for the innovation and progression of wallpaper. Another factor related to the idea of revitalising historic designs is largely linked with the colour scheme. Companies will take an historic design and make it adaptable to today’s market by using colour predictions, I will use this theory when designing my own wallpaper collections.
Allyson McDermott
An example of how this technique is been used in wallpaper designs today, can be seen in the work of Allyson McDermott, she owns an historic restoration company and is responsible for restoring wallpaper throughout historic homes across the world. One of her most recognised projects can be seen at Temple Newsam, where she has restored a green flock wallpaper design back to its original state using traditional wallpaper methods. She then went on to create a series of colour ways of the design but used a much brighter colour scheme in order to appeal to a more contemporary market. A technique that seems to have inspired many wallpaper companies across the spectrum.
Revival of historic archives from Temple Newsam by Allyson McDermott
Christopher Pearson
Recent studies show that although many wallpaper companies are basing their ideas upon historic references, the future of wallpaper must be innovative in order to move forward. In order to gain an understanding into the current wallpaper market and to establish where I can fit my designs into the wallpaper market, I have approached relevant designers and companies within the wallpaper industry and asked ‘What do you believe the future of wallpaper holds? How do you see it evolving’? Allyson McDermott 2010 said “The future of wallpaper will be Interactive, bells, lights and whistles”. Lizz Cann 2009 from William Morris and Co. Believes “may be that the rather glitzy 'Feature Wall' trend will eventually become dated and customers will return to a softer '4 wall' look again”. Polly Putnam 2010, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts at Temple Newsam states that “there was an amazing digital wallpaper by the artist Christopher Pearson at a recent exhibition in Dundee called “Peacocks in the Ruins” and that she can see this sort of technology entering interiors in the future”.
Recent studies show that although many wallpaper companies are basing their ideas upon historic references, the future of wallpaper must be innovative in order to move forward. In order to gain an understanding into the current wallpaper market and to establish where I can fit my designs into the wallpaper market, I have approached relevant designers and companies within the wallpaper industry and asked ‘What do you believe the future of wallpaper holds? How do you see it evolving’? Allyson McDermott 2010 said “The future of wallpaper will be Interactive, bells, lights and whistles”. Lizz Cann 2009 from William Morris and Co. Believes “may be that the rather glitzy 'Feature Wall' trend will eventually become dated and customers will return to a softer '4 wall' look again”. Polly Putnam 2010, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts at Temple Newsam states that “there was an amazing digital wallpaper by the artist Christopher Pearson at a recent exhibition in Dundee called “Peacocks in the Ruins” and that she can see this sort of technology entering interiors in the future”.
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