EYE ON DESIGN
Q
Tell us about the new collection National Trust Papers II contains 42 colourways across seven designs; the collection is a celebration of enduring design, with the origins of these contemporary wallpapers spanning over 400 years of historic decoration. We began our collaboration with the National Trust in 2018, and since then have completed a large research project to discover designs from many of its properties across the UK. Each wallpaper has a story to tell and has been redrawn and recoloured, while retaining the traditional methods and materials from which they were originally crafted. The collection spans a vast range of decorative styles, meaning that there will be something suitable for all spaces.
Q
What research was involved? We visited many National Trust properties to create a shortlist of designs. Some of these are still in situ within the properties and some are taken from objects, such as the beautiful Bateman’s leather wall-hanging with its tree of life design. Our historic colour specialist team visited each property and photographed many archive pieces to create a collection of designs from which we chose our final selection. Our research uncovered some really interesting pieces including our oldest design yet, Millefleur from
Montacute House, Somerset. The floral detail is drawn directly from a rare and lovingly conserved 15th-century tapestry, and the oldest in the Trust’s care.
Q
How do you decide which historic patterns to develop?
We are very much guided by our discoveries and while some designs may require a lot of design work to redraw them, there are many that need very little alteration. Our aim is to uncover timeless patterns that bring an element of texture and intrigue to the home. Often the original colourways do not display the beauty of the design; the Beech Nut pattern from Petworth House is a fine example of this – the original fragment was lacking in definition and colour interest but, with some fine work from our team, it has become one of the collection highlights. While we are driven by our emotional responses to the original documents, we are careful to provide a balanced collection.
Q
What’s your best piece of advice for choosing wallpaper for a period home? Try to find a wallpaper that originates from the period that your house was built – this may give a look that is sympathetic to the style of your home. Take care to understand the scale of the design and the dimensions of your room – it is true that many large-scale designs were applied to small rooms historically, but this does not always serve us well. You should not overlook the effect of a good paint colour to cover other surfaces in the room. Suggested paints for each paper colourway are proposed by Little Greene to help – these are a guide and, of course, a related darker or paler colour will suffice.