WALL TO WALL LUXURY AT DE GOURNAY
Utter the name “de Gournay” to any design aficionado and a dreamy look of infatuation will form on his or her face. It may sound like a cliche, but the London company creates wallpapers that are
truly swoon-worthy. The designs can be appreciated in person at the new de Gournay showroom in Presidio Heights, the second in the U.S. after New York.
What makes these wallpapers so special? It’s the craftsmanship and details. Each panel is hand-painted on surfaces such as silk and Edo tea paper. According to de Gournay designer Jemma Cave, not only can the palette be customized, but also the schemes can be tailored to the client’s furnishings. That way, for example, the placement of birds or blossoms isn’t obscured by a mirror or cabinet.
De Gournay’s feather-gilding technique entails handapplied strokes of gold leaf that results in a sumptuous luster that won’t tarnish, says Cave. Embroidery, also done by hand, takes the luxe level up another notch. The San Francisco location is only the firm’s seventh worldwide. And there are no plans for subsequent U.S. showrooms, says founder Claud Cecil Gurney.
The 1,200-square-foot showroom spans three levels, with walls lined in motifs that highlight a range of styles. The entry is clad in Wisteria (from $707 for a panel 3 feet wide by 5 to 7 feet tall) — a close inspection reveals handembroidered blooms — and the newly released Amazonia (from $1,177/panel), which channels a tropical rain forest. The far end of the showroom is devoted primarily to Saint Laurent (from $1,885/panel), based on an antique chinoiserie that hung in the late fashion
designer Yves Saint Laurent’s apartment. De Gournay’s interpretation focuses on the peacocks depicted in the inspiration, notes Cave, who estimates that one panel represents
150 hours of labor.
Along with the exquisite wall coverings, additional de Gournay goods are available in the showroom. An array of pillows (from $715) is propped along a window seat that looks out to bustling Sacramento Street. In keeping with the company’s emphasis on artistry, the porcelain pheasant figurines ($6,038 for the pair) are hand-carved and hand-painted. Gurney’s penchant for scouring European flea markets yields pieces that are for sale, too. The smokyhued Murano glass chandelier ($5,500) and sconces ($7,000 for the pair) that greet visitors to the showroom were procured in Montpellier, France. The fixtures are part of the polyhedral collection devised by Carlo Scarpa for Venini in the 1950s.
Even with so much to covet, the wallpapers remain the star here. “We love to make people’s homes beautiful,” Gurney says. “You come home and sit in a lovely de Gournay room and have this wonderful color, vibrancy, happiness and Zen around you, and it calms you. We try to make people’s lives happier — and I think we do.”