William Morris

More eye candy from William Morris, wallpaper innovator for the ages.

Fabulous Fabrega

An amazing image of Miky Fabrega, one of the artists in Cavern’s Artist Edition Series, with a window display he designed for Life furniture store in Panama. Stunning!

Vintage Wallpapers from Better Homes and Gardens

Eye candy from my favorite design source, the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Books from 1961 and 1975.  There’s something about these images that really grabs me.  Whether the room is spot on perfect, hilariously dated or even flat-out hideous, I can’t help but enjoy their unique visual attitude and charming vintage quality.  For better or worse, they always make me think, “I can’t believe people actually lived like this.”  Enjoy!

1961:

1975:

Shaw Mansion Wallpaper

From Intern at Large Karli Hendrickson:

The New London County Historical Society, located in the Shaw Mansion, is renovating the old servants quarters into an educational space. During these renovations, cool old wallpapers are being revealed. As they work on the walls, they are discovering layers of papers ranging from an original 1850’s paper to many reproduction papers from the 1930’s to the 1970’s. Executive Director Edward Baker gave me a tour of the rooms with the best wallpaper examples.

Awesome. Thanks Karli!

State of the Wallpaper, Wallpaper of the State

Watching the State of the Union last night, my eye kept going to the wallpaper!  I sent a research inquiry to the art and history division of the Capital — they have lots of information online about the stuatues, friezes, and paintings in the building, but I didn’t see anything about this pattern.  Will let you know what I find out.

[photos from nytimes.com]

Damien Hirst Wallpaper

Last month I posted about Damien Hirst’s work, and I just realized (via one of my favorite blogs, The Year in Pictures) that he has done wallpaper!  I don’t know how I missed it when I was at the Gagosian gallery shop; maybe it’s relatively recent.  In any case, talk about graphic wallpaper- wowzer.  The pattern seems perfect for a retail or public space; I can’t really imagine it in most home environments.  But it’s nice to see digitally printed wallpaper in a high-end context.  Well done Mr. Hirst!  (And thanks for taking the on-the-sly pictures, James!)

Designers We Love: Muriel Brandolini

If you aren’t aware of Muriel Brandolini, put her on your radar — her fabric, wallpaper and interior designs are all marvelous.  With vibrant colors, graphic shapes, and international influence from around the world, her patterns exude a sophisticated, elegant energy.  So beautiful!

Wallpaper Heroes: William Morris

William Morris is perhaps the single most important figure in the history of wallpaper.  A writer, artist, and political activist, Morris was truly a renaissance man, but his achievements in fabric and wallpaper design stand above the rest.  Championing the British arts and crafts movement, Morris merged his interest in patterning with his lifelong fascination with nature.  The results are timeless patterns, rich in color, elegant in design.

It’s striking to me how relevant Morris’ work and philosophies are to wallpaper today.  His fundamental belief that surface design depends upon intentional lines and silhouettes is undeniably true; Cavern’s “Blackbird” pattern is a great example.  And his interest in hand-made art and abstracting the natural world all seem very modern, very “now.”  I’ll post more eye-candy from Morris in the upcoming weeks – his patterns are truly exquisite.

New Year, Old Wallpapers

Happy new year! To kick off 2010, here are some photos taken by the always fabulous Karli Hendrickson, Cavern intern at large, on her latest trip to the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic Connecticut.  These are from the Buckingham-Hall House, recreated to look like it might have in the 19th Century.

Karli points out (and I very much agree) that what makes the rooms so visually appealing is the combination of patterns: the delicate, even ornate wallpaper patterns mixed with the bold stripes in the rug or couch.

The patterns create a vibrant energy, a visual business for the eye to explore.  But through conservative color choice, framed pictures, and simple wood furniture, the rooms maintain a cohesive, balanced serenity.  All the elements fit together.

I can’t imagine designing my own apartment to look like a 19th Century coastal town house, but I find the mixing and matching very inspiring. Thanks Karli!

Richard Wright

Richard Wright just won this year’s Turner Prize, awarded by the Tate to a contemporary artist under fifty who has shown outstanding work in the last year.  Wright’s work exists somewhere on the border between installation art, painting, and wallpaper.  His style is sometimes bold, sometimes subtle- always intriguing.   Check out more of his work here.  Very cool.