Fullerton by Osborne & Little, osborneandlittle.com
A flower-inspired playlist gave rise to eight collages featuring our favorite floral wallpaper patterns. Plus find wallpaper insights from some of our go-to interior designers and a brief history of this decorative element.
“I love bright, almost-geometric modern florals for children’s spaces and kitchens; darker and more classically inspired motifs for gentlemen’s rooms; and eye-catching, big patterns for contemporary spaces.” — Designer Elaine Griffin“La Vie en Rose” – Edith Piaf
Floral wallpaper patterns, clockwise from top left: Portier in Clover by Designers Guild, designersguild.com • Arbre De Vie by Clarence House, clarencehouse.com • Janta Bazaar in Flax by Thibaut, thibautdesign.com • Caitlin in Citrus by Kravet, kravet.com • Allium by Cole & Son, cole-and-son.com
“Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” – Doris Day
Left to right: Rhodedendrum Script and Watercolor Roses by York Wallcoverings, yorkwallcoverings.com • Anaar Tree and Grandiflora by Sanderson through Sanderson Design Group, sandersondesigngroup.com • Dogwood in Celadon by Annie Selke, annieselke.com • Belhaven by Thibaut, thibautdesign.com • Marguerite by Osborne & Little, osborneandlittle.com
“We use all wallpaper regularly! It’s one of our favorite ways to add drama, color, and scale to a room.” — Courtney Coleman & Bill Brockschmidt of Brockschmidt & Coleman
“Build Me Up Buttercup” – The Foundations
Clockwise from top left: Spotted Orchid by Anna French through Thibaut, thibautdesign.com • Delft Flower by Designers Guild, designersguild.com • Leaf Trellis by Colefax and Fowler through Cowtan & Tout, cowtan.com • Rhodora by Osborne & Little, osborneandlittle.com • Bouquet by Anna French through Thibaut • Cowparsley by Sanderson through Sanderson Design Group, sandersondesigngroup.com
“Blue Gardenia” – Dinah Washington
Clockwise from top left: Tuileries by Anna French through Thibaut, thibautdesign.com • Roseto in Celadon by Designers Guild, designersguild.com • Flora & Fauna in Gray by Scalamandré, scalamandre.com • W3353-1011 by Kravet, kravet.com • Thistle by Cole & Son, cole-and-son.com • Lilacs by Sanderson through Sanderson Design Group, sandersondesigngroup.com • Lisa in Light Blue by Scalamandré
“I might use wallpaper to create architecture with a trellis and floral motif, elongate the visual aesthetic with a climbing vine, or give me an all-over-but-the-shouting background on which to build layers.” — Designer James Farmer“Flowers on the Wall” – Statler Brothers
Left to right: Honshu by Thibaut, thibautdesign.com • Exotic Butterfly in Spring by Schumacher, fschumacher.com • Surimono in Moss by Designers Guild, designersguild.com • Sole by Clarence House, clarencehouse.com • Espalier in Prairie by Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com • Sunlit Palm in Green by Schumacher • Isabelle Garden in Chartreuse by Kravet, kravet.com
“Let It Grow” – Eric Clapton
Clockwise from top left: Marianne in Fuchsia by Designers Guild, designersguild.com • Togei in Rouge by Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com • Spontaneity by York Wallcoverings, yorkwallcoverings.com • Valldemossa by Matthew Williamson for Osborne & Little, osborneandlittle.com • Blossom in Multi by Annie Selke, annieselke.com
“Wildflowers” – Tom Petty
Clockwise from top left: Rene in Green and Beige from the Paramount collection by Thibaut, thibautdesign.com • Lotte in Black (far right) by Scalamandré, scalamandre.com • Frutto Proibito in Seafoam and Lemon by Lee Jofa through Kravet, kravet.com • Blommen in Leaf by Schumacher, fschumacher.com • Piper Multicolor Floral by A-Street Prints, astreetprints.com
“Gloria Vanderbilt’s romantic bedroom with a classic Rose Cumming wallpaper is as fresh and beautiful today as it was in the early ’80s.” — Designer Matthew Patrick Smyth
“Garden Party” – Ricky Nelson
Clockwise from top left: Bowood by Colefax and Fowler through Cowtan & Tout, cowtan.com • Defosse Trellis by Scalamandre, scalamandre.com • Orla Pink Floral by A-Street Prints, astreetprints.com • Angel Ferns by Sanderson through Sanderson Design Group, sandersondesigngroup.com • Wisteria by Cole & Son, cole-and-son.com • Ombre in Pink by Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com
WALLPAPER THROUGH THE CENTURIES
Floral wallpaper patterns flourished in the rococo and Victorian eras of the 18th and 19th centuries. Its popularity waned somewhat during the 1960s and ’70s, when geometric, abstract prints were the rage (except for florals with a Pop Art reference). In 1980s excess, realistic florals, from Chinois patterns to blowsy bouquets, were used liberally, nowhere to greater effect than the English country house look, with its floral bedding, drapery, and wallcoverings. In more recent years, the trend toward neutral interiors eschewed floral papers in favor of textured papers such as grass cloth.
Thankfully (for us at Flower), maximalism is thriving again with exuberant pattern mixing and unexpected palettes. Old patterns plucked from the archives look new in fresh colorways and scales. Wallpaper continues to help us create new realities inside our homes—to transform, hide defects, add excitement, and, in the case of florals, bring the garden inside year-round.
This story appears inFlowermagazine’sJan/Feb 2021issue.Subscribeto the magazine or sign up for our freee-newsletter.
