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EXCEPTIONAL WALLPAPERS
FROM COLE & SON
Stepping off a chic side street in bustling west London , walking into the Cole & Son design studio is an allencompassing experience . With walls like a giant sketchbook , the airy , Chelseabased workroom is hub of inspiration , a true artist ’ s atelier . It ’ s here that the small team of in-house designers dream up the exquisite collections that make Cole & Son among the most revered wallpaper design houses in the world .
An entirely collaborative environment , all designs and concepts are worked on together , whilst referring to the sketches , paintings and pieces of inspiration that line the studio walls . ‘ This way the collections benefit from everybody ’ s input ’ explains Marie Karlsson , Creative & Managing Director of the house . ‘ One person may have thoughts that inspire another , it really is a wonderful way of working .’
After Marie ’ s initial creative direction , ideas come predominantly from the team ’ s extensive research which is collected on immersive trips to inspirational locations . ‘ When working with our partners en vogue , Fornasetti , we travel to be with them at their Milanese atelier and the incredible Fornasetti house to immerse ourselves in their world . Similarly , adapting South African ceramicist Ardmore ’ s handmade pieces into beautiful wallpaper prints means we need to go to them , to visit their studio and see how their incredibly talented artisans take these elaborate nature-inspired ceramics from the potter ’ s wheel to modern day collectables .’ From this initial research stage , the basis of all design ideas begin and Cole & Son ’ s artists then undertake their many months of handpainting each design to scale .
What particularly sets Cole & Son apart from many other brands is that rather than being production-led , their print methods are dictated entirely by the design . ‘ When producing every design , we look first at how we can preserve the integrity of the original artwork . We work with best-in-class mills to ensure that the end product is as close to the hand-rendered artwork produced in our studio as it can be . In doing so we create designs that are genuinely full of soul ,’ smiles Karlsson .
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