French designer Wallpaper

Inspirations

Little Theda Bara – Blue

Les Lauriers Roses – Cream

Les Pivoines 1889 – Aubergine

Weimar – Bordeaux

Colette – Day

Mirasol

Palm Springs – Yellow

Maison Pasteur

Cotton Club

Les Nuages by Felix Vallotton – Wallpaper

L'Acrobate – Origin

Ikat - Origine

O-Hanami – Terracotta

Amaryllis

Les Bateaux Roses de Maurice Denis

Les Amoureux de Peynet – Red

Jean de La Fontaine – Classic Blue

La Belle de Mai – Blue

Les Roses de Rimbaud – Blue

Mata Hari – Day – Scale 200%

Fuchsias – Day

Les Canards de Paul Ranson

Hanami – Curry

Theda Bara – Vermiculé Blue Background

Kyoto – Siena

La Belle Otéro – Origin

Anima – Classic Blue

L’Indienne de Nîmes 1774 – Yellow

Mata Hari – Blue

Les Hortensias 1895 – Blue

Design, first and foremost a method of creation

The term " design ," an English word, doesn't have a perfect French translation. This may seem trivial, but it's the source of much confusion. Etymologically, the term "design" shares the same roots as the French words " dessin" (drawing ) and " dessein " (intention). Design, therefore, deals with form, line, and appearance, as well as utility, use, and implementation. Situated at the crossroads of art, technology, and the humanities, its most faithful translation would be "conception" (conception).

Historically, design is a discipline that emerged during the 20th century, a time when industrialization was gradually replacing craftsmanship. More and more everyday objects were produced by machines and complex processes, in varying quantities. The profession of designer arose from the need to find the optimal forms, volumes, and conditions of use for any object. Design is therefore primarily a creative method that unfolds in several stages. The first step is to identify the contexts in which the object will be used, to understand how it meets the needs of the end user. Different solutions, taking into account technical constraints, are then imagined, and some are prototyped before being tested. Once a prototype is validated, the object can then be mass-produced and distributed to users. The product can then potentially be improved based on large-scale user feedback, leading to new versions in subsequent production runs.

This brief look back clearly demonstrates that design doesn't refer to a specific visual style. It's therefore quite strange to speak of " designer furniture ": a good design process, applied to furniture, can be applied to a variety of visual styles depending on fashion, the era, the context, and the location.

It is in this sense that theorists and designers separate the notions of design and style. However, in everyday language, the term design is often used synonymously with " contemporary style " or even " trend " and therefore refers to visual styles that vary according to the spirit of the times (a product considered "design" in 2000 has surely lost its status today).

Design and Wallpaper: A long history with many styles

Our designs speak for themselves: the diverse visual styles of the last century are a tremendous source of inspiration and wonder for us. Here is a brief overview of the graphic trends that have shaped the history of decorative arts and wallpaper. Some of our designs are directly inspired by them, while others reference them more subtly. Please note that this is just a brief introduction; the subject is vast!

Wallpaper before the industrial revolution

Wallpaper likely originated in China, where painters decorated very large sheets of paper entirely by hand.
In Europe, wallpaper began to develop in the 16th century, initially on small surfaces intended for lining the inside of furniture or for bookbinding. The domino paper technique was used at that time. It was in the 17th and then the 18th centuries that wallpaper began to be installed on walls, and numerous factories developed in France, England, Germany, and elsewhere.

Several trends can be distinguished at this time:

• – “Chinese scenes”, Western reinterpretations of oriental scenes
• – The motifs inspired by antiquity depicting pilasters, columns, vases, statues…
• – Arabesques, floral motifs (naturalistic or more baroque)

From around 1800, panoramic wallpapers began to appear, complex works depicting landscapes (exotic, mountainous, rural, etc.) across multiple panels to cover entire walls. In this respect, our Nélio functions similarly (although it is abstract).

The Arts & Crafts movement: The invention of applied arts

At the end of the 19th century, the Arts & Crafts. This marked a major turning point in the decorative arts, initiating a philosophy of innovation and the search for new forms. To summarize this style, primarily represented by William Morris, one could say that it revisited medieval Gothic art while drawing inspiration from forms found in nature. Graphically, some works resemble those of Pre-Raphaelite painters, such as Burne-Jones.

Art Nouveau and Art Deco: From the vegetal to the geometric

Art Nouveau developed from the 1900s onwards, continuing the Arts & Crafts movement. Taking plants as its primary source of inspiration, numerous floral motifs, with fluid and intertwined lines, were designed by artists across Europe. The colors and lines are quite delicate.

Art Deco, beginning around 1910/1915, reintroduced geometry into motifs and lines, gradually producing increasingly refined and abstract creations. Because the transition between Art Nouveau and Art Deco was gradual, many artistic creations belong to both styles.

Modernism: Matter above all

Modernism, primarily driven by architecture, industry, and the legacy of the various artistic avant-gardes of the early 20th century, reached its zenith in the 1930s and marked a significant turning point in the history of art and technology. Le Corbusier, the Bauhaus, De Stijl, and many other designers redefined the place and role of the decorative arts. Prioritizing functionality, clarity, and geometry, modern architecture distanced itself from decoration, favoring raw materials and color over patterns. Wallpaper, in turn, developed textured effects, minimalist geometric motifs, and a monochromatic palette.

1950s: The reappearance of patterns

The 1950s marked the reappearance of motifs, both figurative and abstract. Classic subjects such as flowers and plants were revisited in light of the visual experimentation of 20th-century art. Artists like Matisse, Léger, Dufy, and Delaunay inspired motifs with spontaneous and colorful designs.

The 1970s: Psychedelia, exuberance, kinetic art and optical art

The 1970s were marked above all by the predominance of a very particular color palette, featuring shades of ochre, orange, yellow, and brown.
In terms of patterns, two graphic design styles coexisted:

• – Exuberant floral compositions, with many rounded shapes, sometimes reinterpreting the early days of Art Nouveau, or even Arts & Crafts.
• – Abstract geometric patterns, directly derived from the artistic movements ofoptical art and kinetic art, playing on optical illusions and visual surprises.

The 1980s: The eccentricity of the Memphis style

Having recently made a strong comeback, this style originated with the renowned designer Ettore Sottsass in the early 1980s. Firmly rooted in Pop Art aesthetics, Memphis brought experimentation, spontaneity, and a playful approach to product design and decoration. Graphically, basic geometric shapes (circles, triangles, lines, dots) are combined with a palette of vibrant colors, applied in flat areas without texture.

Of course, there would be many other styles and subgenres to describe if one wanted to create an exhaustive list. This is especially true since this summary only focuses on wallpaper design in Europe, and other visual trends have developed in parallel in different cultures around the world.