Wallpapers sources for the Interior Designer trade.
Best Wallpapers San Francisco and Worldwide. First of all we are not trying to show all the wallpapers in the world, just some examples, similarly what we like and we believe will be attractive to others as well. Above all Interior environments can benefit from the use of wallpaper. Almost always it depends on a good match, between space conditions and the selection of the product to achieve success. Certainly in the hands of an Interior Designer it will be rather easier though.
While we use wallpaper in some of our own projects, therefore we realize it is a great composition element. Rather than promote it just because we like it, another reason to do so is because we have experienced in the past unfair rejection to it.
Recently watching the TV series Versailles, I cannot help but enjoy the vast amount of wall coverings on each historical wall. First of all that shows History and Staged in the use of the source. Similarly, sources come in and out of fashion. Rather than be fashionable and go with the trend, be yourself and use Timeless materials.
Once we have selected and featured a company, we will probably not feature them again, as we are trying to provide a wide range. On the other hand you are welcome to make your own updates and entries in the comments box at the bottom. While we might edit or not, please show or submit as much as you want.
4/8/23, 2/22/24
I really enjoyed looking at the new de Gournay San Francisco Showroom at Sacramento and Presidio in Pacific Heights, Presidio Hights area. Beuatifull corner and spce full of proportion ideal for them We wish them a lot of traffic and consolidate the Design trade stores in the area. I particularly enjoyed Deco Dawn hand painted Panels and series. I hope I can incorporste in a future project. https://degournay.com
/ https://degournay.com/product-details/basreliefondeeprichgoldgildedpaper906168
Deco Dawn a hand painted Mural wallpaper by de Gournay
We are completing the Interiors of a home in Larkspur, CA where we are the Designers. We visualized the main wall in the dining room as ideal for wallpaper and selected
Dining room wallpaper Lennox Steel Blue from Atelier RSH.
4/8/22. We just received a beautiful compendium “The Schumacher Library of Wallcoverings, Fifth Edition” Â which includes over 2500 wallpapers. mani ne, and offer a comprehensive selection of wallpapers naturally. Very Useful. Edited by Dara Caponigro. Thank you! We will include some selection in the near future.
2/08/2022. The Victorian papered wall at SFO (San Francisco International)
I very much enjoyed the Exhibition “The Victorian papered wall” at SFO
2/17/2021 From Graham” Nice Mural walpaper example.
4/17/2020
IMaestri curated Wallpaper offerings we just receive lists some Italian unique wallpapers I believe are great option to consider including Creativespce, Wind Wallpaper, Bigarden Wallpaper, Opera Wallpaper and Silk Wallpaper. All great.
A trend we are seeing amongst the Fabric and Wallpaper companies is for Mural like compositions of full height panels. These are usually Tromp L’oeil, or Visual Illusion, and some so perfectly designed that they do transfer the user or occupant into another dimension.
A collection of Wallpapers by a company usually provides some highlighted patterns and then some complementaries.
Here is part of Osborne & Little Palm House Collection or Spring 20202 collection.
Osborne & Little Wallpares Spring 2020. From left: Palm House Trellis, Palm House 3 Panel, Trellis, Follies.
A charming three-panel mural featuring the intricate architecture of a tropical house and the rich variety of botanicals housed within, set against an ombre background.
Part of the Mansfield Park collection:
This collection of decorative wall coverings, including two mural designs, offers a modern take on the quintessential English country house, its gardens and surrounding countryside. The collection takes its name from the novel of the celebrated British novelist, Jane Austen. Several of the patterns have companion fabrics in MANSFIELD PARK.
For a Master Bedroom we are designing currently we decide to do a “Brown Wall”. As the color is consistent what became interesting is the texture.
Below we show 3 brown wallpapers in different textures and materials we are considering.
From Left: Maya Romanoff Cozy 75% woll, Winfield Thybony Elegante Natural 90% Silk, Phillip Jeffries Suede Lounge.
It is most important to take a memo to the site and test light and touch to enjoy.
Today I write about one or the first “Panoramic Wallpapers”. Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique” (Native peoples of the Pacific Ocean. First exhibited in Paris in 1806. Designed by Jean-Gabriel Charvet (1750-1829). Produced by Macon, France. It sparkled a fashion for large scale decoration. They are not historically accurate but with artistic License. Shown recently at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
20 Panels depict the travels of British naval captain Joseph Cook
9/18/19
Unexpected beauty in this pattern wallpaper from Iona Crawford’d collection, in San Francisco at Donghia.
At the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Andy Warhol exhibition, there was a room entirely covered by this wallpaper by Andy, pink cows over yellow background. In this case with some of his painting over it.
I recently came across this beautiful wallpaper at the San Francisco Design center at the Hewn showroom on the 4th floor of the Galleria Building.
Certain wallpapers particularly Zuber, as well as de Gournay depict scenes that merit framing as this one by Fromental does. It is shown actually framed, on the site however in the interest of showing it as a wallpaper here it is below without the framing.
Carp & Moon by Fromental.
While there is no question it is a beautiful wallpaper it is first of all important to note that in Italics we are showing our comments to the description and background kindly provided by Hewn San Francisco:
“Having worked in fashion and interiors with leading international designers, partners Tim Butcher and Lizzie Deshayes established handmade interiors house Fromental in 2005 aiming to make the world’s most beautiful wallpapers, fabrics and accessories”.
Combining the finest skills together with luxurious fabrics, while our distinctly British style blends historic classicism with the cutting-edge cool of London’s fashion scene to create contemporary, timeless interiors.
The creative team is a collaboration of talented designers and craftsmen from London and China. Hence an International cooperation Without Borders, as art should be.
Offering high-end couture for walls, artists spend up to 600 hours elegantly stitching individual panels.
Noteworthy are: Collections include a uniquely modern take on 18 Century Chinoiserie utilizing both monochromatic and vibrant colourways, contemporary, panoramic twentieth century compositions alongside a Roomskins collection of subtle, non-repeating patterns.â€
Pattern Animalier.
Wallpaper has made such a splash in the home décor industry. The polarizing paint alternative and longtime decorating stigma has returned to fashion thanks to super stylish prints, dimensional fabrics, and new materials that make it easy to install and to remove. Offering more drama than paint, it’s a fun way to transform a room and reflect your personal style without breaking the bank.
Why has wallpaper made such a comeback one might ask? A few things had led to the renewed interest in wallpaper. First, people have grown tired of the grays-whites-neutrals and are looking for change. Wall coverings offer that changes with its personal touch, many contemporary designs and color ways. People want their homes to feel special and unique and wallpaper is the perfect way to do just that.
The new digital printing technology offers prints that are oversized and whimsical. Likewise colors are richer and brighter. The fabrics are textured and sometimes three-dimensional. The design choices endless.
Let’s not forget the geometrics designs. They range from classical curves to ultra-modern block designs with an urban flavor. From subtle creams and beige combinations to bright bold colors.
Installing and removing wallpaper used to be a time consuming and tiring process. However, modern technology including new adhesive residue – has made wonders to simplify this process. There is no more scraping and streaming. The new wallpaper goes on easy and comes off even easier without any damage to the walls. Watch the video provided by Graham & Brown to see just how easy wallpapering has become. They kindly provide a YouTube below. Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KzYmWG9rXg
Today’s wallpaper has never been more affordable and more convenient. It gives your room that special touch, depth and design that paint just can’t achieve. Check out Graham & Brown’s full wallpaper selection.
A small house in Walnut Creek, CA. While working on the Great Room, with a cabinetry wall which has a New Fireplace TV combination, wallpaper came to mind.
Rather than use paint, because paint didn’t seem too much of a contrast, I decided to use wallpaper. Hence I thought it could be used both in the Fireplace fascia, and in contrast behind the shelving, therefore tying the two as well.
We ended up using a Z0ffany wallpaper, Mosaic Dapple, from Shears & Window in San Francisco.
Furthermore the client for this one ended up choosing something more subtle, without dragons as I had initially proposed. We have used the wallpaper in the Fireplace-Tv shaft, as well as in the back of the shelving, as a result adding continuity.
Frank Lloyd Wright was undoubtedly the most famous American architect for the first half of the 20th century, and remains perhaps the best known American architect of all times (while Frank Gehry and Philippe Johnson might debate that). Similarly many of his Architectural and Interior Designs are timeless, he even designed wallpaper for some of his building details. I happen to live in Marin County where the Civic Center is a Wright design, and walking into an office hence discovered the “Frieze Wallpaper”. Probably a little bit of his Mayan influence in the Geometry. Most noteworthy colors of the day, and his usual circles that relate to The Marin Civic Center building.
In the Victorian era and Industrial Revolution, with the  numerous elements coming into homes and New Lifestyles, came wallpapers. They were designed by notables such as William Morris and other great designers of the time. Unfortunately for production reason the wallpaper included Arsenic. People started passing away, from the baby’s who bit or licked the papers to those that just received the gases in the air. Here is a link that explains.
First of all we are showing more than 32 wallpapers, consequently some might be to your liking while other might not. We know it is hard as there are thousands of good quality, well designed wallpapers by numerous reputable companies. Therefore we can’t include all great ones. We just selected a few from those we either used recently, or thought might be interesting for our readers hence were handy. We could easily select 100 and still feel like we are not being fair to all, so we welcome additions as well as input.
We recently selected the Ajiro Fanfare wallpaper below, an entrant for Best products of the year in Wallpaper category.  Ajiro Fanfare is Paper backed Wood Veneer. By Maya Romanoff. Is it real or is it Wallpaper? Technically speaking this one is not a wall “Paper”, it is a paper backed wood veneer and yes it is a wallcovering. It acts as a wallpaper, it installs as such, pretty much. So wallpaper or wallcovering are consequently the same. The term Wallpaper is more common one, however the correct term is Wallcovering as this includes both paper and non paper. While one or the other would be correct.
To me it looks like a wood veneer, which it is, and the figures add depth so somewhat three-dimensional. Is the eye being fooled, or is it Tromp l’Å“il? Is it real or is it wallpaper? Well, here you can touch! Please do. What effect does it create on you? Please tell us. We welcome your input and sharing with friends and associates. Also please tell us which is your favorite, from the 35 included and from others you like. And don’t forget to click on the heart if you like our blog. Thank you!
In the mid 90’s at a presentation at Larsen fabrics in San Francisco, I had the pleasure of meeting  Maya Romanoff †, a very nice gentleman indeed. “Maya, this one’s for you”. Shortly after I used his Ajiro Diamond at the Argenta Stores in Houston (above) a paper backed wood veneer. I didn’t use it in walls but in custom designed furniture. You can apply wallpapers and wall coverings to other surfaces, and I thought it would look great in furniture and it did. My client had the fixtures for 15 years and mentioned to me, when he closed the store people were bidding for the fixtures, with minor wear in 15 years. We used it with no additional coatings.
The beautiful Luminous Pleat by Bart Halpern, is a wallcovering or a wallpaper (not much difference), the point is it is beautiful, and made for certain uses. It’s pleated fabric….
Recently a prospect in Tiburon-Belvedere, Ca. showed us a powder room right off their home foyer. They wanted to keep the powder room door open (alone in small house)?. A wallpaper might work, I said. The minute I said wallpaper they showed me out the door. Perhaps a rejection to tradition. When you are a modernist…. They don’t expect you to suggest wallpaper.
Wallpaper is in or out of fashion (but not out of Style, YSL).  I remember years back when it wasn’t used much, people thought it had been overused and was now passé. I first used a Marimeko Fabric on a wall (wallcovering) in my teenager live-in studio in the mid 70’s, 45 years ago…! I’m sure I felt the same way about wallpapers hence wall coverings, once or twice myself, or when you see the wrong one in the wrong place. Maybe I should have said “Vinyl wall covering”. As a young architect I was invited to see the corporate suite of the CEO of an Industrial conglomerate, there I saw for the first time a room entirely covered in padded wall covering,  a suede or so. The Luxury and comfort were perfect.
At Jerry Jacobs Design, in Tiburon in the San Francisco Bay Area, we started using wallpapers and wall coverings back in 1989, as far as I can track. The patterns were beautiful, the variety was large, so I fell in love with a couple and used them. Actually they were vinyl wall coverings in some cases, so they could be cleaned regularly as the where used in Hospitality Projects, Hotels and Shopping Arcades. Most recently we are using them again more so in High-end residential Design, Hospitality and Retail as well.
At a Hotel Real Estate office we selected a wallpaper and reflected it with the mirror.We have commissioned many murals for our work as Interior Designers, as well as Faux finishing and marbleizing. Though different, sometimes wallpapers meet the same goal, they add color, interest and pattern to a wall. Most of the time for less, and faster way to achieve your look, other times it is the only way to go. We encounter walls in different environments recently designed and say to ourselves (or hear others do); is it a real stone veneer, or is it Wallpaper? So their effectiveness is unquestionable, hence the increase in popularity.
Recently we were interviewed together with other  five designers for “The Ark†the local Belvedere-Tiburon Newspaper for the yearly Home Section, and all the designers including us welcomed the resurgence, inventiveness and use of the product.
Contemporary Artists. “Not your grandmother’s” Wallpaper.
From Left. Andy Warhol. Marilyn Monoprint. Applied and shot in a Boardroom; Peter Max. (I like this one for kids); Onda in Saltwater Taffy on Chrome Mylar.
Wallquest. An American company with many years in Business. We selected some subtle. Black, grey and white patterns.
From left. These dots are nice very neutral background; Burberrys comes to mind; High tech, I guess very IT.
We did two powder rooms, an elegant one by the foyer, and the other smaller one inside the Library-Home office. To visit the project go to https://jerryjacobsdesign.com/portfolio/private-home-design-Cancun-mexico/
On the left. “Decór Atrium with Pilastersâ€and “Blocks wallpapers†by Zuber et Cie. The bugambilia leaves at the top were added on site. I discovered this wallpaper in the London showroom of Zuber years before and kept it on file; On the right Bibliotheque Cognac. By Brunschwig & Fils, at Lee Jofa, San Francisco, Kravet, USA. Library powder room in Pacific Heights, San Francisco. In both photos the wallpaper mural is reflected on the vanity mirror, an it is actually on the opposite wall or behind. You are only seeing the reflection.
Here are two examples of our use of wallpaper, at Casa del Alamo, in Alamo Contra Costa, California.
First of all, wallpaper can be hand painted, does not need to be printed. The one in the Master Bedroom below is hand painted.
Élitis wallpapers, France. The pattern below by Élitis, which we used at Casa del Alamo, in Alamo California. Bottom. “Pleats”
Even some Cats like wallpaper.
Exquisite detailing and great quality. Â Very classic motives are popular for classic and modern environments and murals.
Clockwise from top Left:‘Badminton’ design in standard design colours on 12 Carat White Gold gilded paper. Photography by Dan Marshall;‘‘Fishes’ design in Blue Pearl design colours on Real Silver gilded paper. Photography by Karyn R. Millet;‘ Early Views of India’ design in Eau Forte colourway on antiqued scenic yuan paper; Coutts’ design in standard design colours on 22 Carat Gold Gilded silk. Bergdorf Goodman Restaurant, New York. Interior by Kelly Wearstler.Â
de Gournay recently participated at the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, with custom papers on the Exhibition Theme vignettes.
Likewise wall covering to your specifications, is a good option too. Or to the specifications by the fabricator for your choice of designs. You can have anything in the world printed on paper or other surfaces as well. Wallpaper and Wallcovering fabricators offer multiple of Options.
“Since 1988 IKSEL has specialized in Hand Painting for Decoration.  They perfect digital Custom printing from their paintings to fit any space and colour palette. Combining practicality with ultimate luxury, they have transformed Wallpaper into Custom Frescoes. Both technically and artistically, and deliver the most sophisticated wallcoverings on the market”, from Decorex..
We show four Classic Archive design reproductions. Three of them are ceilings, a sometimes neglected area of a room.
Three Ceilings. Pantheon Ceiling. A stylized version of the Pantheon Oculus in Rome (and this one won’t let in the rain).
Available in Custom Collection only; Kubilai’s Tent (X-design). With its convincing trompe-l’oeil effect, this tented ceiling can be combined with the same wallpaper. Available in Custom Collection only; Trellis Ceiling. This classic trompe-d’oeil ceiling is of Italian origin. It can be adapted for different sizes and formats. Available in Custom Collection only.
Map of London 1746. Dated 1746 this fine map of London sets the stage for Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749). No steamers yet on the Thames. No gherkins. This is still Pre-Industrial London etched with precision and charm. Available in Custom Collection only.
Zoffany. The Zoffany wallpaper range comprises non woven (also known as ‘paste the wall’), traditional paper, embossed vinyl, holographic and foil substrates. These are printed using a wide range of techniques from the traditional to the cutting edge including gravure, flexographic, flock, surface, surflex, scatter and grit in a wide variety of styles that include stories, stripes, textured plains, damasks, geometrics, florals and Toiles de Jouy. All Zoffany wallcoverings are produced in the UK.
Recently presented their line at Kravet, San Francisco Design Center. Hank Alberts, kindly provided us very Useful Guidelines. Square footage, Labor and Costs. (The bible).
Last but not least, an interesting concept landed on our screen. Meystyle LED Wallpaper. Everyone knows LED as the new highly efficient and flexible lighting, and we all know there is flat tape that can produce a lighting effect at can be easily attached flat on the wall. Meystyle has taken LED to a new level producing LED lighting 3d effects or Tromp l’oeil  with lighting fixture appearing as 3d. They offer to “enhance every design with Swarovski crystals and/orLED lights”
According to Wikipedia, wallpaper goes back to 1700. And there are many technics some old and classic as hand-painting or woodblock. The history is fascinating and will bring you up to date in techniques. It is all there, very little to add. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallpaper
As an Interior Design firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are very lucky that many of these companies are represented here so you can see the products in their showroom wings, immediately get memos, so you can see on site, and ask questions from qualified personnel. Â When they are not represented you can always find them online, and go to the source, now days you can source anything you want from around the world in a cinch. Yet of course it is better when there is a local showroom to see and touch.
A good wallpaper hanger or installer is essential, and there are many in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Classifications exist and are different from each manufacturer or distributor, F. Schumacher shows: Embellished Grasscloths & sisals; Fabric wall coverings; Faux finishes; Murals; Plain Grasscloths & sisals; Prints; Specialty; textures; washable Vinyls.
It is important to note Carnegie Fabrics, creators of Xorel in 1981, the first ever high-performance textile. PVC-free C@C certified Silver Level. They have developed Biobased Xorel in 2013, sourced from sugar cane, and is now Gold Certified C2C.
A good wallpaper hanger or installer is essential, and there are many in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Guidelines determining how to calculate and convert wide goods and roll goods, for your clients wallcovering requirements.
Linear Yard: Estimating quantities for wide goods is somewhat confusing, in light of the fact that the term “linear†refers to width, not length.
When determining quantities, the two (2) constants that never change, are: one (1) linear yard equals 36†in length, and there are 144 square inches in one (1) square foot. To illustrate some examples, let’s go through the following exercises, comparing wallcoverings having the following linear yard widths: 27,” 30,” 36â€, 39â€, 43â€, 48â€, 54â€, 57â€, and 60â€.
On short wall ie: 9’, 10’, 11’ in length, they are estimated by drops, otherwise you will run short of material.With respect to roll goods, the only constant is there are 144 square inches in one (1) square foot of wallcovering, as the width and length of rolls will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The cost to install wallcovering is always higher when there is a selvage edge, or the wallcovering has a match design.
The only way to get a true comparison cost on what you are paying for, and to avoid any confusion, is by the square foot cost.
While we are encouraging the use of wallpaper, it is important to note that there are methods to remove it Easily. We are called sometimes to choose a wallpaper for a wall that already has one, maybe 20 years old or more. AD (Architectural Digest) has just published this article on how too remove it.
The term Boiserie is a french term for wood panelling, usually carved. Some in the Interior Design industry might use it as  wall paneling even covered with wall paper, rather than carvings, as carved wood becomes more rare.
Pinterest. You might want to check other wall coverings on our Pinterest Board. https://www.pinterest.com/jacobsdzn/wallpapers/
We list those recently available at the San Francisco Design Center. Lines represented by showrooms can change at any time.
Links.
Jerry Jacobs Design. San Francisco . Belvedere-Tiburon. 1.415.435.0520 www.jerryjacobsdesign.com Contact
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