FABRICS, WALLS & FLOORS
COLE & SON
An esteemed wallpaper design house with a historic archive that informs its contemporary, hand-painted designs
T
he Cole & Son design studio is a hub of creativity more akin to an artist’s atelier than a production space. It’s here that the team of talented designers dream up the exquisite collections that make the company one of the most revered wallpaper manufacturers in the world. Ideas come predominantly from the illustrators’ own photographs, taken on immersive trips to inspirational locations, and each wallpaper design is the result of a collaborative creative process. Hundreds of images are pinned to the walls, forming the basis for original drawings and paintings that are then scanned into the computer for experiments with layout and sizing. The final designs are hand-painted to scale and, unlike many other manufacturers who are production-led, their print methods are dictated entirely by the design. ‘Our aim is to retain the integrity of the artwork, and in doing so create designs that are genuinely full of soul,’ says Carley Bean, design director. This year Cole & Son is launching Senza Tempo, its fourth collection of wallcoverings in collaboration with iconic Italian design house Fornasetti, and the Contemporary collection, a curated selection of iconic patterns from the company’s vast design portfolio. This collection marks the 60th anniversary of the house’s iconic Woods pattern, along with other modern classics
Cole & Son Unit 10G Design Centre Chelsea Harbour London SW10 0XE +44 (0)20 7376 4628 cole-and-son.com cole_and_son_wallpapers
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