DIVINE SAVAGES GO BOLDLY WHERE FEW DESIGNERS GO

EVOCATIVE WALLPAPER PRINTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A COLLECTION OF SUMPTUOUSLY SHIMMERING METALLICS.

Let’s be honest. For most of the last 40 years wallpaper had a bad rep. Designs lost their edge and the only areas of growth were in the cheaper, mass-produced versions sold in DIY superstores.

More recently, however, wallpaper has undergone a revival in its fortunes. The fashion for feature walls has encouraged a taste for larger, more assertive patterns while the development of digital printing and the revival of screen-printing has enabled artists and freelance designers to get involved. And the involvement of big names from the world of fashion, such as Vivienne Westwood and Ralph Lauren, has helped to make wallpaper the essential background for a bold 21st-century lifestyle.

Divine Savages are at the forefront of this new wave of innovative designers. Forget mass-produced, boring and uninspiring design, company founders Tom Kennedy and Jamie Watkins are on a mission to deliver stunning wallpapers and fabrics, not to mention gorgeous home accessories, limited edition art prints and beautiful gifts.

The duo’s eye-catching and eclectic designs are created using traditional techniques and fuse both the classic and the modern, and each of their designs offers the chance to turn any room into a living masterpiece. For their latest collection, Divine Savages have invigorated some of their most iconic wallpaper prints in sumptuously shimmering metallics. Wigwam caught up with the design duo to find out more. We started by asking them about their backgrounds.

“(Tom) is the creative force behind Divine Savages having studied graphic design at university and then followed a career in fashion and branding. (Jamie) actually works in broadcasting, so very different to the creative industry we’re now in, but brings key skills on the business, marketing and networking side. Together we both bring a unique skillset that enabled us to start Divine Savages in late 2017. After beginning to decorate our own home with Tom designing some patterns and prints, we started to think about creating our own brand to encourage a bolder interior design, with pattern, colour and print and a goal of injecting more fun and personality into homes.”

SO WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION BEHIND ALL THAT FUN AND PERSONALITY?

We find inspiration from all around us, particularly the natural world which is full of vibrant colour and pattern. We also love the style of Art Deco through to more traditional Toile, but we always love to put our Divine Savages twist on whatever we do – for example our Deco Martini which takes inspiration from the classic fan-motif but incorporates our favourite tipple, or our Forbidden Bloom print which, when you look closer at the vines, you realise they are in fact serpents. We like to create intricate designs that invite you to look closer and discover new things each time.”

Tom and Jamie obviously work closely, but they are also keen to team up with other people. “We recently collaborated with London’s Natural History Museum for a bold collection inspired by their archives. It was such a rewarding experience creating this collection which includes designs influenced both by their vast library of original illustrations, but also the iconic building itself. We also love working with different interior designers and have an exciting project coming up later this year with Nicky Bamford-Bowes where we’ll be renovating our guest bedroom and incorporating one of our brand new, as yet unseen wallpaper designs. We love inviting people into our home to share more of our creative work and how we style our designs.”

As well as being creative partners the Divine Savages duo are married. So was that an advantage during lockdown? “Lockdown actually didn’t really change much for us in terms of how we work, as we run our business from home anyway, but it certainly gave us more time to come together and really look at where Divine Savages has come over the past few years and celebrate everything that we have achieved so far.”

Wigwam love Divine Savages but is there a typical customer? “Whilst many of our customers love to embrace a bolder décor with pattern and colour, we’re seeing more people come to us as they experiment for the first time with wallpaper or more extravagant interior design – which we absolutely love as this is exactly why we created Divine Savages! Our customers have a love of unique and daring design, they are seeking out something different and want to create an interior that’s a little more adventurous – whether that’s a whole room wrapped in our wallpaper or by taking smaller steps by introducing pattern through soft furnishings like cushions or through accessories like lampshades and artwork.”

The team’s brand-new Metallics collection is certainly bold. “We had so much fun creating our latest Metallics collection, working with traditional British manufacturing processes and skilled craftsmanship to reinvigorate some of our iconic designs with luxurious golds and copper. We got really involved with the printing techniques, creating intricately engraved rollers and mixing paint colours by hand to achieve a unique collection that brings something different to your home. Our favourite thing about using metallic embellishments in this collection is that as the light changes throughout the day, the wallpaper will subtly change and bring your walls to life. We love Crane Fonda ‘Black Gold’ for creating a bold and luxurious living room scheme, and Deco Martini in ‘Rose Gold’ for a slightly more laid-back lux look, perfect for a bedroom.”

To wind up then, what future trends can we look out for in wallpaper design? “Larger scale patterns and murals are something that’s been growing and shows no sign of slowing down, as people want to make more impact when they wallpaper. Shades of green and terracotta will be really popular as the trend shifts to warmer, more comforting colours, and natural materials like grass and silk will also be back in vogue. We have some exciting plans we want to put into action including extending into new areas like furniture, working with selected artisans to create beautiful bespoke pieces with our Divine Savages twist – we’re always thinking of new ways we can grow the brand and continue to offer exceptional quality and unique design. We’re really excited about what the future holds and invite you to come join us!

divinesavages.com

Swindon interior designers Pepper&Co use Divine Savages wallpapers in their inspiring interiors: pepperand.co