Mythical Land
A bespoke wallpaper for The Whitby Hotel, New York
Project Type: WALLPAPER COMMISSION
Client: Firmdale Hotels
Location: The Whitby Hotel, New York
Date: 2016/7
New for 2018:
I’m delighted that the Mythical Land wallpaper was chosen to be part of the 2018 Folk Tales Collection which Kit Kemp and I collaborated on for Andrew Martin.
This 3m tall mural wallpaper is available to buy via their website:
The Project in Brief
My first Firmdale Hotels experience was at an award ceremony at Ham Yard, Soho. I was instantly bowled over by the joyful and uncompromising interior design. So I was thrilled when Kit Kemp approached me soon afterwards to collaborate on a new project.
Having used some of my wallpapers for Zoffany and Lewis & Wood in several hotels she already knew my work and could see the potential of a collaboration fusing her vision for the Whitby and my painterly style. The starting point was Mythical Creatures, a collection of whimsical animals Kit had designed for both Chelsea Textiles and then Wedgewood. Drawing inspiration from American folk art my brief was to build a fantastical land for them to roam. I played with scale and surface pattern to create a horizontal repeat, about 3m tall, that would run continuously around the walls from dado level to ceiling.
At my studio I painted the composition as a fresco secco to give it a worn parchment effect. Then I had it scanned so I could complete the repeat in CAD before zapping it to my printers. They then digitally printing enough rolls to cover the walls of two meeting rooms at the newly built Whitby.
The next time I saw my design it was part of Kit’s two spectacular room schemes: the Anrep Room and the Araminta Room.
