Seeing Stripes

I was very excited to read the other day that Scalamandre has reissued the "Zebra" wallpaper as part of its Cabinet de Curiosites line. "Zebra" was first designed for the legendary New York restaurant Gino's in the 1940s. The original owner, Gino Circiello, had been friends with the Scalamandre family, and when he opened his restaurant he asked them to design a wallpaper that had a big game hunting motif. What they came up with was a magnificent design of running zebras being chased by arrows, all set against a red background.

I first learned about the famous wallpaper about ten years ago. In fact, I decided to dine there just to see the wallpaper, which looks even better in person. I had been told that while the restaurant was still in business that Scalamandre would not reproduce this pattern. It seems however that that may not have been an accurate story. According to some recent articles, Scalamandre employees discovered the lost printing screen during their move from their Long Island City factory, so they decided to include this print in their new collection.

The new "Zebra" is slightly different from the original in two ways. First, the new zebras no longer look like hunted prey (they seem to prance rather than run). Secondly, the original design was charming in that one of the zebras was missing a stripe from his hind end, and the new pattern has reintroduced the missing stripe. The new "Zebra" comes in many colorways, although the red one is still my favorite. Kate Spade used a bright green version of the print in her guest bathroom. Also, I believe the red version was used on the set of the movie "The Royal Tenenbaums". What I like most about the design, though, is that is whimsical without being kitschy, and that it represents a little piece of New York history!




Photo of Gino's, courtesy of New York Times


Photo of Kate Spade's Guest Bathroom, courtesy of World of Interiors

Photo at top of "Zebra" print, courtesy of New York Times

Everything's Coming Up Roses!

Spring is here, the trees are in bloom, and flowers seem to be on my mind. Floral prints are everywhere at this time of year. To some, the floral motif can be a bit saccharine. The good news is that there seems to be a floral print for all tastes- traditional, contemporary, graphic, sophisticated, or casual. Here are a few objects, fabrics, and wallcoverings that just might make you rethink the flower.


Porthault Linens at Sue Fisher King, San Francisco


Floral Swirl Lamp at Gracious Home


"Ravello" wallpaper from Tyler Hall


"Astrid" Chair at Anthropologie


"Japanese Floral" print fabric by Florence Broadhurst at Signature Prints


"Oriental Flowers" china by Meissen at Table Art, Los Angeles


(Image at top-room with floral prints by Mary McDonald)

Rose Cumming Zebrine Wallpaper

(Photo above of Ashley Whittaker's apartment, courtesy of Domino, Apr 07)

One of my all-time favorite wallpaper prints has resurfaced! "Zebrine", a blue and white zebra print by Rose Cumming, is featured in the April Domino in the home of designer Ashley Whittaker. I first spied this print in the Jan '05 issue of House Beautiful in an article on decorator Robin Bell's apartment. According to Bell, this fabulous print was first used at El Morocco, the legendary New York nightclub.

Glamorous pedigree aside, this print is certainly a stylish but bold statement. I love animal prints, but one has to use them with restraint. All other design elements of a room- furniture, artwork, and accessories- have to be toned down when paired with such a gutsy pattern. I think that both Whittaker and Bell accomplished that in both of their homes.

(Photo of Robin Bell's apartment, courtesy of House Beautiful, Jan '05)

Winning Wallpaper

Pigtown*Design recently had an interesting post on her blog regarding wallpaper. She had been lucky enough to obtain some pieces of antique wallpaper and was curious how others felt about wallpaper. There are many who avoid wallpaper like the plague- the thought of messily having to take it down someday is just too much to bear. While there are certainly some pitfalls with using wallpaper, I have to admit that I adore it. I love all types of patterns and think that the right wallpaper can add so much flair to a room. That said, I've always felt that wallpaper needs to be used sparingly- perhaps in a foyer or a powder room. You certainly don't want to use clashing wallpapers in adjoining rooms- your house guests might just end up with motion sickness!

I was intrigued, however, by photos of an British Gothic revival school house that was featured in the current issue of British House and Garden. Every room is papered in a different print, but the effect is not at all jarring. In fact, I think the rooms are rather soothing. The house certainly exudes a rather eccentric British look, but perhaps it's a good example of not having too much of a good thing!

Design Your Wall

The new issue of Domino refers to a website called designyourwall.com. This online wallpaper site sells a wide variety of traditional and contemporary wallcoverings. It appears to be a great source for moderately priced wallpaper. I've found a few patterns that are reminiscent of those of some higher-end lines. Of course the proof is in the pudding, and I haven't seen any of their papers in person. You can, however, order samples which would be highly advisable if you're ready to take the plunge.

Yesterday's New York Times mentioned that flocked wallpaper is making a comeback. Personally, I'm not crazy about flocked wallpaper, but this site has many options, such as this black damask on silver background paper.


This purple Royal Damask Wallpaper is a digital design wallpaper designed by David Wien of Vermont. It comes in purple, green, red, and white colorways.


For a little bit of David Hicks style, this Honeycomb wallpaper just might do the trick.

This Blue Bird wallpaper is a little reminiscent of that great de Gournay wallcovering, don't you think?

Bamboo prints might be ubiquitous (although I adore them), but here's one that's silver mylar on a white background. A little disco chinoiserie?

(All photos courtesy of designyourwall.com)

Tyler Hall Wallpaper

Tyler Hall is a small wallpaper line that may not have the name recognition of Brunschwig or Scalamandre, but what it does have are some knock-out designs. Some of their patterns are document prints which are sure to impress the traditionalists out there. But what the line really excels at, in my opinion, are prints that are graphic and colorful.

I love the pattern "Exeter" above. I used this wallpaper in the black/graphite colorway in my powder room. It is the perfect backdrop for bold accessories which is the reason why I chose it. If you would prefer a bolder pattern, perhaps some of their other patterns might suit you.



"Casa di Whitney" in the Red/Coral colorway

"Villaggio di Cina" in the Black/Taupe colorway

"Gallery Gardens" in Coral colorway




"Esplanade" in the Wrought Iron colorway (yellow/black)



"Summertime" in Honey



"Cottage Gate" in Perennial Blue

Decorative Screens

1st Dibs is certainly not lacking in decorative screens this week. There are some beautiful ones that I thought I would share with you.

Michele C Antiques of Los Angeles has a circa-1985 screen comprised of Zuber wallpaper panels (the site calls them Juber, but I'm assuming they meant Zuber). The wallpaper is an 1830 design entitled "Views of Brazil" that was created using the original wood blocks. I just love the rich colors and the charming "exotic" scenes.





George N Antiques of NYC is offering a circa-1830 Neoclassical painted canvas screen. The two central panels depict a pastoral scene with a gentleman, two ladies, and a dog, and the two outside panels are painted with very typical Neoclassical design motifs. Also notice the faux-marbre effect at the bottom of the screen.





Screens are such wonderful accent pieces, and one of the beauties of screens is that they can be fairly easy to make. For full-on art deco glamour, why not make a screen using mirrored or antiqued mirrored panels? Or, if you're on a budget, you could have a handyman make a three or four-paneled wooden screen. You could add the design element by gluing on your favorite wallpaper!

Lovely Bedrooms

I'm a huge fan of prints of all types- stripes, geometrics, florals. I tend to avoid using too much of one print in one room. I think the result can look rather matchy-matchy. One room, however, where this does not hold true is the bedroom. I love bedrooms where the same print is used on walls, window treatments, beds, and upholstery. I think it can look quite smart.

World of Interiors recently featured Kate Spade's Upper East Side apartment. I was really taken with the guest bedroom. Spade chose to use Osborne & Little's "Rococo" toile to cover the walls and the bedspread. This toile packs a punch by being used on more than one surface. I also like that Spade upholstered the head and foot boards in a complementary apple green solid fabric. It really is a cozy room.



Chloe Sevigny and her decorator, David Cafiero, took this idea a step further (a big step!) in Sevigny's guest bedroom. Using Schumacher's Shangtu Floral, they covered walls, ceiling, bedcover, door, and desktop in this sophisticated floral print. By covering all surfaces (with the exception of the floor) with this one print, they really created a jewel box-like effect.

Chinoiserie Redux

After writing my post from yesterday on the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, I decided to search the web for contemporary Chinoiserie design. What I found was a profusion of fabric, wallcoverings, furniture, and tabletop items that incorporate this classic style. Here's a little of what I found, and hopefully it will inspire you to create your own Royal Pavilion!

Source Perrier is a great source of traditional and affordable furniture and accessories. They have many Chinese inspired items, but my two favorites are the Red Chinoiserie Mirror and the Chinese Porcelain Figures.

Clarence House has many Chinoiserie fabrics and wallcoverings. Why not make a few throw pillows in their "Fete d'Orient" pattern for a little Chinese chic?

For an authentic Royal Pavilion feel, why not wallpaper a foyer in Zuber's aptly named "Brighton" wallcovering?



Charles Edwards has a plethora of fabulous lights, lamps, and lanterns. Their pagoda lantern would be add just the right touch to that Zuber papered foyer!




And for a bit of casual Chinoiserie, Williams Sonoma Home has a great bamboo style chair that would be perfect in the oxblood finish.

Winter Wow

For those of you who love hand-painted wallpaper, you must check out the new issue of Veranda magazine. In it, there is a spread on Dallas decorator Michelle Nussbaumer's winter tablescapes. While the tablescapes are beautiful, they absolutely cannot compare to the panels of Zuber wallpaper which depict a wintry scene of a ship passing through massive icebergs. The detail is absolutely stunning. Owning these would definitely not leave me cold!