Wallpapers are hugely popular with Clients enjoying pattern and colour and the variety of effects that can now affordably be achieved as a result of technical innovation in the various printing processes.
Hamilton Weston have always been especially enthusiastic about historical designs, their origins and provenance, the motifs and colour combinations used – some look remarkably up to date and exciting, particularly in contemporary colourings. These have formed the basis of our own Wallpaper collection of designs meticulously redrawn from the original documents by Robert Weston, whose passion is architectural history.
Recent projects have included three hand printed designs for the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton Hampshire. Wallpaper was expensive and heavily taxed during the Georgian period. Early 19th century fragments, still visible inside window shutter boxes, were sufficient to enable reproduction of the design which once again decorates the Austen Family Room. The Family were poor when moving to Chawton, and we believe the purchased design, now called Apprentice Trellis, was misprinted, probably by an apprentice, as the printing blocks were originally incorrectly aligned, and the printing less expensive !
We have also produced what we believe to be the ’correct’ version of the design, named Chawton Rosebud Moire, also available to order from the Jane Austen House Museum Shop.
The third design, Chawton Vine circa 1800, was painstakingly reproduced by Robert from just a few skinny framed fragments originally found in the Chawton Cottage Drawing Room.
Chawton Vine in its original colouring, with its charming vine leaf motif, has now been re-instated in the Museum. All three designs are available to order.
In 1813 the great Artist JMW Turner, guided by his good friend Sir John Soane, built a small Villa, Sandycombe Lodge, on a large plot near the River Thames in Twickenham. During recent restoration work a small and very discoloured fragment was discovered among a collection of tiny artefacts. Just enough for us to re-draw and reproduce the design which once again hangs in Turner’s Bedroom in beautifully restored Sandycombe Lodge. The Villa and Garden are open to the public : www.turnershouse.org
The production design team working on Darkest Hour, recently released and directed by Joe Wright, selected several of our wallpapers for film sets: Lillesand Strand for Downing Street bedroom, Kingston Market and Uppark Leaf for areas within Chartwell.
Our Bespoke wallpapers include recreated designs from discovered fragments, and reproductions of interesting artifacts and period maps.
We are proud to represent Marthe Armitage, the Chiswick based Artist, whose beautiful hand lino block printed wallpapers decorate walls world wide.
Marthe hand cuts the lino blocks for each of her 30 plus lively and original botanical and figurative designs, many inspired by the intricate shapes of leaves and plants, birds and insects. The selected print colour is mixed for each order, then rolled onto her printing block for the design to come alive on paper.
For further information please contact us :
+44 (0)20 8940 4850 info@hamiltonweston.com www.hamiltonweston.com
Business hours: Mon – Fri 10.00 – 18.00
Visits by appointment
The Studio
11 Townshend Road
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 1XH
