Architectural Digest Home Design Show 2012: Wallpaper Finds

For the first time, I went to Architectural Digest's Home Design Show in New York City last week. Held at Pier 94 on West 55th Street and 12th Avenue, I hadn't ever been to anything of such scale dedicated exclusively to home furnishings. The array of products was overwhelming. And now, looking back, I'm torn about which things to write about first. To make it simple, I'll break it down into categories, starting today with wallpaper.

One of the products I drooled over most was the Scrapwood Wallpaper by Piet Hein Eek exhibited by The Future Perfect, a New York retailer catering to unique design finds and furniture. A Dutch designer known for transforming scrap wood into fine cabinetry and studio furniture, Eek only allowed his pieces to be sold in the U.S. just within the last year. For now, I'll leave his furniture for another post. But his scrapwood wallpaper is to die for! I'm already determined to use it somewhere in my home. It is unmistakeable for real wood siding. Here are the wallpaper samples hanging on the walls of The Future Perfect's booth:

And here are some of the various patterns and colorways:

   

    

Some pluses about these wallpapers: there are no repeats, and they can be hung horizontally or vertically.

Another nice wallpaper find at the Show was a collection by Audrey Sterk, a decorative painter dividing her time between Nantucket and New York. I liked the large scale graphic patterns of Audrey's designs and also the fact that she can custom color any paper to Pantone colors. Some of my favorite patterns of Audrey's are:

               

         Arrows -- Reminiscent of a David Hicks design                                               Fair Street

                                       

                                                                               Circle & Stars

I covered all of the AD Show on Thursday, the trade day, which left my Friday open. So I went to the New York Design Center at 200 Lex, just around the corner from where I was staying.  I especially wanted to visit the showrooms that are not represented in Boston. For the longest time, I've been getting mailings from Ted Boerner, a contemporary furnishings line that subtly nods to mid-century modern. I had a wonderful visit with Steven, the showroom manager, who explained that in addition to the full Ted Boerner line, the showroom features compatible furnishings by other artists and designers. Among these were Tracy Kendall whose wallpaper was jaw-dropping. Her cutlery papers are more widely known, but what I went totally ga-ga over were her embroidered and sequined papers. All I hoped for at that moment was to get a contemporary women's clothing boutique project. How awesome would the sequined "Another Room" pattern look on soffits or dressing room walls?

    

                                     Cutlery                                                                                       Sequins

       

                                      Buttons                                                                                     Another Room