I’ve been off the grid for the past few weeks traveling, finishing up a year-long project and then just chil-laxing, gearing up for the new season Now, it’s really Fall and for the first time central heating replaces central air and although I do love warm weather, it’s a welcome change.
Architectural Digest just featured the renovated and beautifully decorated home of Hannah Cecil Gurney, who’s the daughter of Claud Cecil Gurney, founder of the exquisite hand painted de Gournay wallpapers. I love wallpaper in general and de Gournay in particular for their elegant, timeless bespoke designs that epitomize a classic style of interior decorating. Hannah, director of global marketing and development resides with her family in a large Victorian house in London’s Battersea Park neighborhood and not surprisingly, the walls in each and every room are covered in de Gournay’s fantastic fantasy landscapes.
If you’re attracted to exotic florals, animal menageries and vivid color palette de Gournay could be for you. As Jane Keltner de Valle for AD explains…“Coveted for its couture artisanship, de Gournay is highly sought after among top designers and tastemakers, who wait months for each paper to be rendered by hand.” If a de Gournay room is too much to live with, framed panels also beautifully enhance a room, as I recently designed for a client’s living room and is pictured below.
Photography by Douglas Friedman for AD
Hannah’s living room wrapped in de Gournay chinoiserie is inspired by Coco Chanel’s Paris apartment
George, Hannah’s son is surrounded by aquatic life depicted in a hand-painted wallpaper
For those brave enough to have an exquisitely hand embroidered silk wallcovering in their kitchen, like Hannah
Living room by Doreen Chambers Interiors, photography by Christopher James Delaney