An Archive Reinvented
Cole & Son has returned to its roots with its Pearwood collection, a rich homage to 19th-century British design. The portfolio of 10 wallpaper designs draws on the company’s block print archive, while incorporating contemporary design and bold colour palettes. The name is inspired by the fruit wood used by Cole & Son founder John Perry to make the original printing blocks – pearwood is hard enough that it allows for cutting the finest details, but is durable enough to last.
The designs feature motifs from British history, monarchy and myth: Tudor roses, lions rampant, peacocks and a tangled forest reminiscent of a fairy tale. ‘Pugin Palace Flock’, pictured, is a sumptuous flock wallpaper recalling the work of WA Pugin, while ‘Woodvale Orchard’ has a pattern of parrots sitting amid a canopy of grapevines, inspired by a wooden printing block which is still housed in the Cole & Son archive, but reimagined in four modern colourways – from fresh, sunny hyacinth, lilac, china blue and ochre to opulent and dramatic ruby rose, olive green and charcoal.
The collection was also Highly Commended in The World of Interiors’ Focus/19 Collection of the Year award.
