The swooping lengths of wallcovering that fill the Centre Dome for Focus/26 on Design may look dramatic – but it’s the story behind them that’s even more exciting. Paolo Moschino Ltd’s Park Avenue collection, inspired by the old-world glamour of New York’s Upper East Side, is made in collaboration with San Patrignano, an addiction recovery community of makers based near Rimini.
Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen of Paolo Machino Ltd first visited the community in 2018, and Park Avenue is their second collection together. “We begin with the design – the pattern, the scale, the colours and the atmosphere we want to create,” says Moschino. “The base design can be printed, but what makes these wallpapers special is what happens afterwards at San Patrignano.” Skilled artisans apply textures and decorative finishes that give the paper its depth and character, with no two the same.
“Some of the techniques have been passed down through generations of craftspeople and through the workshops at San Patrignano. That knowledge is precious,” says Moschino.
Park Avenue’s designs include ‘740 Park’, which features a gold trellis overlaid on a zebrawood-like backdrop; ‘Vreeland’ a seductive animal print named after the famed fashion doyenne Diana Vreeland; and ‘Lexington Amber’, a high-gloss tortoiseshell. Several borders can be used alongside the wallcoverings to layer up the opulence, or as stand-alone designs.
The first collection, released in 2019, has since found its way into Paolo Moschino Ltd’s prestigious design projects, including Villa Igiea in Palermo, where the collaboration also extended further into custom wrought-iron lanterns and chandeliers.
"Some of the techniques have been passed down through generations of craftspeople and through the workshops at San Patrignano. That knowledge is precious"
'Vreeland' wallcovering, Paolo Moschino Ltd
'Lexington Avenue' wallcovering, Paolo Moschino Ltd
'740 Park' wallcovering, Paolo Moschino Ltd
“We have also used the wallpapers in private residential projects. What we love is that they don’t feel like products that have been selected because there is a worthy story behind them. We use them because they are beautiful,” says Vergeylen. “The story comes afterwards – and makes something already beautiful even more meaningful.”
At Focus/26 on Design, Moschino and Vergeylen will be in conversation with the Design Centre’s CEO, Claire German, about this extraordinary journey, while artisans from San Patrignano will be demonstrating their techniques in the Centre Dome, right under the installation.
“We live in a world where we see a finished product and very rarely think about the hands that made it,” says Moschino. “When you actually watch someone applying a finish by hand and understand the patience, experience and skill involved, suddenly that piece of wallpaper has a completely different value.”
Vergeylen continues: “We also hope people come away wanting to know more about San Patrignano itself. If somebody arrives because they like a wallpaper and leaves understanding what this extraordinary community does for people, then we think we’ve achieved something very special.”
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