Each of these classic designs, some dating from as far back as the 17th century, has been adapted from original documents in the Zoffany archive or from museum collections.

Each of the fabric designs have been woven in carefully chosen traditional qualities to include lampases, damasks, brocades and tapestries, which thoughtfully reflect the richness of skill and craftsmanship shown in the original fabrics. The wallpaper designs have been innovatively printed with a range of traditional and new techniques to introduce both textural and metallic finishes to the papers. The colour palettes within the collections range from the authentic and the traditional to more contemporary combinations which will introduce these historically inspired collections to a new audience.

Liz Cann, Zoffany Design Director

Fleurs Rococo Weaves

The five weaves that make up this collection were selected for both their glorious pattern and multi-coloured appeal. The designs have been updated from silk brocades and lampases, with some even taking their influence from embroidered dress fabrics. The inspiration for the collection, ‘Oiseaux de Paradis’, has been one of Zoffany’s most popular designs for many years.

Adapted from Jacobean embroideries with stylised leaves, flowers and birds, it has been re-coloured for this collection in fresh new combinations including aubergine with gold and linden green with linen. ‘Fir Trees’ is interpreted from an early rare silk textile and shows a mountain scene including fir trees and waterfalls upon a luxurious texture of silk and cotton. ‘Cherry Blossom' is a lavish fil-coupe design originally taken from a charming floral brocade and shows delicately embroidered cherry fruit and blossom on a meandering branch. ‘Roses and Corn’ has been adapted from a silk brocade originally woven in Lyon, France in the 19th century, and has been updated with the use of fancy yarns to give a contemporary twist and a lustrous sheen. ‘Fleurs Rococo’ completes the collection and has been adapted from a block printed wallpaper.

It shows a vibrant brocade of tulips, roses and wallflowers adroitly entwined with arabesques.

Fleurs Rococo Wallpapers

The ‘Fleurs Rococo’ papers collection includes eight traditionally designed wallpapers, which range from a quintessential classic stripe to a flamboyant oriental trail. ‘Fleurs Rococo’ updates a beautiful block-printed French wallpaper and mixes stylised flowers with arabesque motifs. ‘Fir Trees’ is a stunning scenic wallpaper taken from a rare 18th century French silk with surprisingly modern imagery.

‘Manchu’ is an interpretation of a late 19th century hand-painted Chinese silk: the vibrancy and refined shading of the design has been recaptured to make a rich wallpaper suitable for contemporary decorating trends. ‘Cherry Blossom’ is an elegant and sophisticated multi-coloured design of blossom flowers arranged as an informal meandering trail which contrasts to ‘Meadow’, a single colour blockprint with naive floral motifs on pastel ground shades. ‘Starflower’ is an easy to use trellis design enhanced with small flowers and ‘Roman Stripe’ is a classic stripe which has been given additional leaf detail to make it a natural companion for a floral weave or chintz curtains.

Finally, ‘Periwinkle’ has been interpreted from a charming floral silk which was a more recent acquisition to the Zoffany Archive: the trailing flowers have been printed on a fine texture to capture the subtle lustre of the original fabric.

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