Open House Joy: 11.03.2015- Amazing Wallpapers!

Open House Joy: 11.03.2015

I saw the MOST amazing place. Here it is several days later and I still can’t stop thinking about it. The house is beautiful, without question and anyone would be lucky to live there but the thing is, it wasn’t the house, itself, that got me so excited, it was the stuff they had in it, and the design choices they had made.

I tend to be on the more practical, Scandinavian side with my choices. I like white, pale woods, a few kick ass “antiques” that are on the more modern side (i.e. an Arne Jacobsen chair or a PH Lamp), and some fun pillows. I tend to stay away from super out there elements, so when I see them and they are well done, I am slightly awed. And this place left me awed. In this post, I am going to focus on the wallpaper because it was just so damn cool. I did some internet sleuthing to figure out who they were designed by and was really, really surprised by what I found. They were all designed by artist Damien Hirst, the guy that became famous for a series of art works in which he preserved dead animals, sometimes dissecting them or displaying them in pieces. Weird, but interesting. There is one of a horse...there is one of a shark.... I was really surprised when I figured out that Mr. Hirst had designed one of the wallpapers and was even more surprised when I figured out he had done the others as well.

Let me start with the powder room. Silver metallic wallpaper with a prescription medicine motif that was designed for an installation entitled “Pharmacy” that Damien Hirst did in 1992.  Each section depicts a pill or a pill bottle, a title and a reference to a Biblical passage. I think it’s brilliant. Mr. Hirst created his installation after witnessing how pharmacies “provoke an idea of confidence” in people. Damien Hirst said, “I can’t understand why most people believe in medicine and don’t believe in art, without questioning either." It is an interesting commentary on modern medicine and how, regardless of our faith in them, we can’t be “saved."

It is a great “pattern” to use for a powder room. I liked the way the light reflected off of the metallic paper. A good solution for a windowless room. Not sure where else it could be used effectively. A dispensary, perhaps? That would be kind of funny. Pricing of this paper varies. I saw some for $900 a roll and I saw some for $1900 a roll. If you are interested in getting this wallpaper, I suggest researching...or asking me to help you find the cheapest price.

Each roll: 10000 x 538 mm (394 x 21 inches)
Pattern repeat 460 mm (18 inches)
Silver
Five color gravure printing process with metallic silver
Limited edition of 1000
Sold by the roll
Published by Other Criteria

The second wallpaper, with its large orange, red and yellow gerbera daisy motif, was in one of the upstairs bathrooms. “Oh, that’s cute” you might think, but then, upon looking closer, you will notice cigarette butts amongst the flowers. I was guessing this one was called “Pushing Daisies” and was yet another commentary. I am SO fantasizing that the owners of this house are in the medical field in some way. There are crystals EVERYWHERE, so there is obviously an opinion about something there...Or they are just really into rocks. Damian Hirst called this fabulous creation,“Beautiful Inside My Head Forever”. He used images from his 2008 piece entitled “The Abyss” and superimposed them over the flowers. Apparently, he is showing the dichotomy between the inhospitable cigarettes and the vitality of the blooms on which they have been snubbed out. The pairing is supposed to speak of the perils of addiction and the fragility of life after smoking or.... of pushing daisies.  This isn’t a wallpaper that I would be running out to buy, but I appreciate the statement, as well as the fact that I had to look deeper and find meaning in it. This one was a bargain compared to the pill paper at $300 a roll.

Each roll: 1000 x 52.5 cm (394 x 21 inches)

Pattern repeat 60 cm (24 inches)

Four color gravure printing process

Unlimited edition Sold by the roll

Published by Other Criteria

The last wallpaper was in the master bathroom and was FANTASTIC. Damien Hirst has done many pieces in which he creates patterns using butterfly wings, and this is a repeat of one such pattern. I believe this one is entitled “Rape of Persephone”. Despite its somewhat provocative name, it was very beautiful especially against the black tiles in the bathroom. The repeating pattern is reminiscent of some of the ornamental patterns from the 19th century. In this modern house, the use of this wallpaper was really bold and made it a showpiece. I can only imagine that the artist, himself, would be pleased with the application.

Each roll of this paper is about $700 and can be found fairly easily on numerous sites online, including Ebay.

Each roll: 10050 x 686 mm (396 x 27 inches)
Pattern repeat 685 mm (27 inches)
Five color gravure printing process
Unlimited edition
Sold by the roll
Published by Other Criteria

It was really fun to see these wallpapers AND figuring out what they were. I am also an interior designer and seeing these bold choices always inspires me. I like nothing better than ferreting out details, whether it be wallpaper or a house that a client with very specific needs describes. So fun. At some point, I need to find the bravery in me to put up some crazy wallpaper in one of my bathrooms. I’m thinking the butterflies…


In the meantime…the house with all these lovely wallpapers is on the market for $3.995M. It’s an amazing 3 bedroom + 3 bath located just west of Abbot Kinney Blvd on Cabrillo Ave in Venice. It has an open two story floor plan and a great roof deck. Interested?