Houses Gardens People: Glamorous de Gournay!

Whistler Peacocks, starting at $495 per panel,
from de Gournay at Culp Associates

Gilded Age . . . wallpaper used to be considered granny and dated, but I love how the most classic and traditional of wallpaper companies are now doing some of the freshest looks anywhere. Case in point: London-based de Gournay, whose newest wallpapers were inspired by some of their previous designs, including the amazing Whislter Peacocks, shown above. Once rendered in metallic paint, Whistler Peacocks is now hand-gilded, and what a difference the real thing makes!

Claud Gurney—a former banker who left the world of finance to found de Gournay in 1986—has brought his daughters Hannah and Rachel into the business, and they're injecting the family business with new energy, and designing papers with bolder patterns and colors that fit right in with modern interiors. One design you'll be seeing more of from the house of de Gournay is the Striee pattern from their Plains collection, a brand new look they've never done before.

In Texas, Kelly Hardage of Culp Associates has brought de Gournay into his Dallas and Houston showrooms, showcasing many of the papers on large panels for the first time; in the past, many of the papers were only viewable in sample books. (Full disclosure: Culp Associates is a sponsor of this blog.) The Plum Blossom design, below, is probably my favorite, since it feels at once historic and modern when depicted large scale, and used as an accent on a wall.

One thing to keep in mind as you look through these photos, all the amazing furniture and accessories are also from de Gournay. You can get more details on their website, here.

In our upcoming issue of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas, we're exploring new wallpapers by de Gournay and another venerable house, Gracie. It'll be up this week, so flip through the digital Summer Issue and see what's new!