THE RIGHT TO NATURE’S PATTERNS Nature is associated with many powerful emotions; it fills us with energy, but also provides much-needed calm. The new wallpaper collection, Essens, is inspired by the nature of Österlen in the Swedish county of Skåne – from quiet forests to open fields and gardens in full bloom. PHOTO Patrik Hagborg STYLING Anna Furbacken ART DIRECTOR Anna Söderberg DESIGN Madeleine Sidemo TEXT Anna Zethraeus-Falkirk
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hether it’s the forest, meadows in bloom, hills, beaches or rocky cliffs, everyone has a relationship to nature. Our relationship to the landscape around us has become increasingly important in our daily lives. So it is no surprise that nature is the theme of Boråstapeter’s new collection, Essens. Madeleine Sidemo, Senior Designer, is behind the palette of patterns. – Nature has always been an important part of our DNA at Boråstapeter, it also felt really right for the times, she says. Madeleine grew up on the west coast of Sweden, but has spent many summers in Skåne and is very familiar with the environment. That’s why she decided to explore the beautiful natural scenery of the area of Österlen in her search for this collection’s pattern designs. – It’s so easy to see the beauty of Österlen’s landscape. The forests, open fields, hills and blossoming fruit orchards. To make the mood board that would be the basis of the wallpaper collection, Madeleine took a field trip for inspiration to Österlen’s most beautiful sites. Her trip took her through the hills of Brösarp, Haväng, Kivik and Vik. But first, she hiked through the linden forest near Brösarp on the Skåneleden trail. – The enormous trees there are majestic! It’s amazing to stand in the shade of the woods, with the pale green, softly whispering tree canopies high above you. It creates an ethereal, poetic feeling. She continued on through the hills of Brösarp, down to Haväng and Kivik. – First comes all of those undulating hills, then the fields of rapeseed, and down towards the water, these beautiful blossoming meadows spread out before you. As you start to approach Kivik, the apple orchards take over, and when they’re in full bloom, it’s like a sea of pink. That felt like a clear theme. The next stop was the little community of Vik, which Madeleine has visited often over the years. – The houses are built close together here, with charming little gardens with tall hollyhocks growing in front of ivy-covered stone walls. It’s an incredible kingdom of flowers.
It also includes an important democratic mindset. Madeleine wanted to build the collection around a natural theme inspired by Österlen, but where the viewer could also refer to their own home region. – The wallpaper patterns should inspire a sense of familiarity. It’s important not to exclude anyone. Everyone has their own forest, their own meadows, fields and farms around them. I want people to find something of their own, to see themselves in our patterns. That way, we can give everyone the right to nature. When a wallpaper is available in several different colourways, the same pattern can appeal to more people. – The Mira wallpaper with meadow blossoms comes in several colours. For example, red, where you might see poppies, while the yellow may evoke a field of buttercups. HARMONY AND BALANCE IN NATURE
Magical forests, blossoming fruit orchards and dazzling gardens provide an enormous wealth of patterns. Even more important is cohesion, so that nothing stands out one way or the other, according to Madeleine. – In some collections, we can work with spectacular patterns to create effects. With Essens, we wanted to create a harmonious sense of calm. You don’t go out in nature to be entertained; you’re looking for rest and balance. It isn’t just about painting beautiful natural designs, so much more work goes into creating a wallpaper, according to Madeleine. – It has to be something that will dress up your walls at home, that will create a feeling that surrounds you, where the viewer can experience the depth of the pattern. Once the patterns are ready, it is time for the colours. In Boråstapeter’s production process, the colours are all mixed by hand and each shade is checked carefully. – We’re often more restrained with a rich floral wallpaper, you want to balance the look with the colours. We didn’t want Essens to be overly cheerful, rather, we wanted a more toned down, restful look. You can often sense that a pattern may become a classic wallpaper. A whole history lies behind all of the collections; each pattern contains extensive craftsmanship – every single petal is placed with patience and precision. – The entire process is about meticulous balance. You continuously go back and ask yourself: is this the feeling we wanted to convey? For the people who will put the wallpaper on their walls at home, that’s how we create love for a pattern.
RECOGNISABLE PATTERNS
The Essens collection was born and it was split into three different pattern areas: nature, where the theme is represented by the numerous greens of linden forests, landscape, influenced by hills, wild meadows in bloom and open fields, and gardens, with pink apple blossoms and spectacular flowerbeds in focus. 10
