Designer’s Muse: Louise Draper, Anthology

Last week Design Insider visited the Anthology Design Studio where senior designer Louise Draper introduced us to the world of wallpaper. From inception to the printing process we followed Louise as she gave us a behind the scenes look into the life of a wallpaper designer.

Louise Draper has always had a passion for design and started her career working for Anstey Wallpaper before becoming a designer for the Harlequin Group. Louise truly valued her time at Anstey, not only did it enable her to appreciate the process of wallpaper manufacturing, but Anstey’s close relationship with so many key interior brands enabled her to develop a strong understanding of the design industry and the key components that create an exceptional wallpaper collection. These skills led Louise and the Harlequin Group design studio to develop Anthology in 2014, an exciting new brand offering fresh and creative finishes and subtle textures suitable for both contemporary contract and domestic interiors.

Louise and the team work closely with the Anstey Wallpaper factory, using state-of-the art technology to achieve ground-breaking, sophisticated finishes, which are carefully put together in distinctive and inspirational colour stories. Louise talks us though the design and manufacturing process, from putting pen, paintbrush, or in some cases bead to paper, through to the factory interpreting the artwork and working with the colour studio to create an international colour palette.

Louise took us to the factory floor to give us an exclusive look at one of the most recent developments at Anstey Wallpaper Factory, their exciting new wallpaper machine that enables the design studio to create beaded wallpaper. Louise talked us through this ground-breaking process, once a design has been printed onto a wallpaper, the paper is then threaded through the machine where an intricate layer of glue in the desired pattern is applied, as the wallpaper continues through the machine, tiny beads are scattered onto the glued paper to create the desired design. You can see this method in all of its glory in the Anthology wallcoverings collections.

Louise explains that Anthology remains at the forefront of design as she and the Anthology design studio continue to develop innovative techniques and finishes across both the wallpapers and fabrics. Watch this space…more exciting things are yet to come from this already revolutionary design studio!