DESIGN MILK: Calico Wallpaper Makes Gold With Alchemy and Enchantment

Since 2013, Calico Wallpaper has presented the finest, most immersive wall murals on the market. Their new collection is in collaboration with Kindergarten teacher and Early Childhood Educator Janene Ping. Ping, who maintains a prolific natural dyeing practice, aims to highlight the balance and beauty of nature. Teaching at the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School for thirty years has given her the insight and sensitivity needed to foster a love for the great outdoors in our little ones. This collaboration features two distinct collections, Alchemy and Enchantment.

The Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School is committed to providing children with the tools they need to become aware citizens. During their time, they grow a personal relationship with the natural world, and learn to become an active participant in their local economy. Handcraft and artistry is paramount, essential for humans to truly connect with the earth. Ping, a natural dyer extraordinaire, creates fantastic silk tapestries for The Magical Puppet Tree Theater – which she founded in 1992. Through this joyful medium, she uplifts a collection of fanciful stories often untold.

AD: AN EXTRAORDINARY MUMBAI DUPLEX

Built for a multi-generational family, this Mumbai duplex exudes an overarching sense of warmth, luxury, and tranquillity.

Among the myriad unique aspects that make this two-storey Mumbai duplex extraordinary, it is the enchanting views that truly set it apart. The light dances through the space with a cinematic quality, changing throughout the day and casting a spell that interior designer and project lead Jannat Vasi beautifully harmonised within design. Every hue and shade is a deliberate echo of the natural beauty outside, embracing a palette that is both sophisticated and restrained.

“The vision of bringing the ocean indoors is realised through thoughtful design choices that mirror the natural surroundings, creating a tranquil and timeless living environment. Inspired by the ocean, we’ve infused the space with blues, soft waves, and textures reminiscent of coral reefs. Metals mimic the sun’s reflection, adding a dynamic touch to the serene ambiance. The incredible wall mural by Calico Wallpaper which captures light in a mesmerising way, pays homage to the spectacular sunsets this home enjoys,” explains the founder of Jannat Vasi Interior Design.

Photography by Ishita Sitwala

SURFACE: Jean Pelle Journeys Back Into South Korea’s Vivid Landscapes

Jean Pelle recalls wandering through fruit farms and wet rice fields with hilly forests during her upbringing in a small South Korean town. “My father would bring his camera on our long walks,” she says, “and make my brothers and I pose in the tall grasses or thickets of the pine trees.” These vivid memories stayed with her, even decades after immigrating to the U.S. and launching the Brooklyn lighting and furniture design studio Pelle with her husband, Oliver. Now, thanks to a collaboration with her close friends and neighbors, the wall coverings mainstay Calico Wallpaper, she’s translating her father’s old photographs into an entirely new medium.

The collection, appropriately called Memoir, recalls the lush landscapes embedded in Pelle’s memory. Each of the six patterns represent scenes from her childhood, from the rich textures of tall pink-and-white cosmos flower beds to swaying grassy hills and dense pine forests. They were developed from drawings she made using oil pastels—a medium she gravitated to as a child. “I’m thrilled that together with Calico Wallpaper, we can bring these vivid memories and snapshots of the South Korean landscape to life,” she says. “It’s a large-scale representation of the albums my father put together of rich textures and memories of my first home.”