Discover the 60th edition of Salone del Mobile (7 – 12 June 2022) and what to see in Milan during Fuorisalone 2022 (from 5 June 2022) with our ongoing report as the events of the week unfold.

By ROSA BERTOLI

The AD100 architect joins forces with Calico Wallpaper for a historically-inspired collaboration

Thanks to digital printing, full-scale wall murals are now almost as accessible as the repeating patterns of yore.  Calico Wallpaper, for instance, creates artful, abstract motifs rich with atmosphere that never repeat.  The company’s latest introductions include designs resembling supersize wood grain, paintbrush strokes, and free-form paper cutouts as well as washes of color evoking gauzy clouds and electric sunsets.

In the context of the Venice canal area—which is known for its anything-goes fashion scene, graffiti art, and quirky architecture (their neighbor’s facade has dog heads painted on it)—saturating the former beige and gray space in expressive shades of turquoise, pink, and green just made sense. Plus the homeowner, a former artist, has an unwavering opinion about the value of color. “It really has to satisfy my emotional palette,” she says.

That fascination with “odd” chromatic combinations stems from her artist days: Many of her hard-edge paintings, which can be found throughout the house, were grounds for experimentation. And so covering the stairs and kitchen walls in Calico’s gradient Aurora wallpaper turned the space into something special.

The same treatment makes an appearance in the main bedroom, this time in a wispy blue version that speaks to the aqua headboard (the bespoke tufted piece was inspired by the equally chunky sofa downstairs). Yellow was a natural jumping-off point from there, but Ayromloo still felt like the room needed a third hue. “Pink came into the picture because it just softened everything up,” she says. “Why throw in something muted when all the other rooms are so saturated?”

This month’s Designer Desktop is a collaboration between long time favorite Calico Wallpaper and their guest, French designer Sam Baron. Titled Noir, the new wallpaper design is an exploration in refined restraint and essential materials. Paper, paint and brush were the only tools used in the creation of Noir, resulting in the detailed broad brushstrokes that characterize the collection. Noir is also inspired by French artist Pierre Soulages and his famous “Outrenoir” style that highlights the endless depth that the color black produces, which the artist sees “both as a color and a non-color. When light is reflected on black, it transforms and transmutes it. It opens a mental field all on its own.”

Featuring Noir in Velvet

Following their moody Noir collection, the Brooklyn-based wallpaper brand chronicles the ephemeral nature of the ever-changing sky in its latest launch titled Atmosphere. The eight-part series channels atmospheric clouds and abstracts their hues into a medley of hand-painted scenes that take inspiration from the amorous works of artist J.M.W. Turner.

Featuring our Atmosphere collection

When they first worked together, renovating a home that had once been a church, they never imagined they’d eventually get married there.

Featuring our collection Overgrow in Alice

When Calico Wallpaper founders Rachel and Nick Cope designed their Aurora collection, consisting of 16 different multicolored ombrés, in 2013, they drew on memories of the various horizons they’d seen on their extensive travels — from seascapes in Tulum to sunsets in Tuscany. Stuck in their New York home last year, the couple found a new way to bring a global perspective to their work: They invited four international design studios to craft their own Aurora prints, each one just as personal as the originals.

“When designing clothes, you always think about the space the person would be in,” says Humberto Leon, cofounder of cult fashion brand Opening Ceremony and former creative director of Kenzo. With his latest venture, a Peruvian-Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles named Chifa after the popular fusion food, he’s realized that space. And, oh, what a world it is: From heart-shaped windows to zebra-print wallpaper to scalloped tables and wavy flatware, his cool, colorful stamp is everywhere…”

Our Heartwood Collection, made in collaboration with Humberto Leon, is featured in the photos above wrapping the entire restaurant in a custom color.

Photography by Jarod Wang

The New York-based gallery Friedman Benda’s stand is a zen-like space in the middle of the bustling fair. Fluttering marbled fabric, designed by Calico Wallpaper, encloses a contemporary take on the traditional Japanese rock garden.