WALLPAPER MANUFACTURER

Wallpaper know-how used to be called “dominoterie”.  This art, known since the 16th century, has arrived in Europe from China.

A short history of wallpaper

The ancestor of wallpaper, “dominoterie”, is a block printing technique. It consists in engraving motifs by hand on a wooden board which, covered with paint, is pressed onto pieces (32 x42 cm). The printed colours and motifs are then repeated by hand or with the use of pattern. Domino paper was used to decorate small surfaces such as boxes, cupboards and book covers.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the term wallpaper has been established in England. The idea was to glue sheets end-to-end to create a cylinder, which was then put through a press to print the patterns. This type of decoration has become really popular, and the mechanisation of the creation process has responded to a growing demand. The use of wooden boards was dropped, and the traditional technique gradually disappeared, but not completely. Despite everything, wallpaper has always adorned interiors through the ages, adapting to the change of trends (Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Pop, etc.) and the new techniques (embossing, satin, gilding, trompe l’oeil, etc.).

Atelier d’Offard

François-Xavier Richard has set up his workshop with the aim of reviving traditional 18th-century wallpaper-making techniques. For each project, he begins by engraving an old or contemporary motif on a secret support. Then he applies the “base coat”, which consists in applying a colour to the raw paper. Once dry, the strip is pressed to add the motifs, colour by colour, joins by joins.

With his overflowing curiosity, the craftsman continues his path, reviving old techniques such as carton-pierre. This technique, first appeared in the 15^th century, involves creating mouldings, ornaments or decorations using a paste made from a mixture of excess paper, blanc de Meudon and rabbit skin glue.