This post was born last week when my friend and designer Bianca Hall tweeted a picture of the fabric she had bought for her new kitchen bench. It’s called Swaying Palm by Tommy Bahama and I agree with her that it’s absolutely gorgeous and, at when it’s not out of stock, it’s only around £8 a yard (it’s American) very affordable too.
That set me on the hunt for more tropical fabrics as there is a definite trend brewing here. The most famous of them all is the Brazilliance by Dorothy Draper, widely regarded as the first American interior designer ever. Her wallpaper was designed for the Greenbriar Hotel, in west Virginia and is pictured above.
But that’s not all. There is also the world famous Martinque Banana designed by Don Loper in 1942 for the Beverley Hills Hotel. The two are often confused. For the record Draper’s, at the top, has sea grapes and Loper’s, directly above, has bananas. You can buy Draper’s Brazilliance via her protege Carlton Vaney, who is the president of Dorothy Draper & Co.
If you don’t fancy a banana leaf, there are plenty of other tropical prints around such as this palm by Cole and Son above, or the Sanderson Manila below.
And, or course, it would be wrong to omit The House of Hackney, whose fern and palm prints below are also wonderful – if a little overdone in the images below. It’s walls or sofa I think, not both.
I could definitely fancy a bit of tropical greenery to brighten up a dull day and, in the absence of my own orangery – or even conservatory – a wall of this in the kitchen or study would work wonders for my creativity I reckon.
The current wallpaper trend is to really go for it. Feature walls are out, all over decor is in. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to do a whole room in this though. What about you?
This is a bench covered in Tommy’s Swaying palm. This might be the way to go.
It’s a little bit too much for me to put on entire wall. But I would like it on cushions or as a picture.
Yes, that’s probably what I would end up doing. Although I’d quite like it in a bathroom I think.