Flower power: Kate Moss designs hand-painted wallpaper range for de Gournay

Watch a de Gournay artist handpaint Kate Moss’ floral wallpaper design

Back in 2015, fashion titan Kate Moss made her first leap into the realm of interior design with The Barnhouse, a luxury retreat in the Cotswolds she designed for Philippe Starck’s brand Yoo. Since then, Moss has spearheaded several more projects, most recently designing a new floral wallpaper for British brand de Gournay.

The hand-painted design, ‘Anemones in Light’, nods to the anemone flower that is said to have been formed by Aphrodite’s tears over the death Adonis – or so the Greek legend goes. It is this amorous premise – and a ‘monochromatic, art deco feel’ – that shapes Moss’ collection, which had an original working title of ‘Twilight’. Moss explained, ‘The paper changes depending on the different times of day.’

Painting of Anemones in Light

A de Gournay artisan paints ‘Anemones in Light’

(Image credit: de Gournay)


The union between de Gournay and Moss was a natural creative coupling. Moss recalls her multiple interiors projects with Katie Grove, with whom she shared a mutual admiration for the de Gournay’s wallpaper. ‘[They] add warmth, texture, dimension and drama to a room,’ she says. Her approach to interior design does not stray far from fashion styling: ‘My style is drawn from different eras, mixing the old with the new, custom pieces mixed with found treasures.’

This type of subtle fusion is noticeable in the new range: take the softness of the painted blooms together with the contemporary colour palette. Moss takes pride in modelling the greyscale ‘Dusk’ in her very own bathroom; she was inspired by film noir for this colourway, which adds a gently sober, yet romantic mood to the collection.

Left, de Gournay founder Claud Cecil Gurney and Kate Moss and right, anemone flowers

Left, de Gournay founder Claud Cecil Gurney and Kate Moss.  Right, a detail of the print inspired by anemone flowers. 

(Image credit: Nikolai von Bismarck)

Anemones in Light and Simon Brown

‘Anemones in Light’ as seen in Moss’ own bathroom.  

(Image credit: de Gourney, Simon Brown)

INFORMATION

‘Anemones in Light’ wallpaper starts from £1,200 per panel. For more information, visit the de Gournay website

Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.