The Best Pierre Frey Wallpaper: Livingetc's 10 Favourite Designs

By Lotte Brouwer 2020-07-14T12:14:24Z

Pierre Frey is a name that's in every interior designer's little black book. Often featured in the pages of Livingetc and in our Design Projects, Maison Pierre Frey's fabrics and wallpapers are favourited by designers the world over, and are instantly recognisable to those in the know. The design house frequently features in the press with it's new collections and collaborations – it has collaborated with the likes of India Mahdavi, and most recently a capsule collection for Soho Home.

Founded in 1935, the design house is a treasure trove of print and pattern to fall in love with. You'll have spotted Pierre Frey's punchy Pueblos fabric in Suzy Hoodless' home video tour last month, and some of the brand's more toned down fabric upholstery in this chic yacht interior.

See all the latest wallpaper trends for 2021...

Interior designer Elizabeth Georgantas also leaned on the design house for adding pops of pattern to herMassachusetts project, like the Mil Neuf Cent Vingt design seen here on a Roman blind.

But it's the wallpapers that really have the Livingetc office drooling. Neutral wallpapers aside (let neutrals be neutral, we say), everything about Maison Pierre Frey's patterned papers has an element of fun to it. For example, Pierre Frey's clever tile-inspired Lisboa wallpaper is a Trompe-l'œil that'll trick you into thinking the wall is tiled. Nailing the Spanish bathroom trend, the scenic design brings a taste of Portugal’s tin-glazed walls home.

And that's not the only travel-inspired design; most of the brand's wallpaper designs are influenced by travel, from fabric-inspired Ikats, Batiks, Kilim designs and even ceremonial kaftans to the storied En File Indienne, a 'souvenir from a trip to India', and this wallpaper border design inspired by a painting of Venice which belonged to the King of France Louis XIV and currently sits in the Louvre museum.

The designs stretch from jungles, deserts and exotic greenhouses up into space withcloudy skies and celestial drawings. There are underwater scenes too (including an aquarium-like pattern below), and even a wallpaper that blends a bit of both; Curiosites features both sea and land animals against a dramatic black backdrop. In a nutshell? The brand frames and captures every daydream, every whimsy and curiosity.

We've rounded up our ten favourite Pierre Frey wallpapers that promise to gift your home an instant, cheerful lift.

1. FOND MARIN

An ocean scene of colourful coral and seaweed, the Fond Marin design by Carla Talopp plunges us to the bottom of the sea, where seaweeds dance and corals hypnotise. We've seen this design to great effect when given a large wall to shine, for example in fish restaurants.

2. LE COUPLE

Passionate about drawing, the actress Louise Bourgoin introduced her drawings to Patrick Frey of the Maison Pierre Frey. He was immediately taken by the fluid, unapologetic lines of her pen and ink drawings and offered to feature Le Couple as a wallpaper. We love the minimalism of the fluid pen strokes against the white background, and love the cheekiness of this design too.

Absolutely stunning for a dressing room or powder room – or what about framing it like designer Zoe Feldman did in this cloakroom space?

3. MONSTER FAMILY

Modern, punchy and fun, the Monster Family design features a private collection of imaginary figurines reworked by Tal Lancman and Maurizio Galante. It's super fun for a boys bedroom, but could also provide a tongue-in-cheek element to a cloakroom or games room. It's also available with a gold background.

See Also:Boys' bedroom ideas

4. BONSAI

Pierre Frey's Bonsai design was inspired by Japanese gardens and bonsai stands. We love the olive greens and the painterly effect.

5. TOILE DE NANTES

Toile De Nantes is a neutral design which would suit both cloakrooms and powder rooms as well as cosy guest bedrooms. Although it takes inspiration from an Ikat print, we think the dots and wobbly lines create a sort of English country house vibe.

See Also:Bedroom Wallpaper Ideas

6. LES BIDULES

Super playful, Les Bidules features child-like drawings, and gives a sense of carefree freedom, as though children have been left a box of markets and a blank wall, to doodle to their hearts content. We can't imagine a more fun wallpaper for a kids playroom, kids study or kids art studio space.

7. MILLE FLEURS

Gaël Davrinche paints his canvas on the ground and uses his fingers, giving us a more contemporary take on a floral. Mille fleurs feels fresh and whimsical, rather than chintzy. We think it would work stunningly in a nursery bedroom or girl's bedroom.

See Also:Stylish Nursery Bedroom Ideas

8. FONTAINE ET ANIMAUX BARBOUILLAGE

The design house is famous for mixing past styles and giving them a fresh spin. Fontaine et animaux barbouillage is a perfect example of that; a traditional 'Fontaines et Animaux' fabric from 1803 gets a graphic graffiti-style overlay by Christian Astuguevieille. By looking in a new way at a classical design from the 18th century, the artist has brought it to life again.

9. LES COQUECIGRUES

Another modern reinterpretation of a classic design is Christain Astuguevieille's Les Coquecigrues. It depicts imaginary animals printed using a woodblock technique from 1792. This particular motif was fashionable in the eighteenth century, and Christain has modified the design scale and colours to create a more modern version.

10. YANGZI

The stylised waves on the Yangzi wallcovering evoke the continuous waves of the Tangzi – the longest river in China. The pattern is printed on a raffia straw laminated on a metallic ground reminiscent of sparkling water.