Damask for your Interiors

Damask for your Interiors!

I never really knew what damask was, not until recently. Another intern in the shop was explaining to me that the client she's assigned to work with has changed her mind from having owls on her bed posts to getting damask wallpaper, so that her bedroom would have some kind of detail (perhaps she has imagined the owls staring at her while she's sleeping?).

For you that doesn't know what damask is:

"is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibres, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave. Twill damasks include a twill-woven ground or pattern".

'[It] is a weaving style or technique that originated in the early Middle Age near Damascus, Syria. This particular style typically produced very ornate and decorative patterns in the fabric... wonderful to use in a design that needs to have a vintage or ornate look.'

Since the damask was invented, the pattern has been used with different kinds of fabric; and by designers, adding their own touch to the original pattern.

Prolific designers such as Nina Campbell, Manuel Canovas, as well as the companies Osborn & Little and Cole & Son, have used computerized Jacquard looms (mechanical loom machine) to create their monochromatic weaving masterpieces.

Here are some examples of Damask design available for purchase by the people and companies I have named above:

Although there are many colour variations to choose from above, I still can't decide which I like the best.

While chatting to John Gibson the other day about damask and many things about it (I'd say he is a walking encyclopedia), he has mentioned a very beautiful and imaginative damask design by the company Osborne and Little: a very modern design, in my opinion yet shows that it has been influenced by the damask pattern. 

3. Osborne and Little - Chinese Dragon (Wallpaper Album 5 Collection)

Purple

 Black

Below are links to wallpaper books on websites where you can check out more vintage wallpapers - particularly one with damask touch on them:

Cole & Son:
- Fornasetti Collection
http://www.cole-and-son.com/collection_detail.asp?collectionid=104

Manuel Canovas:
- Papier Peint Bellegarde
http://designs.manuelcanovas.com/

Osborn and Little:
- Vintage
- Vintage II
- Stanza
- Komodo
- Folia
http://www.osborneandlittle.com/products-and-collections/wallcoverings

Nina Campbell
- Birdcage Walk Autumn 2006 http://shop.ninacampbell.com/luxury-wallpaper/autumn-2006

For more information about these wallpapers visit or contact:

Martin-Hudson & Gibson Ltd
http://mhg.ie/martin_hudson_gibson.asp
(contact details in the link above)

-Gera