Monday, February 6, 2017

35/15: Governor's Palace Wallpaper II

What is 35/15? Read the Introduction first.

This post is a sequel to 35/15: Governor's Palace Wallpaper.


35/15 is back, two years later! Should this post actually be titled 35/17? Who knows! Let's move on!

One of my favorite Williamsburg discoveries from the 35/15 Photo Project would have to be the existence of Governor's Palace Wallpaper.

In my first post, I wondered where it had gone? What had happened to it? One does not simply give up. This is iconic wallpaper that was on display in a major tourist attraction. There had to be some trail.

So, I used the best tools in my arsenal -- Google and Pinterest image searching. I was looking for hours, getting distracted by very artistic Chinese wallpapers, finding dead ends, trying new keywords. Someone had to have a picture online somewhere.

One of my wallpaper "well that looks fancy" excursions led me to de Gournay. de Gournay is a premiere custom wallpaper company. Their wallpapers have been featured in Vogue, perfume commercials, interior decor magazines, even called upon for use in the 2015 Met Gala. 

Looking through their extensive online collection, I came across a design that was very, very similar. So, I inquired about it.

It turns out, the design was based off the Governor's Palace wallpaper. de Gournay had seen some panels of the wallpaper being auctioned off, and created their own design, "Earlham," based off of it. (Many of de Gournay's wallpapers are named after historic English estates/homes.)

Some time later, they were approached by Michael S. Smith, a well-known US interior designer. He had a client that had 6 original Governor's Palace panels that they wanted restored, as well as ordering new panels to go along with the old ones. So, there you go! A good amount of it is still out there, being used, in good condition, and surrounded by immaculately-designed surroundings.

Clicking through de Gournay's website, it is fascinating to see the different variations on the design that they can do. While the original Williamsburg colors (which de Gournay named "Sung Blue Williamsburg" in honor of its past) will always be my sentimental favorite, de Gournay and their clients are not consigned to always replicate it. Check out this one in a light gold. Do you like the color green? How about colored flowers? How about we ditch wallpaper altogether and go with a cushion? The possibilities can be endless.

So, it is great to hear the wallpaper is still being used. It's also amazing I could one day own my very own Governor's Palace-inspired wallpaper! 
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