Introducing Wallpaper + Textiles

(First things first- happy birthday to my mom, Bridget Sheehey! When we were picking a launch date, I wanted to pick a day that was special to me, so that I’d always remember it. My mom has always been the very biggest supporter of all of my artistic dreams, and without her, I would not be doing this today. I love you so much, Mom!)

INTRODUCING OUR VERY FIRST COLLECTION OF WALLPAPER AND TEXTILES

I have always been drawn to beautiful patterns, especially on fabric, and especially those by Laura Ashley. One of the first photos I have of myself as a child is my mom and I, dressed in matching Laura Ashley dresses and headbands. When we moved from Ohio when I was 7, I accompanied my mom to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and picked out Laura Ashley floral bedding and wallpaper trim for my new bedroom. When I was 11, I spent my allowance money on a Laura Ashley dollhouse with interchangeable wallpaper and bedding- it’s still sitting in my parents’ basement, in fact, for when my own child is old enough to play with it. So- in short- I guess you could say that Laura Ashley was the first to introduce me to surface design with the soft, feminine, floral patterns I grew up with. 

Flash forward to 2016, still early in my “career” as an artist (I didn’t go full-time until 2017), and my now-husband gifted me Photoshop as a Christmas gift. I had been painting watercolor patterns on paper since college, but with Photoshop, I was able to turn them into actual repeats. I began offering surface design as a service for clients, and started to see the patterns I designed on actual products- packaging, wallpaper for commercial spaces, and even clothing. Pattern design became one of my favorite parts of what I do, and in addition to creating patterns for clients, I started making some of my own, as well. 

In early 2019, I began working with some interior designers as clients on projects like room renderings, and began to incorporate interior renderings into some of my personal work. I became wallpaper-obsessed- I began slowly researching wallpaper manufacturers, fabric printing techniques, and surface designers of the 19th and 20th centuries, and started to dream about one day launching my own line of wallpapers and textiles.

When I began working with Holly Hollon around this time last year on my rebrand, I took some time to pause and reflect on where I’d been and where I was going/wanted to go with my business. I told Holly that my ultimate dream was to launch wallpaper/textiles, but that I was probably “ten years away” from that happening, as I would need to hire someone full-time to help me achieve it. 

By mid-July last year, I was totally (albeit, gratefully) scrambling. I realized that in order for me/my business to function at the level I wanted it to, I needed to hire someone. I published a job listing for a part-time packaging and shipping assistant, and received an application from Catherine Dolaher. From our first conversation, something just clicked with Catherine. She is a hard worker with a background in the art world that puts my own to shame, shares my sense of humor, and most importantly, has a huge heart- she is passionate about everything she does, and cares deeply about the people around her. To me, that is the very greatest asset that a co-worker can have (Note: I have since hired Catherine as our full-time Studio Manager- in addition to making sure all of our orders get out the door, writing most of our website/shop copy, and launching this collection with me, she wears a few dozen other hats- any growth we have had this past year would not have been possible without her). 

About a month into working with Catherine, I mentioned my long-term dream to her. Together, we started researching manufacturers, and placing sample orders. We put together a Pinterest board where we shared ideas, and Catherine came up with a list of about fifteen different “categories” of classic wallpaper/textile pattern layouts (stripes, delicate, lattice, etc.) We put together a timeline starting with design deadlines and ending with a potential launch schedule, and I started designing the first pattern, Cornflower, in the early fall. 

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

For our first collection, we wanted to make sure we created something that was really cohesive and true to our brand. When I first started designing, I had just finished working with Holly on branding, and so I felt like I had a great foundation to work from. 

The first pattern, Cornflower, was based on an antique plate I’d seen on Instagram with a scalloped border- I’d created something similar for fun in August, and decided to simplify the design and colors a bit so that the finished design would be more usable in different spaces.

From there, I designed Daisy, another scalloped pattern that’s a little more subtle. Next, I created Larkspur in green- we wanted to make a traditional, monochromatic striped pattern with some fun modern details, like scalloped polka dots. Catherine suggested adding in a blue and white colorway for this one, inspired by the 50+ ginger jars laying around my house that I collected for my wedding a few years ago. 

We pulled the scalloped polka dot detail from Larkspur to create Rosa. We wanted to create something floral but delicate- last summer, I painted tiny botanicals on everything I could find (a picnic basket, shirt collar, notebook…), and so I recreated those in watercolor for Lilium. I wanted something that could work in any space as an almost-neutral, and I love block-print, so I combined those ideas in Chamomile. 

Jasmine is heavily inspired by William Morris’ “Willow Bough” pattern- in my wallpaper/textile “research” over the past couple of years, Morris’ name kept coming up, and his work and career have been a great source of inspiration for me. I wanted to make something Morris-inspired, but with feminine details and colors, that could work as a solid and mix and match easily with other patterns. 

Finally, I designed Trellis- we wanted to make something that was super detailed and show-stopping, that could also work in real spaces- I really love this one, because it feels a little more sophisticated/refined than some of my other patterns, and I can’t wait to see where people use it in their homes! 

The whole collection is inspired by the things that I love, that inspire me- pastel colors, botanicals, block print, 18th and early 19th century antiques, late 1980s/early 1990s floral prints, and feminine details like scallops and polka dots. There are nods to some of my favorites, including William Morris and, of course, Laura Ashley, and many, many flowers (because you can never really have enough). 

FINAL NOTES

As I sit here typing the Saturday before we launch, I am getting so choked up- this project has been a huge undertaking, and it certainly would not be possible without the many women who have supported me and this dream. I am so very grateful for Catherine, for the countless hours she has invested in researching, writing, emailing, ordering, reviewing, unpacking, STAPLING, and being the greatest source of support I could ever hope for in a business partner. I am grateful for my mom, who made me believe that this was absolutely something I could and should do, and has never once doubted me in my creative pursuits. I am grateful for our manufacturers- small, USA-based, women-owned businesses- and for the professionals in the interior design industry who have supported us from the beginning, even though this is a completely new venture and market for us. I am grateful for Stacy and Giulietta and Robin and Roxy for bringing our products to life in a new and inspiring light that helped give us the energy to keep going. Finally, he is not a woman, but I am also so, SO grateful for my husband, who has always pushed me to challenge myself and to think bigger.

 We hope that this collection brings joy and beauty to your homes, and that these patterns work as backdrops to some of the best moments of your lives. Thank you so much for following along with us on this journey- the best, as they say, is yet to come!

Shop the full collection here.

Riley Sheeheytextiles, wallpaper