13th September 2020
When it comes to wallpaper why limit yourself to what’s available in your own country anymore? Go online, and with international shipping, you have access to wallpapers from around the world.
Fantastic, but what happens when things get lost in translation and you’ve dropped hundreds of pounds on wallpaper?! I found some potential problems with this showcase.
I came across Mezari Atelier through Instagram and loved the florals and Toile style – so far so good. Not enough Toile paper in the UK and in the US and Canada it’s big, and above all inventive and interesting.
Stephanie, the founded and owner, lives and works in Montreal Canada and started her company in 2017 after years of working in the domestic textile industry. She was inspired by Kara Walker and William Morris – both his designs and work.
For those who don’t know Toile, or Toile de Jouy, is a type of decorating pattern consisting of a white or off-white background on which is a repeated pattern depicting a fairly complex scene, generally of a pastoral theme such as a couple having a picnic by a lake or an arrangement of flowers. Stephanie’s first Toile in art school was about her Romany heritage and the stories that were passed down to her. Her work excited people and that toile pattern became the seed that sparked her starting Mezari Atelier.
All prints are drawn by hand with India ink first, and then silkscreen printed by hand on coated papers or fabric. She works with an artisanal factory in the US for wallpaper and textiles are printed in her studio.
On to my experience with the paper (!) I really struggled get this up.. a few highlights of my experience below;
- On the table – it’s wider width than UK standard meaning I had to double table.
- Paste the paper – used a ready mix as per instruction but not the american brand recommend. This may have been the downfall of the following soak and hang problems.
- Folding the paper to soak was impossible – in the end I let the paper lay flat and then double pasted the edges to stop them drying out.
- On the wall the paper puckered and I could not smooth it down to what I would say was an acceptable standard.
Now the paper is $220-285 CAD which roughly translates to £130-170. At this price you are going to want this to look spectacular, especially if you are going for all 4 walls which in a small room is going to cost over a grand + shipping and duty tax.
The positives: There are 3 prints and all are spectacular;
- Snip Floral – which comes in two colourways. I had the eccentric – as well as the florals it features hands and scissors. If there are ‘cool-girl’ fashion brands this is a ‘cool-girl’ print. The colour and print quality is amazing.
- Toile de Ville – a Toile featuring the Montreal landscape.
- VanCity Toile – A nostalgic toile featuring Vancouver City favourites. I love interesting Toile’s like this. Would be a great conversation piece in a downstairs loo.
So the problem for me comes down to the hanging and prep not the design. I am following up with Stephanie to get some tips hopefully sort out the issues.
Papers go from $220-285 CAD for a double roll and products are available through – www.mezari.ca as well as a number of retailers in the US and Canada.
Wallpapers are shipped worldwide
Insta @merazi_atelier